A slew of new measures aimed at easing the housing crisis across the province, announced Wednesday, left Mayor Cam Guthrie with a sense of optimism.
The provincial government tabled legislation that, if approved, could have a direct impact on Guelph and how it grows in the years to come, as well as how infrastructure needed to support that growth is funded.
“I found today’s tabling of legislation struck that balance between action items and more consultation on items that may be forthcoming,” Guthrie told GuelphToday. “My only pushback to the government would be, if you’re doing consultation, please, this cannot linger.”
Included among the many legislative changes tabled Wednesday are Planning Act exemptions for universities, a time limit on servicing allocations for approved developments, pre-approved housing design types, new limits on third-party planning appeals, potential limits on the number of bedrooms allowed per lot and the elimination of a five-year phase-in period on development charges.
“Today’s measures help speed up approvals and the endless delays to get shovels in the ground sooner,” said Paul Calandra, minister of municipal affairs and housing, during a Wednesday afternoon news conference. “We’re building homes faster and at a lower cost.”
The legislation also includes the elimination of minimum parking requirements around major transit stations, as well as subway, rail and rapid bus stations, but it’s not clear if Guelph, and specifically the area around Guelph Central Station in the downtown core, will be impacted by this.
Combined, Calandra said the various legislative changes would save people and businesses 1.5 million hours and $1.2 billion annually.
Guthrie was perhaps most excited about the planned elimination of a five-year phase-in for new development charges. That, he said, would likely reduce the financial burden placed on existing residents to pay needed growth-related infrastructure.
Provincial changes to the Development Charges Act since 2022 could leave Guelph $227 million short in revenue for crucial infrastructure and stall overall growth in the city during the next 10 years, according to the Development Charges Background Study prepared by a private consultant last summer.
“Of course I’m going to be asking, ‘how does this impact our budgets?”” Guthrie said of the removed phase-in plan.
Development charges are fees municipalities collect from developers to cover infrastructure costs associated with growth. For example, a developer building a house would help pay for the additional required services like new roads and sewers, as well as police, fire and ambulance services.
Given the city’s close working relationship with the University of Guelph, Guthrie expressed no concerns about handing over planning authority to university officials.
“The relationship we have is so good and we engage on everything that’s happening anyway,” he said. “Especially when it comes to any new build, it’s going to have impacts on infrastructure, so there’s going to be moments where they’re going to have to be talking to us as engineers, etc. on issues that are of a city-wide impact.”
When asked by a reporter if the Planning Act exemptions for universities would allow for the construction of new buildings other than student housing, Calandra didn’t directly answer the question, stating only the “focus” is on student housing projects.
“We want to get more student housing built – it’s super important,” the minister said, noting the change is in response to a new federal government requirement that colleges and universities guarantee housing for foreign students.
