How will Bill 23 affect College Ward residents?
The More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022, often referred to as Bill 23, is a new law from the Province of Ontario that changes a number of regulations that govern how municipalities, like Ottawa, operate...
I have said many times that we need more housing and housing that people can afford. I support that the province wants to address this need and further bold actions already taken by Ottawa, but I have serious concerns about what this means for municipalities in Ontario, residents of Ottawa, and College Ward
This legislation makes housing a question of quantity and diminishes the important role municipalities play in providing for quality and support for growth. It also limits the City’s ability to fund growth by removing some development and parkland charges, compromising our ability to deliver a livable, resilient, and attractive City. Development charges are one-time fees on new residential and non-residential properties to help pay for a portion of the growth-related infrastructure requirements, like sewers and roads.
The More Homes Built Faster Act came as a surprise to Ottawa. As you may know, Council approved a new Official Plan (New OP) in October 2021 that set out a vision for increasing the density and diversity of Ottawa’s neighbourhoods. The New OP received provincial approval on November 4, 2022. Ottawa City Council approved a new Parks and Recreation Master Plan in October 2021, and a new Parkland Dedication By-law in July 2022. Staff are currently preparing Transportation and Infrastructure Master Plans, all needed to plan for the infrastructure, services, and amenities needed in our city.
Traffic and Parking
Under the Act, one of our greatest planning tools–background studies for services and infrastructure–is no longer an eligible use of development charges. The cost of studies is relatively small compared to the cost of implementation, and these studies save the City millions in capital and operating costs. If funding for studies is compromised, the City will be less able to “future-proof” growth to ensure traffic and transit stays smooth and safe. The More Homes Built Faster Act also prohibits regulating minimum parking requirements, likely leading to more on-street parking.
Density
Intensification is familiar to us in College Ward, but with this new Act, the City is limited in managing how this happens. It overrides some zoning by-laws, such as those regulating minimum unit size, and now allows for up to three units in a house. Municipalities can no longer seek details about exterior design or landscaping features, unless related to matters of heath, safety and accessibility through Site Plan Control, the process that allows the City to influence development so that it is safe, functional and orderly. Buildings of up to 10 residential units will be exempt from Site Plan Control entirely.
Financial Impacts
City staff believe the financial impact to Ottawa from the The More Homes Built Faster Act is in the range of $26 million annually. If growth will not pay for growth, taxpayers will. A funding gap already exists for growth-related costs, making it more difficult to fund renewal and ensure parks, community facilities, and services keep pace with new demand, especially in existing neighbourhoods, like those in College Ward. Without new revenue sources, improvements could be delayed, levels of services reduced, or have the costs passed on to taxpayers.
Ottawa’s Heritage
The More Homes Built Faster Act affects Ottawa’s ability to take care of our historic buildings and neighbourhoods. Right now, staff bring forward a handful of designations each year and they maintain a list of about 4000 properties on a heritage register that are not designated (protected by law). New limits to the heritage register, and changes to what can be designated, will make it more difficult for the City to address reconciliation, equity, and diversity in its heritage program and will likely also result in greater uncertainty for owners and residents, leading to more formal and costly appeals.
Parks and Recreation
Reduced funding from development growth for parks affects the City’s ability to provide and improve recreational services needed for functional and enjoyable neighbourhoods. Changes to the fees which supported these amenities and services will require the City to reevaluate its existing plans, adding more costs to Ottawa. For example, new caps on parkland would impact stormwater management and may require the reopening of master servicing studies to avoid flooding.
Water Management and the Natural Environment
Working with our local conservation authorities, the City of Ottawa has shown that balanced growth leads to better and more sustainable outcomes. These conservation authorities, who provide responsibility and oversight, have been amended under the Act. This, combined with changes to rural development policies, wetland and other environmental policies, and the emphasis on growth expansion, will have long-term impacts such as increased flooding risk and the loss of diverse and mature ecosystems.
As we learn more details about the The More Homes Built Faster Act, I will be providing you with updates.
In my opinion, the Bill is not going to help build affordable housing, but it will impact available services and property taxes. I’m pleased to say that the City of Ottawa – elected members and staff alike – are committed to doing what we can to mitigate the harmful aspects of the bill. I encourage you to reach out to your MPP, and do not hesitate to contact my office.
On March 26, 2025, I will table a motion at Council which calls on the federal government to ban Nazi symbols.
College Ward is home to Ottawa’s largest Jewish community and we have seen a sharp rise in antisemitism here. Groups and individuals now brashly displaying this terrible symbol of hate on their vehicles, clothing, and signs.
18 countries have banned this symbol and I believe it is time for Canadians to do so as well.
I have been working with B'nai Brith Canada, who currently have a campaign to encourage the federal government to ban Nazi symbols such as the Nazi hooked cross (Hakenkreuz). It is sometimes called a swastika, which is a Sanskrit word we're not using out of respect to the Hindu community, where this has been an ancient holy symbol for hundreds of years.
My motion, which Mayor Sutcliffe has kindly seconded, calls on Council to write to the federal government in support of B'nai Brith Canada's campaign. It also calls on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (where I'm a member of the National Board of Directors) to consider a similar motion.
I expect the motion to be debated and voted on at the following Council meeting on April 16, 2025.
Countries where Nazi symbols are banned
Non-governmental organizations that support the ban
Canadian jurisdictions that have endorsed the B’nai Brith Canada campaign to ban Nazi symbols
Province of Saskatchewan
Region of Durham
City of Pickering
Town of Whitby
Today, the Finance and Corporate Services Committee voted down Councillor Dudas’ motion to move away from social media platform X as a City communications tool (you can read the motion here). I am grateful to Councillor Dudas for her leadership on this.
The prevailing argument against the motion was that since the City had over 250, 000 followers on X (how many active accounts, how many live people, how many residents of the City, not known or questioned) it would be unwise to pivot to a different platform and risk losing contact.
Another argument that was given suggested that, with the evolution of X as an unsafe place for civic discourse, any new platform could evolve in kind, meaning the City might be always in a state of trying to find the new best place to share its updates.
I’ve been reflecting about the next chapter of my serving College Ward as your Councillor.
My aim was, for the first year or two, to prioritize the relationship with residents. I wanted people to know that they could find me, they could count on me to listen, and they could have confidence that I was always serving them with honesty and integrity.
Although that journey is never complete, residents’ familiarity with me at this year’s Skating Party and your response to our Annual Progress Report have done a great deal to confirm that we in the College Ward office have been on the right track. It’s meaningful to me, after 3 years, to recognize familiar faces and to remember details about residents’ families, their stories, and to share memories.
Moving into the latter half of my term, I am considering some of the big-ticket policy items, both in terms of finances but also residential impact. Without question, I will continue to communicate regularly, have annual events, and be present in the ward. My interests lay more on some tradeoffs that I think we are facing as a city, ones that I think aren’t being positioned in a clear enough way for residents to weigh in. I’ll offer up a few.