I want to thank my honourable colleague the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for sharing his time with me today. I will also be sharing the remaining time we have for second reading with the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the ever all-star MPP for Thunder Bay–Atikokan.

Interjections.

Speaker, I’m proud to speak to our government’s proposed Better Municipal Governance Act. It is a bill that is necessary, a bill that is timely, and a bill that would, if passed, be yet another step forward in solving Ontario’s housing crisis.

As the recent municipal election showed, the housing shortage Ontario is facing is at the top of people’s minds in communities right across the province. With many stakeholders pointing out the importance of getting municipal governance right, we need to make sure red tape does not block the housing we need so desperately. Study after study and expert after expert shows us that Ontario is in a housing crisis.

As an example, Kevin Crigger, the president of the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board, said, “Housing affordability is one of the most significant issues facing the greater Toronto area, so it is important that it continues to be given the attention it deserves before municipal election day.”

As a member representing parts of the GTA, I can attest to how important the housing supply crisis is to my constituents, many of whom are struggling to find a home they can afford. I have heard time and again about how young people are looking to get into the housing market but simply can’t afford it, because they have to balance between saving money and putting a down payment towards a new purchase at the same time—or newcomers to the province who are ready to settle down with their families and plant roots in Ontario but find the lack of available housing a major challenge. When I think about who our government is working for and why we have made tackling the housing supply crisis such a priority, I think about these people, the ones who are only asking for the same opportunity of home ownership that the previous generation has had. We made them a promise that we would put their dream of home ownership back within reach, and as I’ve said time and time again, we’re not going to let them down.

More than one third of Ontario’s growth over the next decade is expected to happen in Toronto and in Ottawa. That’s why we need to take action to ensure that there’s no political delay in hindering the potential that these cities offer. We need the mayors in these municipalities to cut red tape and get housing built faster so more families can realize the dream of attainable home ownership.

Developers and urban planners tell us all the time that the current way projects are approved in Ontario takes far too long and is way too complex. It can take eight to 10 years to go from acquiring undeveloped land to building housing, according to David Amborski, director of the Centre for Urban Research and Land Development at Toronto Metropolitan University. Builders need to obtain multiple approvals, which can take months, if not years, as various government departments conduct reviews and request revisions to meet planning requirements.

Speaker, a 2022 survey by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association looked at the time it takes to secure development approvals in 23 Canadian cities. The survey cited Hamilton, Toronto and Ottawa as having some of the longest timelines across Canada, ranging from 20 to 24 months, and that’s without even including the time it takes to get a building permit. A follow-up study by the association which was released this past September found that approval times for most greater Toronto area municipalities have only worsened in the years since. Ontarians are counting on us to fix that. Once again, I want to be very clear that we’re not going to let them down.

Ontarians were clear, in the last election, that they want us to take bold actions to increase the housing supply.

And let’s not forget, the recent federal announcement to increase immigration targets will bring in 500,000 newcomers by 2025. As the Premier has said, it is anticipated that some 300,000 of those newcomers will hope to settle right here in Ontario. That adds to the urgency of our bill and makes it clear why it’s so important that we put forward policies that will help us build more homes and build them faster.

If passed, the Better Municipal Governance Act will add to the powers that our Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act gives to the mayors of both Ottawa and Toronto. As the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto begin their new terms of office, they will soon have more powers to break the cycle of delays in the municipal approvals process.

Speaker, this bill builds on the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, which was given royal assent just a few short weeks ago. That act and the associated regulations provide the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa with additional governance tools and increased powers to align municipal decision-making with provincial priorities. They empower the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto to build a team that would help bring forward shared municipal and provincial priorities, which will mean that mayors can use their new powers to get shovels in the ground faster for more housing, and that they can get shovels in the ground faster for the infrastructure that would support more residential developments.

Now I want to focus on the specifics of how the mayors of both Toronto and Ottawa will be able to do this. First, the act changes the City of Toronto Act to empower the mayor of Toronto, and it changes the Municipal Act, along with the supporting regulation, to empower the mayor of Ottawa. The act also outlines the tools that these mayors could access to take decisive action on our shared priorities.

The Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act gives the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa the power to hire and fire the chief administrative officer of the municipality and certain department heads. However, this does not include positions such as the clerk, the treasurer, the integrity commissioner, the chief of police, the chief building official, the medical officer of health and others set out in the legislation. In addition, the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto will have the power to create and reorganize departments in their cities so they can better address the needs of their communities. As well, the mayors can appoint the chairs and vice-chairs of identified committees and local boards and can also establish identified committees, and they will be able to direct staff to prepare proposals to support them in furthering provincial priorities.

The Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act gives the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto the ability to deliver the budget of their municipality and table it for council to consider. The respective municipal council can then propose changes to the budget if it chooses to do so. An important new power for the mayors is that these amendments would then be subject to a mayor’s veto. The system of checks and balances that we’ve built into the legislation would keep councillors engaged in the process of local government so that they can provide an important restraint on their respective mayors. Let me explain how that would work.

The municipal council of Ottawa and Toronto would be able to override the mayor’s veto of council amendments to the budget with a two-thirds majority vote. This can be done within a certain time period. Once that period of time is up, the municipality would have adopted the resulting budget. There is a similar veto-override system with regard to bylaws passed by council. A mayor can use their veto power if they are of the opinion that all or part of a bylaw passed by council could potentially interfere with a provincial priority, as identified in regulation. This could be a provincial priority such as building more housing for Ontarians—or if the bylaw prevented infrastructure needed for more homes from being built.

Speaker, as you can see, the council-override process is a counterweight in this instance. Similar to their power in regard to the budget amendments, Ottawa and Toronto councils can override a mayoral veto of bylaws related to provincial priorities with a two-thirds majority vote.

I want to make one point clear: The mayor’s new ability to veto bylaws applies only to those that the mayor believes would potentially interfere with identified provincial priorities. Simply put, we trust Ontarians to elect the leaders who best reflect the needs and values of their communities. By extension, we trust those leaders to use these new powers fairly when it comes to driving our shared priorities forward. That’s why we’re holding them accountable for their choices. As an extension of these changes, mayors are required to provide written documentation when using any of these new powers in accordance with any associated regulations.

We also made changes to the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. First, the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto are now required to declare any financial interests related to the use of their new powers. They would not be able to use the new powers where financial conflict exists. It’s also important to remember that council members are already subject to legislated accountability and transparency rules, and that includes the mayor.

Another important point I’d like to raise is that because of these new increased powers for mayors, we must ensure that voters will be able to have their say if a mayor leaves office earlier than expected. That is why a by-election is required to replace a mayor with these increased powers if the office becomes vacant. That’s distinct from the current practice in Ottawa and Toronto, or any other Ontario municipality, which is to give the council the choice of either a by-election or an appointment by council, and the existing rules for how by-elections are run would still apply.

This does not impact the flexibility that Ottawa and Toronto currently have in deciding how to fill other vacant council seats. In those cases, they still have the choice to appoint someone or, in fact, have a by-election.

Speaker, as I’ve mentioned, some of these changes to empower the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa pertain to matters of provincial priority. These provincial priorities are set out in the supporting regulations. Now I’d like to highlight what these proposed provincial priorities are.

One priority is our government’s commitment to keeping costs down and building 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years, to address the housing supply crisis. When we build more homes, we also need to consider the infrastructure that will support them.

Another provincial priority would speed up the planning, approval, construction and maintenance of infrastructure to support new and existing residential developments. This is the infrastructure that you use every day, the things that we don’t often think about but that we require. Actioning the expansion, construction and maintenance of these services is essential, and we will work to eliminate any barriers or delays that are in the way. This will help us lay the foundation for building homes now and into the future.

As well, another provincial priority involves transit-oriented communities. These are the higher-density mixed-use developments that are next to or within a short walk of transit stations and stops.

The bill we’re discussing today, the proposed Better Municipal Governance Act, will help us build on and further support the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act in meeting the provincial priority to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years.

Additionally, we are proposing changes that would enable the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa to propose bylaws related to the provincial priorities that we have set out. These bylaws would be passed if more than one third of the members of council vote in favour of the bylaw, and existing municipal accountability frameworks will continue to apply, including conflict-of-interest rules. As well, heads of council would also be required to provide their rationale when using the proposed powers.

If passed, the proposed legislation would allow the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to make regulations that establish the rules for the use of this new mayoral bylaw power. For example, the minister could impose limits and conditions or set out procedural rules for proposing a bylaw.

There is no doubt that these proposals seem bold, but that’s because our government promised bold action to end the housing supply crisis and to help all Ontarians find a safe place to call home.

Speaker, I began today by saying that our proposed Better Municipal Governance Act is necessary, is timely and, if passed, would be another solid step forward in addressing Ontario’s undersupply of housing. Giving strong mayors this enhanced power would allow them to remove barriers and find solutions for the housing supply shortages, and would make them true partners in addressing the housing crisis.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. I want to thank the Premier. I want to thank the parliamentary assistant to municipal affairs and housing, and every member of our caucus for all the work and the attention that they’re giving to making sure that every person in this province has a home to go to every night.

As the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing has highlighted on multiple occasions in this chamber, we are in a housing crisis, one that requires bold actions, because we cannot simply leave the people of this province behind. We saw what 15 years of neglect has done to where we are here today.

Through the actions of this minister, since 2018—we saw the results last year: more housing starts than we’ve had since 1987; purpose-built rentals, 13,000 of them in the province, again, highest since 1991. These are 30-year record highs. But they’re not enough. We need to do more, because we cannot let the current generations, future generations—you think about the 500,000 new Canadians who are coming in with hopes and dreams and aspirations, like my family did when they came to Canada. This minister, our government, our Premier, has said on many occasions that letting them down is not an option. We will fight for them every single day to make sure that they have a chance at attainable home ownership.

With that, I would now like to call upon the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to further expand on the very necessary piece of proposed legislation, because, as a former mayor himself, I know that his insights into the legislation will make an important contribution to today’s debate.