York Region supports the Province of Ontario’s goal to build more homes faster and recognizes all levels of government, the development industry and other partners all have a role to play in finding opportunities to streamline the development approval processes and create more affordable housing options. 

All stakeholders must have a hand in the solution as no one entity can solve the complex housing affordability crisis alone.

York Region continues to advance the work in building more homes faster with support and engagement from all parties.
 

Addressing Bill 23 through 2023 reports to York Regional Council

York Regional Council and staff continue to assess the impacts of Bill 23. The following reports, updates and presentations have been considered:

Special Meeting of Council – February 2023

Report – Working Together to Build More Homes Faster

Attachment 1 – Suggestions to build 1.5M homes faster

Presentation – Working Together to Build More Homes Faster

February 2023

Memorandum – Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 – Additional Information

Attachment 1 – DC Rates – Single-Semi Detached Dwellings

March 2023

Report – Supporting Growth and Housing in York and Durham Regions Act, 2022 Update

Memorandum – Housing Supply Update: December 2022

April 2023

Report – Streamlining Development Approvals and Supporting Provincial Housing Targets

Attachment 1 – Data Standardization within York Region (Consultant Report)

Addressing Bill 23 through 2022 reports to York Regional Council

December 2022

Report – Implications of Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022
 
Attachment 1 - Summary of Recommendations for Consultations on More Homes Built Faster: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan 2022-2023 and Related Proposals
 
Attachment 2 - York Region’s preliminary comments

November 2022

Report – Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022

Attachments 1-4 – Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 Consolidated Attachments

What Bill 23 means for York Region residents

The following outlines some of the impacts of this new legislation.

Financial impacts

Development charges are fees collected by municipalities on new developments. These fees help pay for growth-related infrastructure such as water and wastewater servicing, roads and transit.  

Bill 23 reduces the amount of development charges municipalities can collect to pay for these essential services. As a result, these changes could reduce York Region revenues by a minimum of $497 million and potentially up to $1.6 billion over the next 10 years.

To maintain existing service levels without new funding from senior levels of government, future tax levy increases may be required.

More details on the financial impacts from Bill 23 was shared with York Regional Council in February 2023. 

Housing affordability

York Region is committed to responding to the housing affordability crisis and supports Ontario’s goal to build more homes faster, but housing supply alone will not solve the affordability problem.

York Region encourages the province to work collaboratively with all levels of government and the development and home building industry to create effective implementation strategies addressing supply and demand factors in support of building 1.5 million homes. 

York Regional Council approved the creation of an Affordable Private Market Housing Implementation Plan, which will further analyze and identify actions, advocacy and partnership opportunities to improve affordability.  

Follow the progress at york.ca/HousingAffordability

Greenbelt impacts

Along with Bill 23, the Province of Ontario has taken additional steps to build more homes even faster including redesignating some Greenbelt lands for urban development. In York Region, 330 hectares (815 acres) of land in the Greenbelt is impacted.

York Region proposed amendments to the Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine Plans in December 2022.  Following the request for comments, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing made the modifications and specific lands removed from the Greenbelt are shown on this map.

Conservation Authorities

York Region works with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to protect and enhance watershed communities across the Region.  

Bill 23 impacts the role of conservation authorities in Ontario by limiting their ability to comment and regulate development impacts on natural heritage features outside of hazard land areas.

Conservation authorities typically comment on natural heritage impacts for municipalities, including York Region. With limitations on advice from conservation authorities, there will be a gap in development application review with more vulnerability to climate change impacts and natural areas.  

Planning process

Regional Planning has a critical growth management role aligning delivery of infrastructure and services with growth. Until the Local Official Plans are approved, York Region remains the approval authority for Local Official Plans, which are required to conform to the York Region Official Plan. 

York Region is assessing and responding to how these changes will impact future planning and growth management. 

For more information on local Bill 23 implications, please visit your local municipality.

If you have questions regarding planning initiatives in York Region, please reach out to @email