WELLINGTON NORTH – New provincial housing minister Paul Calandra wants to know what the top priorities are for municipalities from the Housing Affordability Task Force report.
A Sept. 15 letter from Calandra asks councils to submit “five top priorities” from a list of 74 recommendations included in the 2022 report.
“I ask that you rank those recommendations that you feel would be, or have been, the most useful in increasing housing supply in your community,” Calandra wrote.
The task force recommends the province require greater density, reduce and streamline urban design rules, de-politicize processes and reduce bureaucracy, fix the Ontario Land Tribunal, and support municipalities committing to transform the system.
Wellington North CAO Brooke Lambert was to present a report to council on Oct. 10 with suggestions for what the township could submit to the province, including:
– recommend that the federal government and provincial governments update the HST rebate to reflect current home prices and begin indexing, and that the federal government match the provincial 75% rebate and remove any clawback;
– align property taxes for purpose-built rentals with those of condos and low-rise homes;
– eliminate or reduce tax disincentives to housing growth;
– work with municipalities to develop and implement a municipal services corporation utility model for water and wastewater, under which the municipal corporation would borrow and amortize costs among customers instead of using development charges; and
– require that public consultations provide digital participation options.
Writing to the Community News ahead of the Tuesday meeting, Lambert said recommendations in the task force report focus strongly on municipal development review processes and initiatives, many of which have already been implemented.
“We are not restrained by process or lack of incentives; we are restrained by infrastructure and the need for a sustainable way to pay for community amenities and services that enhance the quality of life here,” Lambert explained.
“Council picked up on this right away,” she continued, referencing a Sept. 25 meeting.
Councillors Steve McCabe and Penny Renken spoke about wanting to protect farmland and a concern about providing services in line with growth.
“As a result, I focused my attention on initiatives that the province or federal government could play a more active role in,” Lambert wrote.
“These are really the areas that will have more impact on the housing market in general.”
Along with Lambert’s Oct. 10 recommendations for feedback to the province, she also suggested comments be included stating “prime agricultural land needs to be protected from development and supports need to be in place to support building 1.5 million homes by 2031, including social services and supports, policing, education, and healthcare.”
The township’s response to Calandra’s letter is due by Oct. 15.
