Information About Proposed Bill 23

** This post updated Dec. 14 with additional analysis and links **

Introduced October 25, 2022, Bill 23 is a Province of Ontario omnibus bill that aims to amend 10 pieces of legislation (Conservation Authorities Act, Development Charges Act, etc.) and 6 sets of regulations (Land Tribunal, Building Code, etc.) It also proposes to review the Provincial Policy Statement and the Growth Plan. You can see the government’s announcement and media Q&A here.

The government also announced on November 4, 2022 a proposal to modify the Greenbelt with ‘land swaps’ to permit development in some currently protected areas. And Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark has been approving Official Plans with modifications that increase municipalities’ Urban Boundaries beyond the limits approved by local governments. The Region of Waterloo Official Plan Amendment passed by Regional Council on August 18^th 2022, is now posted on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) for comments until Jan. 4, 2023. The entry is 019-5952.

Update on Dec 1, 2022: Bill 23 was passed by the legislature on Nov. 28th and received Royal Assent. This summary by Osler Law Firm discusses when the changes take effect.

Actions
Submit comments via the Environmental Registry of Ontario until December 9th (deadline extended from November 24), 2022. (Click on each individual Environmental Registry of Ontario Posting that you wish to comment on).

Contact information for Elected Representatives
Future Majority phone tool

Click here for local MPP and Minister contact information

Mike Harris Jr (PC)           (Kitchener-Conestoga)       Mike.Harris@pc.ola.org            519-669-2090
Brian Riddell (PC)             (Cambridge)                       Brian.Riddell@pc.ola.org            519-650-2770
Jess Dixon (PC) (Kitchener South-Hespeler)         Jess.Dixon@pc.ola.org 519-650-9413
Catherine Fife (NDP)       (Waterloo)          CFife-QP@ndp.on.ca
Laura-Mae Lindo (NDP) (Kitchener Centre)          LLindo-QP@ndp.on.ca

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Doug Ford (PC) Premier@ontario.ca 416-325-1941
Steve Clark (PC) Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing minister.mah@ontario.ca
David Piccini (PC) Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks minister.mecp@ontario.ca

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Please click on each title below to view the content.

Petitions

ACORN Canada petition
The Atmospheric Fund letter
Change.org “Stop Urban Sprawl in the Ontario Greenbelt” petition
Change.org “Stop the attack on heritage” petition
David Suzuki Foundation petition
Environmental Defence petition
Hold The Line Waterloo Region letter
Lead Now Canada ‘Stop Bill 23: Protect the Greenbelt and Build Real Affordable Housing’ petition
Ontario Nature petition
Ontario for All petition
The Ontario Headwaters Institute petition
Reform Gravel Mining Coalition petition (and letter)
Social Development Centre Waterloo Region letter
Toronto Environmental Alliance letter (and post)
Wellington Water Watchers petition
Wilderness Committee and Save Ontario Wetlands letter

Analysis and Statements on Bill 23

Government Information on Bill 23

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing announcement and media Q&A
Original Bill 23 Proposed Legislation (html version) or (pdf version)
More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 Backgrounder
Consultations on More Homes Built Faster: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan 2022-2023 (ERO)
Legislative and regulatory proposals affecting conservation authorities to support the Housing Supply Action Plan 3.0 (ERO)
Proposed updates to the regulation of development for the protection of people and property from natural hazards in Ontario (ERO)
Review of A Place to Grow and Provincial Policy Statement (ERO)

Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy Hearings Transcript Nov 9, 2022
Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy Hearings Transcript Nov 10, 2022
Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy Hearings Transcript Nov 16, 2022
Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy Bill 23 Hearings Agenda Thursday Nov 17, 2022 (transcript not yet available)
Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy Bill 23 Hearings Agenda Monday Nov 21, 2022 and proposed amendments to the bill (transcript not yet available)

List of All Environmental Registry (ERO) Postings regarding Bill 23

(This content is modified from this Environmental Registry listing)

Environmental Registry of Ontario Postings:

Regulatory Registry Postings:

The government is also undertaking a review of various housing and land use policies to identify and remove barriers to getting more homes built. We invite members of the public, municipal partners, and other stakeholders to share your thoughts and ideas on the following:

50×30 Waterloo Region
ABC Resident’s Association (Toronto)
Alliance to End Homlessness Ottawa
Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario
Against Bill 23 Coalition
Architectural Conservancy Ontario (ACO)
Architectural Conservancy Ontario Policy Committee Chair Dan Schneider
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)
Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO) (and official submission to committee)
Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO)
The Atmospheric Fund letter
Town of Aurora and Mayor Mrakas
Birds Canada
Brampton Environmental Alliance Statement and Presentation to Committee
Bruce Trail Conservancy
Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD)
Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) Letter
Canadian Centre for Housing Rights
Canadian Environmental Law Association (and signed letter) plus official submission and followup
Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and Environment
Chiefs of Ontario and First Nations Response
Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF)
City of Burlington
City of St Catherines and Staff Report PBS-181-2022 (23 page report, rest is correspondence)
Conservation Ontario
Conservation Halton Board
Conservation Hamilton
Dawn Parker, Professor, School of Planning, University of Waterloo
Region of Durham
Eastern Ontario Conservation Authorities Joint Letter to Standing Committee
Ecology Ottawa and People’s Official Plan Coalition
Environmental Defence:
1. Ontario’s Housing Bill is Actually a Trojan Horse for Environmentally Catastrophic Rural Sprawl
2. Webinar (and Jan. 2022 Housing Affordability Backgrounder)
3. Important things you should know about the Ontario government’s six major recent attacks on farms, forests, wetlands, and livable communities https://environmentaldefence.ca/2022/12/09/important-things-you-should-know-about-the-ontario-governments-six-major-recent-attacks-on-farms-forests-wetlands-and-livable-communities/
4. New Mapping and Analysis Discredits the Ontario Government’s Excuses for Forcing Suburban Boundary Expansions and Removing Greenbelt, Floodplain and Wetland Protections
Federation of North Toronto Residents’ Associations Open Letter in Resonse to Bill 23
Federation of Ontario Public Libraries (FOPL) and the Ontario Library Association (OLA)
Federation of Urban Neighbourhoods open letter in response to Bill 23
Future Majority
Grand River Environmental Network
City of Guelph
Hamilton 350
Ivey Building Sustainable Value Centre, Western University OpEd
Township of King Planning Staff Report (Report GMS-PL-2022-39) (York Region) (First 28 pages are report, remainder is text of Bill 23)
KPMB Architects Open Letter (w 17 others) to Premier Ford and Minister Clark
Law Firms Aird-Berlis, Bennett-Jones, Cassels, Davies-Howe Parts 1,2,3,4,5,6, Goodmans, Gowling WLG, McMillan, Osler (Pre-passing) and Post-passing summary, Overland
City of Missassauga
Municipal Finance Officers’ Association of Ontario (MFOA) Submission on Bill 23
New Democrat MPP Jessica Bell
Region of Niagara
Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) ERO Comments
Oakville Staff Report
Ontario for All
Ontario Association of Architects (OAA)
Ontario Association of Heritage Professionals (OAHP) and Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHP)
Ontario Association of Landscape Architects
Ontario Chapter of the American Fisheries Society
Ontario Farmland Trust
Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and official submission
Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters
Ontario Greenbelt Alliance
Ontario Greens leader MPP Mike Schreiner
The Ontario Headwaters Institute
Ontario Human Rights Commission
Ontario Nature
Ontario Professional Planners Institute
Ontario Public Health Association Submission
Ontario Rivers Alliance Comments to the Standing Committee
Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) Statement of Oct 27 and Nov 16
Parks and Recreation Ontario
Reform Gravel Mining Coalition
Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO)
Save Our Water
Shared Path Consultation Initiative
Social Development Centre Waterloo Region
Stop Sprawl Durham (Bill 23 post)
Stop Sprawl Halton
Stop Sprawl Hamilton
Sustain Ontario Alliance
The Land Between
Tom Galloway, outgoing Regional Councillor
Toronto Mayors David Crombie, Barbara Hall and John Sewell
Toronto Heritage Planning Staff Presentation “Proposed Amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act”
Toronto City Staff Comments on Proposed Bill 23 and Toronto Council Reports – 2023.CC1.2
City of Waterloo
Region of Waterloo Planning Staff Report (Report: PDL-CPL-22-27)
West End Home Builders Association
Region of York