Ontario government hopes to curb powers of the OMB

The Ontario government is proposing reforms it argued would give residents more say in how their communities grow and restore local decision-making to municipalities.

Bill 73 was introduced by Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Ted McMeekin in the Ontario legislature last week. It proposes changes to the Planning Act and the Development Charges Act that would help municipalities resolve planning disputes earlier, reducing Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) involvement in local disputes.

It would also provide opportunities to fund community services, like transit and recycling, the Liberal government said.

Etobicoke-Lakeshore MPP Peter Milczyn lauded the government’s proposed Planning Act changes as “precisely the changes” he had called for during his 17-year career as a Toronto councillor and in his private member’s Bill 39, the Planning Statute Law Amendment Act.

Bill 39 passed second reading in the legislature last November.

“Municipalities will have more final decision making, there will be far fewer appeals to the OMB, more citizen engagement in the planning process, more money for transit and other growth related services,” Milczyn said in a statement.

“My constituents will also be very happy to hear that the definition of a ‘minor variance’ will be more clearly defined.”

If passed, the bill would give municipalities more control over local planning matters, reduce the number and frequency of appeals to the OMB, better define a ‘minor variance,’ ensure development provides increased funding for transit, and increase transparency and accountability on the use of funds collected from development, Milczyn said.

The proposed Planning Act changes would also ensure residents are better consulted at the beginning of the planning process for new developments, and encourage feedback on their communities’ future.

“Ontarians deserve a predictable, fair and transparent system guiding how their communities will grow,” McMeekin said in a statement after introducing the Bill.

“These proposals empower our cities and towns to better determine how neighbourhoods are shaped.”