The provincial government promised funding and help to municipalities this week, but Newmarket politicians say more is needed.
Politicians from municipal and provincial governments gathered at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference this week. Municipalities got a chance to speak with provincial leaders about their issues, while the provincial government and parties delivered speeches and promises on infrastructure funding and planning policy improvements.
Newmarket Councillor Bob Kwapis, who serves on AMO’s board of directors, said it felt like provincial politicians were in campaign mode, but what municipalities really wanted to see was a social and economic prosperity review to address the many challenges municipalities face.
“It touches on everything from homelessness, how we work together, encampments … the opioid issue, housing, infrastructure,” he said, adding municipalities need to fund $290 billion in infrastructure over the next 10 years to accommodate growth. “There is a gap there.”
The government announced a $400 million application intake for housing-enabling infrastructure, part of an ongoing $1 billion municipal housing infrastructure program. The provincial government also said it would be rolling out new provincial planning rules that would make it easier for municipalities to hit housing targets.
Those policy changes will include encouraging more building in areas of major transit stations, more homes on underutilized low-density lands like malls and a broader range of housing options.
“In the face of high interest rates and a challenging global economy, our government is working closely with municipalities to cut red tape and give them the tools they need to build more homes and hit their housing targets,” Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra said.
But municipal finances were a key issue at the conference, with other parties promising a "new deal" for stable municipal funding.
Newmarket Mayor John Taylor did not attend the conference but said that he was pleased to hear about the province providing additional infrastructure and recreational funding.
“That said, if we are going to address the housing crisis in a meaningful way, all levels of government will need to work together to support the creation of new homes,” Taylor said. “To be sustainable over the long term, municipalities need permanent and predictable infrastructure funding agreements with the provincial and federal governments that will support housing for all.”
Kwapis said AMO also hopes the province can open up more secondary dwelling units like basement apartments. He further said the landlord and tenant board (LTB) wait times, which can be from eight to 12 months, are an impediment for this, which may prompt homeowners to go for short-term rentals instead to avoid the jurisdiction of the LTB. Kwapis said he had a meeting with the province on the issue and they are also concerned.
Tenants are also hurt by the waitimes, Kwapis said.
“If there’s a bad landlord and a tenant needs to resolve issues. They have to wait currently for eight to 12 months before they can get a hearing. When you have a family in an unsafe environment, that’s unreasonable,” Kwapis said. “It’s very important to break those waiting periods.”
Kwapis said the province wants to give municipalities more tools to build homes, with a goal of 1.5 million across Ontario. However, he said that accomplishing that is not totally in municipal hands.
“The success depends on multiple factors totally out of municipal control. That includes interest rates, labour shortages and developer decisions,” Kwapis said. “We can open up whatever we can unless a developer puts a shovel in the ground, we have no control.”
