GTA region warns Bill 23 may hike property taxes
Durham is the latest region to warn residents that property taxes may go up because of Ontario’s housing Bill 23.
“We estimate the Region will have about $281 million less in revenue over five years,” said Durham Regional Council Chair and CEO John Henry.
“This means that existing property taxpayers and ratepayers of Durham Region—as with most other municipalities in Ontario—will now be asked to fund future infrastructure to support new homes in our community,” he added in a statement.
“Or, as an alternative, the Region may have to reduce service levels.”
The More Homes Built Faster Act aims to build 1.5 million homes in Ontario over the next 10 years. Freezing development charges and government fees on some new builds are among the provisions included.
Mayors from big cities like Toronto to rural towns have opposed the freeze, saying municipalities rely on the revenue to build the needed infrastructure to accommodate growth.
Henry says there has been an immediate impact in Durham: money collected from development charges is dropped by 20 per cent already, he says.
This means the region, and the municipalities that make up Durham, will have tough choices on their hands, and property taxes may need to rise to make up the shortfall.
Another thorny issue with the bill is the development on Greenbelt land, including 4,500 acres from three areas around Durham.
“More land is not needed, in Durham Region, to meet the provincial housing target,” Henry said. “There is an eight to 10-year supply of housing already planned in our region.”
Opponents have been vocal since the bill was first unveiled in the fall.
Helen Brenner with Stop Sprawl Durham says developing areas of the Greenbelt—which is made up in part of farmland, forests, and conservation areas—is both fiscally and environmentally unethical, as well as unnecessarily adding to the suburban sprawl.
“We know that it’s not sustainable,” she told CTV News Toronto. “It’s not required—better to live within our existing urban boundaries.”
The Ontario government maintains the course the province is on is the right one.
“Ontario is in a housing supply crisis, and Ontarians expect us to act,” Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark said on Monday.
The Premier says Bill 23 will address the housing shortage, and decisions had to be made.
"You can't keep saying 'not in my backyard, my neighbourhood doesn't want it, we don't want it,’” he said inside the Sheraton Hotel earlier this week, as protesters demonstrated outside.
“Where are we going to put these people?”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Father who killed one-year-old son with axe may be allowed to travel in southwestern Ontario
A Mennonite father who killed his one-year-old son with an axe may be allowed to travel to parts of southern Ontario in the coming months
Panama prepares to evacuate first island in face of rising sea level
On a tiny island off Panama's Caribbean coast, about 300 families are packing their belongings in preparation for a dramatic change. Generations of Gunas who have grown up on Gardi Sugdub in a life dedicated to the sea and tourism will trade that next week for the mainland’s solid ground.
Trump election victory 'very unlikely,' but 'possible': former FBI director Comey
Former FBI director James Comey says while he believes former U.S. president Donald Trump "will be defeated" in the upcoming presidential election, he doesn’t think it’s a given.
Robert Pickton stabbed with toothbrush and broken broom handle: victim's family
The family of one of Robert Pickton's victims says the convicted serial killer suffered an incredibly violent death at the hands of another inmate.
'It feels like freedom': Why some Albertans like going nude in nature
Few people can say they accidentally purchased a nude beach — but Shelley can. When she saw a piece of land she could fondly remember camping on was up for sale, she inquired about it and ended up purchasing it. She soon found that there were already inhabitants on it.
This Calgary home has a giant tree in the middle, and it's for sale
There's a luxury 'tree home' for sale in Calgary.
WestJet ordered to pay B.C. traveller $1,300 for a missed flight connection
A B.C. traveller will receive more than $1,300 in compensation from WestJet for a missed flight connection following a decision from the province's small claims tribunal.
Jennifer Lopez cancels summer tour: 'I am completely heartsick and devastated'
Jennifer Lopez has cancelled her 2024 North American tour, representatives for Live Nation confirmed to The Associated Press.
2 children among 5 people hospitalized after head-on crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa's west end
Two young children and three adults were seriously injured in a major collision on Highway 417 between Palladium Drive and Carp Road in Ottawa's west end Friday afternoon.