Bill 23 Implications and Financing Considerations
In 2022, the provincial government passed Bill 23, the “More Homes Built Faster Act,” to increase the supply of Ontario’s market housing over the next ten years. The legislation revised ten provincial Acts including but not limited to the Conservation Authorities Act, Development Charges Act, and Planning Act, which resulted in significant implications for Ontario’s land use planning regime. Bill 23 overrides zoning by-laws to increase density but simultaneously limits municipalities’ ability to use development charges and parkland requirements toward concurrent infrastructure and services that support that density. For municipalities experiencing residential growth, adherence to Bill 23 has a disproportionate impact on finances. Specifically, parkland dedication caps have been altered under Bill 23 such that the maximum alternative rate was cut in half from 1 hectare per 300 dwelling units to 1 hectare per 600 net residential units; likewise, the cash-in-lieu parkland rate for medium- and high-density developments was cut in half from 1 hectare per 500 dwelling units to 1 hectare per 1,000 net residential units. Sites of five hectares or larger are now capped at 15% parkland dedication, while sites less than five hectares are capped at 10% parkland dedication. Municipalities must also accept encumbered lands (e.g., land with below-grade infrastructure) or privately-owned publicly- accessible open spaces (POPS) as parkland conveyance.
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Town of Tillsonburg | DRAFT Parks and Recreation Master Plan
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