Cities and townships will be responsible for all long-term planning and development application approval processes starting on January 1, 2025.
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Background
Waterloo Region is one of the fastest growing communities in Ontario, quickly expanding to 1 million residents.
The Planning Act sets out ground rules for land use planning. The More Homes Built Faster Act (Bill 23) changes the Planning Act by removing upper-tier municipalities from the land-use planning process.
Locally, this means cities and townships in Waterloo Region will be responsible for all planning approvals. This will come into effect in Waterloo Region beginning January 1, 2025.
The Province of Ontario made these changes to save staff time and expedite the approval process for planning applications so development approvals can be executed faster and homes can be built with fewer delays.
Municipalities in Waterloo Region have been working together to ensure a smooth transition when these changes are enacted.
We've put together some answers to the most common questions to help with this transition.
Frequently asked questions
Overview of Bill 23
- What is Bill 23? Bill 23, also known as the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022, introduces significant changes to the Planning Act to streamline the development process and increase housing supply across the province. It transfers remaining land-use planning responsibilities from upper-tier municipalities to local municipalities, including cities and townships. Starting January 1, 2025, cities and townships within the Region of Waterloo will be solely responsible for all planning approvals.
Purpose and impact
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Why is Ontario making this change? The Province of Ontario is implementing these changes to streamline the planning and approval process for development applications. The goal is to save staff time, reduce delays, redundancies, and expedite development approvals, allowing development projects to proceed faster and supporting the Province’s broader objectives for housing and growth.
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Will Bill 23 lead to more housing development in my neighbourhood? This is determined by area municipalities. Bill 23 is designed to speed up the development process, which could result in more housing projects being approved and built more quickly. However, other economic factors, such as interest rate levels, could affect the decision-making of developers or builders.
Preparation and transition
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Are we prepared for the change? Yes, municipalities within the Region of Waterloo have been collaborating closely to ensure a smooth transition. Regional, city, and township councils, along with municipal staff, have been actively working together to address important matters through the new planning framework.
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What will change in the Region’s role? The Region will transition to an upper-tier municipality without planning responsibilities, shifting from an approval authority to a commenting agency. It will no longer serve as the approval authority for area municipal official plans, official plan amendments, or plans of subdivision and condominiums.
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What will be the Region’s role after January 1, 2025? The Region's role will focus on key structured service delivery areas of regional interest, such as public health, paramedic services, regional transit, the Region of Waterloo International Airport, and regional waste management, water supply, and wastewater treatment.
Development applications and processes
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Will the delegation of planning responsibilities and approvals from the Region to the Area Municipalities affect existing development applications currently in the process or only new applications received after January 1st, 2025? Yes, starting January 1st, 2025, all existing official plan amendment, subdivision, and condominium applications received prior to this date, and all new applications received after this date, are subject to the approval of the respective Area Municipalities.
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What is the city doing to ensure that local developers are ready for the changes introduced by Bill 23, effective January 1? The city is taking proactive steps to ensure local developers are prepared for the changes. This includes developing comprehensive training materials and hosting an open house for the development industry to help them understand the changes in the approval process.
Financial and customer impact
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What costs are associated with this change? The financial implications to support the transition are being funded through existing approved City budgets. Staff are currently assessing any future financial implications and determining potential impacts on future operational budgets.
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How will customers be impacted? Plans are in place to maintain high-quality service delivery and minimize customer service impacts as these changes are implemented. The Region, Cities, and Townships are working toward a streamlined and consistent planning approval process.
Public services and infrastructure
- Will the changes in Bill 23 affect public services and infrastructure in my area? While Bill 23 focuses primarily on speeding up the planning process, municipalities will continue to ensure that necessary infrastructure and public services are in place to support new developments and growth.
Specific changes in Kitchener
- What process changes are coming to Kitchener? Throughout the transition and implementation process, the city is committed to ensuring that applicants continue to receive timely and effective customer service. The page will be updated as additional information and process changes are confirmed.