Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act

On October 25, 2022, the Provincial government introduced Bill 23, known as the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022.  Bill 23 received Royal Assent on November 28, 2022.  The overall stated purpose of Bill 23 is to introduce several legislative changes intending to increase housing supply throughout Ontario and to achieve the Province’s goal of 1.5 million homes in the next 10 years. 

Many of the changes proposed to the various Acts are significant, and as a result, lead to modifications to the MCR project. As an example, the following changes will come into force on proclamation, on a date yet to be named by the Lieutenant Governor:

• Legislated planning responsibilities to be removed from certain upper-tier municipalities including Simcoe County resulting in a new status as an “upper-tier municipality without planning responsibilities”.
• The Official Plan of certain upper-tier municipalities including Simcoe County would no longer exist, but rather become part of the lower-tier municipal Official Plans.

Since the purpose of the MCR is to prepare a new County Official Plan that conforms to the policies and schedules of the Growth Plan, it is now unclear how the MCR will ultimately be completed and to what extent the County of Simcoe will remain involved, since the County Official Plan will cease to exist due to changes from Bill 23. In light of the provincial initiatives, key questions have arisen relating to the scope of the MCR work, and who will be responsible to bring the project to conclusion.  Despite these unknowns, County Planning staff will remain actively involved with the MCR for the time being, and continue to monitor the status of the adopted County Official Plan Amendment No. 7 (Municipal Comprehensive Review Phase 1 Growth Management).  

The Province is also currently undertaking a housing-focused review of A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (Growth Plan) and the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS). The review is focusing on potential integration of the PPS and the Growth Plan into a new single province-wide planning policy document.  Depending on the outcome of this exercise, future policy changes may also fundamentally change the purpose and scope of the MCR.

As further clarity emerges about the potential impact on the MCR due to Provincial government legislative and policy changes, it will be posted to our project website and notifications will be sent out to all individuals that have signed up for updates.

Background Information

The County is undertaking a Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) in accordance with the Provincial Growth Plan, A Place to Grow: Growth plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (Office Consolidation 2020). 

The MCR is a specific planning process used to bring an Official Plan (OP) into conformity with the Growth Plan. It establishes the ov​erall pattern of development and environmental management in the County and sets the stage for more detailed local planning. The MCR will apply to the 16 Local Area Municipalities in the County, and excludes the Cities of Barrie and Orillia, both of which are separated Cities.

Various policy matters are impacted by the MCR and will result in updates to the County OP. One of these updates will deal with growth management, because the County is required by the Province to plan for a population of 555,000 and 198,000 jobs by 2051.   A key component of the work being undertaken in this regard is a Land Needs Assessment to determine how much growth can be accommodated in the existing settlement areas and whether additional land is needed.

The MCR will also include a review of Provincial policies and plans on the following matters, with the product of the review being the preparation of topic-specific technical reports and recommendations to address:

• refinements to the provincial natural heritage system;
• refinements to the provincial agricultural land base;
• growth management;
• employment;
• climate change; and
• watershed management.

The County awarded the MCR contract to Hemson Consulting (Hemson).

Hemson as the lead consultant has put together a multi-disciplinary team of professionals to address the various components of the MCR as follows:

1. Provincial Natural Heritage System Review and Refinement – North South Environmental Inc.
2. Provincial Agricultural System Review and Refinement – DBH Soil Services Inc.
3. Employment Strategy – Hemson Consulting and Cushman Wakefield
4. Climate Change Strategy – Hemson Consulting and Laura Taylor Designs
5. Watershed Management Strategy – Wood Environmental & Infrastructure Solutions Inc.
6. Growth Management – Hemson Consulting
7. County Official Plan Amendment(s) – Meridian Planning
8. Communications Strategy – The Planning Partnership, Meridian Planning, and Nbisiing Consulting

The MCR will be implemented through a County Official Plan Amendment or Amendments, with each having to be approved by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, after first being adopted by County Council. 

The MCR will be completed by working collaboratively with County staff.  Engagement during the MCR process will ensure that the Province, Local Area Municipalities, Indigenous communities, County Council, Conservation Authorities, the general public, and other stakeholders are informed of ongoing work and technical reports and material as it becomes available.  Stakeholders will be involved throughout the MCR to understand and review the mapping and recommendations from the various technical inputs.

The County is committed to respectful, meaningful and collaborative engagement with First Nations, Métis and Indigenous communities throughout this process to understand interests, rights and views. Throughout the process, the County will respect specific your community processes and/or official protocols for engagement, as well as important perspectives and culture in relation to the lands and water to help guide us through this long-range planning project.