Bill 109 and Bill 23
As you know, municipalities in Ontario have been subjected to a number of legislative changes as a result of the Provincial government’s More Homes, More Choice: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan that was released in 2019. Bills 109 and 23 were introduced and passed by the province in 2022. Staff in Planning, Real Estate, and Economic Development (PRED) have worked to identify the necessary changes to our policies, procedures, and by-laws.
In an effort to keep the community informed of the impacts of the new legislation and how the City intends to implement the necessary changes a new website was created. This will be a centralized page where residents can read summaries of Bill 109 and Bill 23, review FAQs, and learn more about next steps.
Official Plan Implementation
On November 4, 2022, the Minister of Municipal Affairs approved (with 30 modifications), the new City of Ottawa Official Plan as adopted by Council in 2021. In Q1 2023 the Community Planning Unit will be coordinating the integration of Official Plan amendments passed between adoption of the Official Plan and ministerial approval. Staff will also be working to correct errata in the plan and will be bringing forward ‘housekeeping’ reports to correct minor errors in the plan that were not corrected by the Ministry and some additional minor amendments to policies and schedules in the Official Plan.
Staff will also be conducting Planning Primer education sessions to Council members and staff as well as external stakeholders and the public. The Primer has been completely revised for 2023 to reflect the approved Official Plan as well as recent changes to legislation in the Province.
The new Official Plan as approved by the Minister can be found on the Official Plan Engage Ottawa website.
New Zoning Bylaw
PRED staff are working to implement the policies of the Official Plan and prepare a new Comprehensive Zoning By-law. Staff will bring forward a report early this year to extend the project’s timeline by approximately six-months to account for the delay in the Official Plan’s approval, as well as the amendments made by the Ministry. Now that the Official Plan is in force and effect, staff are now preparing to launch of a series of Discussion Papers, surveys, and an updated to the review timeline.
Information on the upcoming Discussion Papers is available on the Engage Ottawa project website (engage.ottawa.ca/zoning), with additional material being posted in the coming weeks.
PRED has organized a number of information and education sessions to help keep residents informed:
February 7 & 15 – Public Planning Primer
This session is open to the public and will provide an overview of the legislative and policy basis under which land-use planning decisions are made, the way policy documents are amended and how to make a development application. Registration will be open in the coming weeks here.
Mid-February – New Comprehensive Zoning By-law Discussion Papers
The Zoning Discussion Papers will be residents’ first opportunity to have their say about the future of zoning in the city of Ottawa. The responses received will form the basis of an “As We Heard It” report that will be released later this year.
March 7 – Public Open House
This session is open to the public and will provide a high-level update on the City’s review of the impacts of Provincial Legislation and an overview of how the City is adapting as a result of these changes. Topics will include Bill 109, Bill 23, the Official Plan, and the impact on planning related matters. Registration can be done here.
