Update On Bill 23 (More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022): Royal Assent And Key Changes From First Reading

Gowling WLG has been monitoring the developments of Bill 23 (the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022) closely. On Nov.28, 2022, Bill 23, as amended by Standing Committee, received Royal Assent.

You will recall that Bill 23 was introduced as a part of the Ontario government's larger Housing Supply Action Plan, aiming to have 1.5 million homes built over the next 10 years. Since First Reading on Oct.23, 2022, it has undergone some key changes, particularly in regards to three statutes it affects: the City of Toronto Act, 2006, the Development Charges Act, 1997, and the Planning Act.

The main updates are as follows:

• Exterior design not a matter of site plan control, with extremely limited exceptions - Prior to the passing of Bill 23, both the City of Toronto Act, 2006 and the Planning Act contained provisions that allowed site plan control to address matters relating to exterior design, "including without limitation the character, scale, appearance and design