The Ontario government has tabled a bill entitled “More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022.” It was passed and referred to the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy. The stated objective of the bill is to “cut red tape,” make the building process faster, and encourage both individuals and corporations to invest in residential housing, purpose-built rentals, and home ownership.
Among other things, Bill 23 encourages developers to build affordable housing in inclusionary municipal zoning by reducing the payment of the development charges, parkland dedication fees, and community benefit charges. The bill also gives incentives to build rental residential houses and changes the formula used by the municipalities to determine development charges and other fees.
Several pieces of legislation will be impacted by the bill: Conservation Authorities Act, Development Charges Act, 1997, Municipal Act, 2001, Ontario Heritage Act, Ontario Land Tribunal Act, 2021 and the Planning Act.
While the supply may be increased if this bill becomes law, it does not help current small landlords facing huge losses due to adjudication delays at the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board – creating a huge backlog of non-paying tenants. That is the reason SOLO Landlords Inc. has decided to attend this consultation to press on the issues facing small Ontario landlords.
In the public consultation, SOLO will participate with vice chair Board member Rose Marie. She is scheduled to make a presentation on behalf of the landlords across the province. According to Solo vice chair the purpose of her intervention will be about the fact that “Small ownership landlords are the foundation of rental housing stock in Ontario.” Rose will submit to the committee that “Landlords, tenants and government – need each other. The government needs small landlords that supply fifty percent of the most affordable rentals in Ontario. Small landlords need the government to step up and even the playing field or otherwise the rental stock will continue to deplete as landlords will continue selling and stop investing. The ones that are hurt the most are good tenants, newcomers and young people who are the typical renters as small landlords just can’t continue to take all the risk anymore.”
Date: Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Location: Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites Conference Centre and Spa, Conference Centre 2, 8500 Warden Avenue, Markham, ON L6G 1A5
Presenter: Rose Marie, Solo Landlords Inc. Vice-Chair
