Ontario Passes Bill 73: Amendments To The Planning Act And Development Charges Act

On December 3, 2015, the Ontario government passed Bill 73, Smart Growth for Our Communities Act, 2015, to reform the Planning Act and the Development Charges Act, 1997 with the aim to give citizens a greater say in how their communities will grow and give municipalities more tools to fund community services.

The version of Bill 73 that received Royal Assent is largely similar to the version initially introduced at First Reading in the Legislature. The following is a summary of the key amendments made by Bill 73:

Planning Act

• Review of Provincial Policy Statements. Policy statements are to be reviewed at 10-year intervals, instead of the previous five-year intervals.
• Promotion of built form is a matter of provincial interest. In addition to the existing list matters of provincial interest, the Ministry, the council of a municipality, a local board, a planning board and the Ontario Municipal Board must have regard to the promotion of built form that: (i)