BUILDING DURHAM

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing will be hosting an information on the More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022 on Friday, April 29 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.  

The information session is open to all members.  The session will begin with introductory remarks, followed by a presentation on Bill 109, discussion and wrap up.

Register Here.

At the March 23, 2022 Regional Council meeting, council voted in favour of authorizing staff to undertake a comprehensive review and passage of a new Regional residential and non-residential development charge bylaw.

Details can be found in Report 2022-F-9.

Contained in the report are the schedule of dates for the Region of Durham DC Review, which are as follows:

In March, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) announced that they would be delaying the implementation of the Excess Soil Requirements initiative through  ERO #019-5203.

In response, OHBA submitted correspondence to the province.

If you have any related questions or require clarification, please reach out to OHBA Director of Planning Policy and Advocacy, Larry Kotseff.

At the April 11, 2022 Oshawa Development Services Committee meeting, members of the committee passed report DS-22-83: City Comments on Proposed Amendments to the Planning Act Under Bill 109, the "More Homes For Everyone Act, 2022", and the Province's Proposed Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator Guideline (All Wards) as part of the consent agenda.  As it was passed as part of the consent agenda, there was no discussion on the report.

Report DS-22-83 contains staff comments on the proposed provincial legislation.

At the April 11 Oshawa Development Services Committee meeting, report DS-22-76 Durham Region's Municipal Comprehensive Review: City Comments on the Region of Durham's Growth Management Study - Alternative Land Need Scenarios was pulled for discussion.

Committee voted to suspend the rules to hear a delegation from Michael May, P.Eng., General Manager of Delta Urban, who was speaking on behalf of the Columbus Landowners' Group.  May also submitted correspondence in addition to his delegation, which advocated for a revised "Option 2."

This option would include the "much needed affordable middle," and included:

Housing Unit Mix of new units:

• Low - 34%
• Medium - 41%
• High - 25%
• Secondary units: 0%

Intensification Rate: 50%

Designated Greenfield Area Density: 57 people and jobs per hectare

New Community Are Land Need: 2,600 hectares (6,425 acres)

Councillor Chapman put forward the following motion:

"That pursuant to Report DS-22-76 dated April 6, 2022 City Council will endorse scenario 2A as submitted by the Columbus Developers Group as Item DS-22-90 as the City's recommended scenario on the Alternative Land Need Scenarios Report prepared by the Region of Durham as part of Envision Durham, the Municipal Comprehensive Review of the Durham Region Official Plan."

This motion passed, and the recommendation will be brought to council at the April 25, 2022 council meeting.

The Town of Whitby is currently undergoing a Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw Review Update and have just released their Phase II Reports.

The Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw Review will occur in 4 major phases and to date the Town have concluded Phase I and are nearing the completion of Phase II:

• Phase 1 - Background Investigation
• Phase 2 - Analysis and Strategic Directions
• Phase 3 - Prepare First Draft of Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw
• Phase 4 - Prepare Final Draft of Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw

The following reports have now been released:

• Administrative Report Phase II
• General Provisions Report Phase II
• Phase II Commercial Zones Report
• Phase II Definitions Report
• Phase II Employment Report
• Phase II Mixed Zones Report
• Phase II Other Zones Report
• Phase II Parking Provisions Report
• Phase II Residential Zones Report
• Structure Report Phase II

More information on the project can be found on the In the Zone website.

Comments on this phase are due May 26.  If you have any comments or concerns, please contact Stacey.

The Region of Durham has released their 2022 Regional Transit DC Background Study, which you can read here.

While the current bylaw is set to expire on December 31, 2022, Regional Council has authorized staff to have a new bylaw in place by July 1, 2022.

The background study is recommending an increase of 65% for residential rates, and the proposed rates can be viewed here:

Important Dates:

• April 27, 2022 - Statutory Public Meeting
• June 3, 2022 - Deadline for written comments
• June 29, 2022 - Draft Bylaw brought to Regional Council
• July 1, 2022 - New DC bylaw comes into effect

If you have any comments or concerns, please contact Stacey.

The provincial election will be called sometime this spring, and in anticipation, the Ontario Home Builders' Association (OHBA) has launched a third party advertising campaign:

You can visit the full campaign website here: https://www.ontariobuildmorehomes.ca/

As part of the campaign, OHBA is also looking to interview people as part of a Facebook video stream.  Volunteers will be asked to meet on May 3 for about 15-20 minutes to talk about the current housing market and what they are seeing/experiencing.  If you are willing to volunteer, please contact Stacey as soon as possible.

As the province continues to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, DRHBA members and the residential construction sector have continued to deliver critically needed housing supply in communities across Ontario.  This has been done over the last two years, while increasing health and safety measures on jobsites and was only possible because of the ongoing steadfast resolve, passion and commitment that our members have to our industry.

While our sector continues to face supply chain, material and labour challenges, members are continuing the vital work of keeping our jobsites safe and healthy while deserving the keys for a new or newly renovated home to awaiting families.  Keeping our job and worksites safe and healthy has been critical to ensuring that we can continue delivering the housing supply and choice families need.  The Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development continues to actively inspect jobsites across the province.

Members should be aware that there have been changes made to the requirements under the Reopening Ontario Act (ROA), which took effect on March 21, 2022.  These changes include new guidelines around the use of the following measures in the workplace:

• Masking
• Screening
• Safety plans
• Assessing the workplace
• Addressing potential COVID-19 illness or exposure at work

Despite these changes, we must not waver in our commitment to health  and safety.  Members must stay vigilant and proactive in ensuring health and safety on jobsites, sales & decor centres, offices and all places of work.  

Members are encouraged to reach out to the Ministry business information line at 1-888-444-3659 with any questions or concerns regarding these changes.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced Phase 2 in seeking feedback by April 23 on Phase 2 of the Greenbelt consultation process as part of ERO #019-4485.  The Ministry is seeking feedback on proposed changes to the Greenbelt Plan (including the schedules) that could add 13 new Urban River Valley (URV) areas to the Greenbelt.  While this ERO posting relates specifically to the proposed amendment to the Greenbelt Plan, there are two related ERO postings as part of the Phase 2 consultation:

• ERO #019-4483 seeking feedback on changes to the boundary of the Greenbelt Area through a proposed amendment to the Greenbelt Area boundary regulation O. Reg. 59/05.
• ERO #019-4803 seeking ideas for adding more Urban River Valleys to the Greenbelt.

Since 2013, OHBA has supported the addition of URVs into the Greenbelt as a way to effectively and meaningfully grow the Greenbelt and protected areas for generations to come.  OHBA will be reviewing the changes proposed as part of Phase 2 of the consultation and responding accordingly as they did during Phase 1.