Bill 23 (the Build More Homes Faster Act 2022) freezes development charges and does not do away with them, according to a top Doug Ford official.
Durham Region and municipalities are critical of the bill which they see coming with a $5 billion tag, which is likely to end up with residents.
“There is misinformation about what Bills 23 and 39 do,” Todd McCarthy, Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Durham told Durham Post.
McCarthy is also Deputy Government Whip and PA to the President of the Treasury Board.
“Firstly, development charges are still possible to be levied, but they are frozen at current rates. Municipalities are not permitted to raise the development charge fee – that’s number one,” explained McCarthy in an exclusive interview.
“Number two, we have a limited development charges on not-for-profits and targeted rental properties and on affordable housing projects, because we feel that those citizens who are most affected by that, need those homes built faster. Development charges will get in the way of that,” he said.
Readjusting Greenbelt
“Third, we are beginning conversations about adding to the greenbelt in some areas and increasing the urban boundary in other areas where the greenbelt should never have been extended to.
You may know that the previous government from 2005 to 2018 changed the greenbelt 17 times, and we just think that was arbitrary and unfair. So, we’re having a conversation about that with municipalities and experts and citizens about what is appropriate,” said the Durham MPP.
He said if Ontario has certain lands that are surrounded by development and they are technically in the greenbelt, “we need a conversation whether that’s appropriate to maintain that designation while at the same time looking at adding to the greenbelt elsewhere in our riding”.
He declined to be be drawn in on the issue of the tilling of Lower Duffins Creek, which can now be paved over courtesy of Bill 23.
Bowmanville Train Hub
“Well, I was going to talk about the next issue which is in our riding. I can only speak about what’s in our riding. In Durham Riding, for example the Bowmanville GO train extension is an opportunity to embark on gentle intensification to create a community hub around the extension – and that’s certainly part of the conversation,” said McCarthy.
The Riding of Durham includes North Oshawa, Clarington and Scugog, among other rural areas.
“I am in consultation with three different mayors about how to do this properly. The conversation is just beginning. We want to balance and harmonize the goal that we all agree on – which is to build more homes for the two million newcomers who will be coming here over the next 10 years, and at the same time same time, protect and even increase the greenbelt in many areas of our riding,” added McCarthy.