BUILDING DURHAM

On Saturday, April 3, 2021, the Toronto Star ran an article entitled "Friends with benefits? An inside look at the money, power and influence behind the Ford government's push to build Highway 413."   The article can be read here.

OHBA & BILD have released a joint statement in response to the article, which can be read here.

On Thursday, April 8, 2021, the provincial Minister of Labour, Monte McNaughton made an announcement on an enhanced health, safety and sanitation inspection blitz on jobsites across Ontario, beginning Friday, April 9, 2021. You can view the entire press conference here.

Specific to construction, the press release notes that there will be increased inspections and enforcement across the province that will include: 

• Enhanced education and outreach to the construction sector, a robust and expanding program for rapid antigen screening for COVID-19 in construction, along with a zero-tolerance approach to enforcement of COVID-19 safety requirements on construction projects.

It is absolutely critical that members continue to invest in and enhance health, safety and sanitation protocols as new COVID variants are more contagious and require more vigilance on jobsites. 

Members should review the Ministry of Labour’s guidelines for construction here and implement any infection prevention and control procedures not already in place.

Also, please consult other supporting resources including OHBA’s COVID webpage, template COVID workplace health and safety plans (which all workplaces must have) and IHSA resources.

A new Soil & Groundwater Protocol was presented to the Regional Planning and Economic Development Committee on April 6, 2021.  The committee had no comments regarding the Protocol.

The Protocol includes updates to make it consistent with updated O.Reg. 153/04, and other improvements to streamline and simplify the process.

Highlights of the updates include:

• Remediation of the sites containing various exceedances, such as road salt, would be exempt from the requirement for an RSC; 
• The Region's Reliance Letter has been upgraded;
• Improvements to the Use of the Non-Potable Groundwater Standard - extends the conditional period to one year from 15 days;
• Site Screening Questionnaire (SSQ) - for minor development proposals, this can now be completed by an Authorized Officer/Owner instead of a QP;
• SSQ was simplified from 18 to 8 questions;
• Below grade work can now start before an RSC and/or RA has been filed.  The flexibility allows for the scenario where the timing of the RSC process can be difficult to coordinate with the normal aspects of development work;
• ESA reports - flexibility to allow for some deviations from O.Reg. 153/04 regulatory requirements, giving flexibility to the Peer Review Process;
• Peer Review Process streamlining - greater emphasis on direct communication between the QP and the Region Peer Reviewer.

The presentation is expected to be brought to Regional Council on April 26, 2021.

The presentation can be viewed here.

Based on the Premier’s announcement today, there are no new restrictions on construction. Jobsites are permitted to continue operating, with heightened enforcement of public health guidelines. As per the today’s announcement, the following businesses can remain open and operating including,

Construction

Construction activities or projects and related supporting services, including demolition and land surveying, are allowed.

Supply chain

Businesses allowed to open if they supply essential:

• support
• products
• supplies
• systems
• services, including processing, packaging, warehousing, distribution, delivery and maintenance

Real estate (including pre-sale construction)

No open houses – showing a property permitted by appointment only.

Maintenance

Maintenance, repair and property management services that manage and maintain the safety, security, sanitation and operation of institutional, commercial, industrial and residential properties and buildings are allowed.

Resources

It is absolutely critical that members continue to invest in and enhance health, safety and sanitation protocols as new COVID variants are more contagious and require more vigilance on jobsites. The Ministry of Labour will be enhancing education, outreach and enforcement of COVID-19 safety requirements on construction sites.  Members should review the Ministry of Labour’s guidelines for construction here and implement any infection prevention and control procedures not already in place. Also, please consult other supporting resources including OHBA’s COVID webpage, template COVID workplace health and safety plans (which all workplaces must have) and IHSA resources.

OHBA will continue to monitor the situation and communicate pertinent information and updates out to members. We all want safe jobsites, we need to keep each other safe. Please reach out if you have any questions.

The Durham Workforce Authority (DWA), in collaboration with the Social Research Centre (SRC) at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (Ontario Tech), is conducting research on business trends in Durham Region. The DWA is funded through the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development (LTSD) and aims to improve the availability of local labour market information in Durham Region.

The DWA and SRC, with significant input from community partners, have worked collaboratively to create a survey designed to provide significant information on employers in Durham Region. The Employer Survey will be utilized to fill significant gaps in labour market information and better understand the skills and needs of the businesses in Durham Region.  The surveys probe employer respondents on topics such as attraction and retention of employees, skill sets required, industry outlook and the business climate in Durham Region.  Analysis of this data will be used to augment data collected from the previous Workforce Report and create a fulsome picture of the supply and demand of the labour force in Durham Region.  

Your contribution to this process is extremely important and highly valued. The surveys are anonymous and survey results are kept confidential.  The surveys take approximately 15 minutes to complete.  Please find the link to the survey below.

http://bit.ly/employersurvey2021

Should you have any questions or concerns please contact Matthew Stein, Director of the Social Research Centre at matthew.stein@ontariotechu.ca.  This study has been approved by the Ontario Tech Research Ethics Board (REB # 16926) on February 11, 2021.

On Wednesday, April 14 from 10 a.m. - 11 a.m., OHBA will be hosting its first #homebeliever session with special guest Mike Moffatt, senior director of policy and innovation from the Smart Prosperity Institute, to discuss his ongoing series, Ontarians on the Move, 2021 Edition. #1 -The Big Picture | by Mike Moffatt | Feb, 2021 | Medium.

Mike has taken a date-driven approach and focuses on the impact of population growth and migration on Ontario's housing market.

If we want to talk about housing affordability for #homebelievers, we can't ignore the elephant in the room, that Ontario continues to be a destination for people and that means we need to continue to plan new communities and build more homes.

At this time, municipal and regional governments across Ontario are making their plans for the future of housing in their communities, and Mike's data and analysis should help inform those decisions.

OHBA welcomes all members, municipal and regional representatives and elected officials to join OHBA for this important webinar.  

Register here.

The Region of Durham is currently in the process of updating their Planning fee schedule.  

Their fee review process is now complete, and the new proposed fees can be viewed here.

The current fee bylaw came into effect on July 1, 2018 and the new fees are expected to come into effect on July 1, 2021.

The Region of Durham will be accepting feedback on the new rates up until April 21, 2021.  If you have any questions or comments, please email Stacey.

The new fee bylaw has not been scheduled to be brought before council yet, but will be on either May 4 or June 1.

Clarington council has directed staff to seek input from the public on a Draft Official Plan Amendment (OPA) that would delete policy 13.3.12 and Section 17.3 Special Study Area 2 - Greenbelt Expansion from Clarington's current Official Plan.

The policies that are subject of deletion in the Draft OPA are quoted below:

13.3.12 The Municipality supports the expansion of the Greenbelt Plan Area to provide long-term protection of prime agricultural land.

17.3 Special Study Area 2 - Greenbelt Expansion

17.3.1 Special Study Area 2 is all of the lands east of Highway 418 south an east of the Greenbelt boundary, north of Highway 401 and outside of the urban area boundaries in Clarington.

17.3.2 In May 2015, Clarington council requested that the province undertake an appropriate science-based study of agricultural capability to identify high-yielding agricultural lands to be added to the Greenbelt for permanent protection.

17.3.3 The draft Greenbelt Plan (2016) identifies that the Government of Ontario will lead a process to identify potential areas to be added to the Protected Countryside of the Greenbelt.  The province will work with municipalities and others using a systems approach considering the connections with the Agricultural, Natural Heritage and Water Resource systems of the plan.  Where it is determined that identified areas would benefit from Greenbelt protection, the province may initiate amendments to the Greenbelt Plan.

17.3.4 Special Study Area 2 identifies the lands which the Municipality considers appropriate as an area for the future Greenbelt expansion study.

The Draft Official Plan Amendment and additional information is available for review at www.clarington.net/SpecialStudyArea2.

Statutory Public Meeting Details

In line with current COVID-19 guidelines, the meeting will take place electronically.  Visit www.clarington.net/Calendar to watch the meeting online or to listen by phone.

Date: Monday, April 26, 2021

Time: 7:00 p.m.

To speak at the public meeting, please pre-register for additional instructions.

Pre-register by completing the online form at www.clarington.net/Delegations or contact the Clerk's Division at 905-623-3379 ext. 2109 or clerks@clarington.net by Friday, April 23, 2021 at 4 p.m.

At the March 22 council meeting, councillors voted in favour of the recommendations contained in staff report PLN 15-21, concerning the City's comprehensive zoning by-law review.

As part of the council resolution, council voted to authorize staff to initiate Phases II and III of the study and funding for the study was approved.  

Of note to members, the first draft of the consolidated by-law is scheduled to be released in the Fall of 2021 and will be followed by open houses and community workshops to receive feedback from stakeholders and the public.  A statuatory public meeting will also be held in the Fall of 2021.

The comprehensive zoning bylaw review is being undertaken to with the purpose to:

• Create on consolidated zoning by-law
• Update zoning to reflect Official Plan policies and associated development guidelines
• Complete necessary research to ensure the new by-law is consistent with current legislation, policy and trends
• Post the by-law text and mapping on the City's website

More information on this review and to view the discussion papers completed so far, visit https://www.pickering.ca/en/city-hall/comprehensive-zoning-by-law-review.aspx.