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ARTICLE · 14 JUNE 2017

Changes To Ontario Municipal Laws Now In Effect And Increase Municipal Powers To Combat Climate Change

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Bill 68—the Modernizing Ontario's Municipal Legislation Act, 2017—received royal assent on May 30, 2017, so is now officially in force.

CanadaEnvironment
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Bill 68—the Modernizing Ontario's Municipal Legislation Act, 2017— received royal assent on May 30, 2017, so is now officially in force.

As we previously reported, Bill 68 introduces a host of changes to several key municipal statutes: the Municipal Act, 2001 ("Municipal Act"); City of Toronto Act ("COTA"); Municipal Conflict of Interest Act; and Planning Act.

There are a few particularly interesting changes aimed at increasing municipal powers to combat climate change.

Paragraph 10(2) 5 and paragraph 11(2) 5 of the Municipal Act have been repealed and replaced to empower single-, upper-, and lower-tier municipalities to pass by-laws respecting climate change as part of their powers to enact by-laws relating to the economic, social, and environmental well-being of the municipality. A similar change has been introduced to the COTA with the repeal and revision of paragraph 8(2) 5.

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