Oakville responds to provincial legislation addressing affordable housing

Tue, 26 Apr 2022

In response to the provincial Report of the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force and  More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022 (Bill 109), the Town of Oakville has voiced support for changes that improve transparency and accountability in the housing sector. However, due to a shortened commenting period, the town is concerned about the lack of appropriate consultation by the province, which undermined the municipality’s ability to provide meaningful input to help shape the legislation. Staff’s preliminary report on April 4 and the more recent report of April 25, 2022 outlines the town’s response to the many provincial recommendations and changes to provincial laws including the Planning Act and the Development Charges Act.

Overall, the town is supportive of changes that would help improve access to affordable housing. This includes provincial pilot projects for home ownership by Black, Indigenous, and marginalized people and first-generation homeowners; focus on expanding secondary suites and multi-tenant housing; enhancements to site plan approval process and timelines, and protection measures for homebuyers and renters. The town also agrees with permitting buildings of six to 11 storeys on streets served by higher order public transit such as along Dundas Street and Trafalgar Road north of Midtown Oakville, consistent with the town’s urban structure.

However, the town is not in favour of many recommendations that run counter to its land use planning policies. The town also doesn’t support changes to the legislation that reinforce ministerial over-reach, cause delays in the development process, lead to increased costs from litigation, and reduce local municipal planning and decision-making authority. In addition, the town does not support the new laws that apply a punitive approach to refunding planning application fees. This could put the town’s projected revenues at risk by at least $2.9 million annually, placing an additional burden on existing taxpayers to cover the shortfall.

Town’s focus

• Through the town’s Official Plan Review, and in consultation with Halton Region, Oakville has already planned for measured growth until 2031 in accordance with the town’s urban structure and in conformity with the Province’s Growth Plan
• New housing development is being directed to the areas already identified in the town’s official plan for accommodating intensification
• The town does not support unconstrained growth without due regard for the town’s urban structure, as this will impact the ability to plan for, and keep pace with community facilities, infrastructure and services that are necessary to support livability   

Next steps

• After receiving the report from staff outlining the town’s position on the province’s proposed changes, Council endorsed the staff report and directed staff to submit it to the Government of Ontario prior to the April 29, 2022 commenting deadline
• At the April 5, 2022 Special Council Meeting, Mayor and Councillors initiated and approved the setting up of a Housing Panel to study and provide housing assistance and affordability policy options. Mayor and Councillors will lead and oversee the formation of the panel, conduct stakeholder engagement and generate the final report for Council review by the second quarter of 2023.

Quotes

“Oakville supports every effort in easing the supply and access to affordable housing in line with our Official Plan, but we are concerned that the province has pushed through without appropriate and meaningful consultation with municipalities. Not all of the changes are expected to improve housing supply and affordability. In fact, some of the legislative changes could cause delays in the building process and place an unfair burden on taxpayers. Our Council has taken a step in the right direction to set up a new advisory panel to guide Oakville with making the right decisions about affordable housing options.” 

Mayor Rob Burton