BUILDING DURHAM

TORONTO ― Today, the Ontario government introduced the More Homes Built Faster Act, which takes bold action to advance the province’s plan to address the housing crisis by building 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years. The proposals in the More Homes Built Faster Act would, if passed, ensure that cities, towns and rural communities grow with a mix of ownership and rental housing types that meet the needs of all Ontarians, from single family homes to townhomes and mid-rise apartments.

“For too many Ontarians, including young people, newcomers, and seniors, finding the right home is still too challenging. This is not just a big-city crisis: the housing supply shortage affects all Ontarians, including rural, urban and suburban, north and south, young and old.” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “Our Housing Supply Action Plan is creating a strong foundation on which 1.5 million homes can be built over the next 10 years. Our government is following through on our commitment to Ontarians by cutting delays and red tape to get more homes built faster.”

The plan puts in place actions to support the development of “gentle density” – housing like triplexes or garden suites – that bridge the gap between single family homes and high-rise apartments. For example, it would remove exclusionary zoning, which allows for only one single detached home per lot. Instead, it would allow property owners to build three units without lengthy approvals and development charges.

The plan, which contains around 50 actions, addresses the housing crisis by reducing government fees and fixing developmental approval delays that slow down housing construction and increase costs. Actions in the plan include:

• Creating a new attainable housing program to drive the development of housing. Sites across all regions of Ontario will be considered, including those in the north, central, east and southwest regions.
• Increasing the Non-Resident Speculation Tax rate from 20 per cent to 25 per cent to deter non-resident investors from speculating on the province’s housing market and help make home ownership more attainable for Ontario residents.
• Freezing and reducing government charges to spur new home construction and reduce the costs of housing.
• Building more density near transit, unlocking innovative approaches to design and construction, and removing red tape to get shovels in the ground faster.
• Increasing consumer protection measures for home buyers and consulting on ways to help more renters become homeowners.

The government will also consult with the public, stakeholders and municipalities while engaging with Indigenous communities to review provincial housing and land use planning policies to find ways to remove more barriers to getting homes built.

“Ontario’s housing supply crisis is a problem which has been decades in the making. It will take both short-term strategies and long-term commitment from all levels of government, the private sector and not-for-profits to drive change,” said Michael Parsa, Associate Minister of Housing.

OHBA is pleased to advise you of a significant change that reflects OHBA's advocacy efforts.

As part of a legislative package introduced in March 2022 (Bill 109), a regulation was passed in April 2022 under the Condominium Act that resulted in the removal of the 2% deduction from the Bank of Canada (BOC) rate, set twice yearly, used to calculate interest paid on purchasers’ deposits. This resulted in a net increase to the interest rate of 1.75%, as the new applicable rate was to be the BOC Policy Rate, which is .25% below the BOC Rate. 

The increased rate would apply to interest payable to purchasers both on an interim occupancy closing, as well as when a purchase agreement was cancelled by the vendor or by the purchaser when the outside occupancy date had not been met. This change was scheduled to be implemented on January 1, 2023, for all projects launched after that date, which would have had the potential to add significant costs to new condominium projects.

OHBA has been working with the provincial government to amend the regulation so that the new formula would apply only to deposit refunds and the previous formula continue to apply to deposits paid under closed agreements.

As indicated in the embedded correspondence, the Minister has amended the Condominium Act regulations and reverted to the previous treatment for completed projects by reintroducing the 2% deduction from BOC Rate for deposits paid under closed agreements.

TORONTO — As part of its plan to tackle Ontario’s housing crisis, the government is prioritizing Ontario families and homebuyers by increasing the Non-Resident Speculation Tax rate from 20 per cent to 25 per cent, effective October 25, 2022.

This increase will strengthen efforts to deter non-resident investors from speculating on the province’s housing market and help make home ownership more attainable for Ontario residents. For many years, there have been concerns that foreign real-estate speculation is an important factor driving up the cost of housing in Ontario.

“Young families, newcomers and those all over the province dream of having their own home, a dream which continues to be out of reach for too many,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance. “To help Ontario homebuyers, our government is increasing the Non-Resident Speculation Tax rate by another five percentage points to 25 per cent, making it the highest in Canada, to further discourage foreign speculation in Ontario’s housing market.”

This increase builds on the government’s previous actions taken in March 2022 to make Ontario’s Non-Resident Speculation Tax the most comprehensive in Canada, including:

• Increasing the rate to 20 per cent, from 15 per cent;
• Expanding the tax to apply provincewide, as it previously only applied to homes purchased in the Greater Golden Horseshoe Region; and,
• Eliminating loopholes by focusing relief eligibility to only newcomers who commit to laying down roots in the province long-term.

This increase to the Non-Resident Speculation Tax rate is part of a suite of concrete actions the Province is taking to address Ontario’s housing crisis. Last week, the government announced that Ontario is also cracking down on bad actors by doubling the fines for unethical and illegal new home cancellations. These steps, built on recommendations from the Housing Affordability Task Force and the first-ever Provincial-Municipal Housing Summit, will deliver both near-term solutions and long-term commitments to provide more attainable housing options for Ontario families.

“Today’s announcement is another step in our government’s plan to make housing more attainable for all Ontarians,” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “We are working to end Ontario’s housing supply crisis – both by building 1.5 million new homes over the next 10 years, and by ensuring Ontarians are able to access our existing housing supply. These measures are a clear indication of our commitment to do precisely that.”

PICKERING – Based on expert advice, Ontario is proposing new legislation that, if passed, would support the continued delivery of world-class wastewater treatment services for the Region of York. Through the proposed Supporting Growth and Housing in York and Durham Act, 2022, Ontario would facilitate expedited improvements to the existing York-Durham Sewage System network connected to the Duffin Creek treatment facility that is co-owned and operated by York and Durham Regions. Following recommendations of the York Region Wastewater Advisory Panel, the proposed legislation accommodates regional growth by leveraging an existing wastewater infrastructure service agreement between York and Durham Regions that delivers high-quality, treated water safely and responsibly into Lake Ontario. The expansion of this infrastructure is the most effective option available, leveraging existing wastewater treatment services under the Co-Ownership Agreement between Durham and York Regions who share treatment facility assets to support their collective population growth. “Expansion of this shared critical wastewater infrastructure for York and Durham Regions is needed to support their significant population housing, and economic growth. Our government is proposing a solution that ensures the most robust wastewater treatment as these communities continue to grow,” said David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “The Duffin Creek treatment facility is one of the best performing wastewater facilities in the province that ensures the protection, enjoyment and welfare of Lake Ontario, shoreline communities and nearshore areas.” The Duffin Creek treatment facility is one of the top performing wastewater treatment plants in Ontario, achieving world-class standards for high quality treatment, phosphorus control and protective measures for the surrounding environment and watershed, with a capacity to process 630 million litres per day. Today, this facility operates at approximately 50 per cent capacity and the proposal would add an additional 12 per cent to the current flow levels, meaning it has the capacity to ensure every litre of water the plant receives gets high quality treatment. Over the past 25 years, governments at all levels have invested more than $850 million in the plant, making it one of the best performing treatment facilities on the Lake Ontario shoreline. Phosphorous limits at the plant are significantly lower than those at other wastewater facilities in Ontario and will continue to be reduced as the facility implements additional upgrades between now and 2030. In parallel with this initiative, Ontario continues to make multi-million-dollar improvements to wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, investing in the latest technology for real-time wastewater monitoring. In January 2022, Ontario invested $15 million to build, upgrade and rehabilitate storm and wastewater infrastructure in the Lake Ontario basin. This includes optimizing plants, improving local sewer systems and investing in green infrastructure. The Regional Municipality of Durham is receiving $836,590 through this program which will help improve water quality in Lake Ontario. Further, Ontario invested $6.3 million in 51 projects to protect and improve Lake Ontario. This includes projects under the Canada-Ontario Agreement (COA) Nutrients Annex commitments focused on the Lake Ontario basin and science/monitoring projects. In Durham, this includes monitoring exit loads of phosphorus to Lake Ontario from tributaries, monitoring nutrient and weather event discharges from tributaries, quantifying nutrient loadings and determining internal phosphorus loading in western Lake Ontario coastal wetlands. The government will also be boosting science and monitoring capacity of Lake Ontario by making investments focused on monitoring and research with external partners to track, predict and better understand conditions in Lake Ontario. This work will ensure we continue to support and maintain the highest quality of water for Lake Ontario.

The results of the 2022 Municipal Elections are as follows:

Regional Chair, Regional Municipality of Durham

• John Henry - 11,869 (64.4%)
• Laurie Blaind Mackie - 2,938 (15.9%)
• Peter Neal - 2,725 (14.8%)
• Kurdil- Telt Patch - 901 (4.9%)

Clarington

Mayor

• Adrian Foster - 8,607 (42.5%)
• Joe Neal - 6,053 (29.9%)
• Tom Dingwall - 5,451 (26.9%)
• Mirko Pejic - 145 (0.7%)

Regional Councillor - Wards 1 & 2

• Granville Anderson - 5,290 (44.2%)
• Janice Jones - 5,143 (42.9%)
• Bernard Sanchez - 1,543 (12.9%)

Regional Councillor - Wards 3 & 4

• Willie Woo - Acclaimed

Local Councillor - Ward 1

• Sami Elhajjeh - 2,800 (47.7%)
• Steven Conway - 1,391 (23.7%)
• Robert Livingstone - 1,022 (17.4%)
• Larey Reynolds - 658 (11.2%)

Local Councillor - Ward 2

• Lloyd Rang - 2,795 (52.3%)
• Ryan Kerr - 2,552 (47.7%)

Local Councillor - Ward 3

• Corinna Traill - 2,115 (55.1%)
• Marven Whidden - 1,073 (28.0%)
• Glenn Baswick - 649 (16.9%)

Local Councillor - Ward 4

• Margaret Zwart - 2,103 (52.2%)
• Jim Abernethy - 1,581 (39.2%)
• Christy Gunaratnam - 346 (8.6%)

Oshawa

Mayor

• Dan Carter - 14,270 (64.94%)
• Sara Lear - 4,748 (21.61%)
• Joe Ingino - 2,956 (13.45%)

Regional & City Councillor - Ward 1

• John Neal - 1,829 (76.21%)
• Christopher John Parkinson - 322 (13.42%)
• Rosaldo Russo - 249 (10.38%)

City Councillor - Ward 1

• Rosemary McConkey - 1,101 (45.84%)
• Theresa Anne Corless - 1,093 (45.50%)
• Ahmad Rashed Formuly - 208 (8.66%)

Regional & City Councillor - Ward 2

• Tito-Dante Marimpietri - 2,427 (53.17%)
• Lina Fouroughy - 2,138 (46.83%)

City Councillor - Ward 2

• Jim Lee - 1,509 (33.80%)
• Jane Hurst - 1,207 (27.03%)
• Jonathan Giancroce - 792 (17.74%)
• Julia McCrea - 695 (15.57%)
• Amin Ullah - 183 (4.10%)
• John R.E. Sturdy - 79 (1.77%)

Regional & City Councillor - Ward 3

• Bob Chapman - 2,694 (53.14%)
• Jemma Lambert - 1,447 (25.78%)

City Councillor - Ward 3

• Bradley Marks - 2,694 (53.14%)
• Amber Derby - 1,307 (25.78%)
• Timothy Dobson - 763 (15.05%)
• Joe Shaw - 306 (6.04%)

Regional & City Councillor - Ward 4

• Rick Kerr - 2,467 (45.66%)
• Doug Sanders - 2,072 (38.35%)
• Jeff Davis - 864 (15.99%)

City Councillor - Ward 4

• Derek Giberson - 1,497 (27.38%)
• Dave Thompson - 1,169 (21.38%)
• Fred Eismont - 1,105 (20.21%)
• James Bountrogiannis - 1,046 (19.13%)
• Mark Logan - 651 (11.91%)

Regional & City Councillor - Ward 5

• Brian Charles Nicholson - 1,948 (50.60%)
• Alex Down - 1,585 (41.17%)
• Todd Forbes - 317 (8.23%)

City Councillor - Ward 5

• John Gray - 2,360 (62.45%)
• Amanda Jean Lewis - 572 (15.14%)
• Karrie Lynn Dymond - 566 (14.98%)
• Taylor Bailey - 281 (7.44%)

Whitby

Mayor

• Elizabeth Roy - 12,654 (53.79%)
• Deidre Newman - 9,355 (39.76%)
• Evan Griffiths -  1,517 (6.45%)

Regional Councillors

• Rhonda Mulcahy - 12,947 (17.81%)
• Chris Leahy - 12,541 (17.26%)
• Steve Yamada - 12,287 (16.91%)
• Maleeha Shahid - 11,441 (15.74%)
• Ron Kapuscinski - 8,531 (11.74%)
• Michael G. Emm - 7,683 (10.57%)
• Vasu Mallula - 3,788 (5.21%)
• Dave Sansom - 3,457 (4.76%)

North Ward 1

• Steve Lee - Acclaimed

West Ward 2

• Matt Cardwell - 2,995 (42.93%)
• Lori Lopes - 2,431 (34.84%)
• Anjali Thorve - 941 (13.49%)
• Kamlesh Patel - 408 (5.85%)
• Jim Skenderis - 202 (2.90%)

Centre Ward 3

• Niki Lundquist - 2,492 (54.84%)
• JoAnne Drumm - 2,052 (45.16%)

East Ward 4

• Victoria Bozinovski - 2,431 (39.79%)
• John Rinella - 2,166 (35.45%)
• PG Case - 860 (14.08%)
• Rajat Sharma - 653 (10.69%)

Ajax

Mayor

• Shaun Collier - 11,691 (62.3%)
• Arthur Augustine - 3,481 (18.6%)
• Colin Hubble - 1,852 (9.9%)
• Garry Reader - 1,735 (9.2%)

Ward 1 - Regional Councillor

• Marilyn Crawford - 5,108 (80.7%)
• Intab Ali - 1,222 (19.3%)

Ward 1 - Local Councillor

• Rob Tyler-Morin - 4,475 (71.1%)
• Andras Adaikkalam - 962 (15.3%)
• Arshad Awan - 861 (13.7%)

Ward 2 - Regional Councillor

• Sterling Lee - 3,066 (58.8%)
• Vic Jagmohan - 1,156 (22.2%)
• Adam Bashir - 995 (19.1%)

Ward 2 - Local Councillor

• Nancy Henry - 1,667 (31.2%)
• Ashmeed Khan - 1,634 (30.6%)
• Selladurai Jeyakumaran - 986 (18.5%)
• Azhar Khan - 838 (15.7%)
• Ramon Estaris - 215 (4%)

Ward 3 - Regional Councillor

• Joanne Dies - 5,095 (73.8%)
• Daniel Corrigan - 1,811 (26.2%)

Ward 3 - Local Councillor

• Lisa Bower - 6,117 (88.1%)
• Liliane Niyongabo Kisoro - 824 (11.9%)

Pickering

Mayor

• Kevin Ashe - 7,867 (38.76%)
• Janice Frampton - 6,634 (32.69%)
• Bradley Nazar - 5,795 (28.55%)

Regional Councillor - Ward 1

• Maurice Brenner - 3,773 (50.74%)
• Tom Hayes - 3,663 (49.26%)

Regional Councillor - Ward 2

• Linda Cook - 1,996 (40.73%)
• Gary Strange - 1,837 (37.48%)
• Ali Marani - 606 (12.36%)
• Eileen Higdon - 462 (9.43%)

Regional Councillor - Ward 3

• David Pickles - 4,298 (55.50%)
• Peter Rodrigues - 3,446 (44.50%)

City Councillor - Ward 1

• Lisa Robinson - 1,634 (21.87%)
• Raveena Rajasingham - 1,286 (17.21%)
• Karen Sloan - 942 (12.61%)
• Anthony Michael Yacub - 932 (12.47%)
• Tony Harold - 811 (10.86%)
• Zeynab Kazi - 477 (6.38%)
• Jeanine Soligo - 416 (5.57%)

City Councillor - Ward 2

• Mara Nagy - 1,722 (34.81%)
• Dave Currie - 910 (18.39%)
• Ayesha Sardar - 755 (15.26%)
• Nancy Van Rooy - 698 (14.11%)
• Frank McGillan - 477 (9.64%)
• George David Turner - 385 (7.78%)

City Councillor - Ward 3

• Shaheen Butt - 3,777 (47.91%)
• Darshan Sritharan - 2,498 (31.68%)
• Damian Williams - 1,435 (18.20%)
• Ali Naqvi - 174 (2.21%)

Brock

Mayor

• Walter Schummer - 2,026 
• Ted Smith - 1,048
• Ryan Williams - 568

Regional Councillor

• Michael Jubb - 2,814
• David Marquis - 636
• Dorothy Sanderson - 209

Councillor Ward 1

• Peter Frank - 613
• Mike Simard - 174

Councillor Ward 2

• Claire Doble - Acclaimed

Councillor Ward 3

• Angela Canavan - Acclaimed

Councillor Ward 4

• Cria Pettingill - Acclaimed

Councillor Ward 5

• Lynn Campbell - 348
• Tony Laundrie - 324

Uxbridge

Mayor

• Dave Barton - Acclaimed

Regional Councillor

• Bruce Garrod - 4,264 (69.14%)
• Jack Ballinger - 1,903 (30.86%)

Ward 1

• Pamela Beach - 609 (52.55%)
• Dominic Morrissey - 550 (47.45%)

Ward 2

• Gordon Shreeve - 702 (51.35%)
• Patrick Molloy - 665 (48.65%)

Ward 3

• Zed Pickering - 625 (55.85%)
• John Haddock - 315 (28.15%)
• J.P. Herold - 179 (16.00%)

Ward 4

• Willie Popp - Acclaimed

Ward 5

• Todd Snooks - 656 (56.45%)
• Christine McKenzie - 387 (33.30%)
• Erin Jones - 119 (10.24%)

Scugog

Voting extended until 9:30 p.m.  No results available at time of posting.

The 2022 Municipal Elections will be held on Monday, October 24.  In order to help members make an informed decision, DRHBA emailed three questions to all candidates running for local and regional positions.  Responses have been organized by municipality and can be viewed here:

Candidates - Pickering

Candidates - Ajax

Candidates - Whitby

Candidates - Oshawa

Candidates - Clarington

Candidates - Brock

Candidates - Region of Durham

**Please note that no responses were received from candidates in contested wards in Uxbridge and Scugog.**

Information on how and where to vote, what ward you are in and how to ensure you are registered to vote can be found on each municipality's website.  Links are provided below.

Pickering Voter Information

Ajax Voter Information

Whitby Voter Information

Oshawa Voter Information

Clarington Voter Information

Brock Voter Information

Uxbridge Voter Information

Scugog Voter Information

To register for October 13th, click here!

To register for November 3rd, click here!

In November, the Durham Region Home Builders' Association will be hosting their Annual General Meeting and electing their board of directors for the 2022-2024 term. 

The following positions are available for election:

• Three (3) Builder/Renovator directors
• Two (2) Trade Contractor directors
• Two (2) Supplier directors

Elected directors will serve a two year term.

DRHBA's top priority is advocacy work for the building industry as a whole.  We also provide networking opportunities and great events for our members.  We are looking for individuals who are willing to share their time, knowledge and experience to further the interests of the building community.  We believe that each director brings a unique skill set and perspective to the table.

Directors will be required to attend four board meetings per year (November, February, May and September), and will be asked to join one of our committees.  We ask that you share your time and expertise, whether that means managing a GR file, speaking at a public meeting or helping to plan one of our gala events. 

As a director, you will be representing the Durham Region Home Builders' Association.  You will be expected to attend most of our events, including member events, seminars, the Awards of Excellence, President's Ball and golf tournament.

Being on the Durham Region Home Builders' Association's board of directors is a great way to help shape the industry, steer the direction of the Association, network, get more involved and stay informed on what's going on in the building world.

If you are interested in becoming a director, please forward your nomination form to Stacey at s.hawkins@drhba.com by Wednesday, September 21, 2022.  All forms will be forwarded to the nominations committee for review.  If there are more qualified applicants than positions available, an election will be held at the Annual General Meeting in November.  Qualified candidates are encouraged to provide a bio and photograph to be published in an upcoming news bulletin.

If you have any questions, please contact Stacey at 905-579-8080 ext. 2 or s.hawkins@drhba.com.

Download nomination form.