NDP URGING PROVINCE TO REIMBURSE MUNICIPALITIES FOR BILL 23 DEVELOPER FEE LOSSES
Jan 20, 2023
By Bob Komsic
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Saying the Ford government’s housing plan has made budgeting next to impossible for Ontario’s 444 municipalities, the NDP’s housing critic is calling on the Conservatives to commit to immediately reimbursing them for the loss in development fee revenue.
In a letter to the premier, University-Rosedale MPP Jessica Bell points out ”Bill 23 reduces and bans municipalities from collecting development fees for housing services, which pay for shelters and affordable housing programs, as well as fess for parks, affordable housing projects and additional units on residential lots.”
By ”axing” those fees, Bell goes on to tell Doug Ford that the province is ”forcing municipalities to hike taxes, cut service, and jeopardize the health and livability of our towns and cities.”
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario has estimated that Bill 23 will reduce local revenue from developer fees by $5.1-billion over nine years.