WRHBA believes that inconsistent and discretionary local standards undermine housing affordability and supply. Ontario already governs building safety and performance through the Ontario Building Code, environmental protection legislation, and servicing requirements within established approval processes. Allowing additional mandatory standards on top of land division approvals is redundant and perpetuates the complexity that the Province is seeking to address through Bill 98.
The proposed regulation clarifies that mandatory conditions of land division approval must be limited to matters directly related to health, safety, accessibility, and the protection of adjacent lands. This approach aligns with the principles underpinning both ERO 026-0300 and ERO 026-0310 by ensuring that detailed standards are addressed through the appropriate mechanisms rather than discretionary planning conditions. Establishing clear provincial limits will help ensure consistency and transparency across all municipalities.
While WRHBA supports innovation and sustainability in housing design and construction, we want to emphasize that these objectives are best achieved with province wide standards. Further, transitioning enhanced development standards from mandatory requirements to voluntary or incentive based measures preserves municipal flexibility while avoiding unintended cost impacts.