In recent years, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has achieved an ambitious policy and legislative agenda in support of key government priorities.
From protecting the Greenbelt to shaping the way for better public service delivery, we are taking great strides for the people of Ontario.
In 2007-08, the ministry continued to demonstrate real progress towards achieving our vision for an Ontario with safe and strong communities, abundant greenspace, thriving and prosperous economies, and a range of housing choices. As part of that vision, we are creating affordable housing for low-income families, senior citizens, persons living with mental illness, and victims of domestic violence.
Our work on the Greenbelt has garnered three distinguished awards: the Environmental Commissioner’s Office Special Award, April 2007; the Canadian Institute of Planners’ Award for Planning Excellence, Environmental Planning June 2007; and the Ontario Professional Planners Institute’s Leonard Gertler Award of Distinction, 2007.
We continued to deliver on the government’s agenda through the implementation of recently proclaimed legislation, including the City of Toronto Act, 2006, the Greenbelt Act, 2005, the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, Municipal Act, 2001 amendments, and Planning Act amendments. The ministry also continued to implement the new objective-based 2006 Building Code.
The following highlights our major accomplishments in 2007-08.
The ministry is working with the Ministry of Finance as partners on the Provincial-Municipal Fiscal and Service Delivery Review to shape the future of a new fiscal and service delivery partnership. The other Review partners, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the City of Toronto, have already seen tangible results: significant infrastructure investments and the start of uploading of the cost of the Ontario Disability Support Program and the Ontario Drug Benefits Program. By 2011, municipalities will have saved $935 million annually.
The Memorandum of Understanding between the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the Province of Ontario was renewed on August 20, 2007. It reflects the government's ongoing commitment to strong provincial-municipal relationships based on mutual respect and consultation.
The signing of the Agreement on Co-operation and Consultation with the City of Toronto on January 15, 2008 marked another milestone in the implementation of the City of Toronto Act, 2006, further strengthening the relationship between the City and the Province.
Engaging and building relationships with Aboriginal peoples is a government priority. The ministry is actively supporting this priority through policy development, program delivery and implementation.
New operational processes and ongoing training will help ministry staff fulfill our goal of building relationships and engaging with Aboriginal communities. This year, staff supported municipalities by providing sessions on Aboriginal issues at planning workshops and regional conferences.
We continue to provide information, tools, and advice to our municipal partners for new Public Sector Accounting Board requirements that take effect on January 1, 2009. These include assistance to the Ontario Municipal Benchmarking Initiative to prepare the Municipal Guide to Accounting for Capital Assets, and help with asset management under the Canada Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund.
The ministry partnered with the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario to deliver the Municipal Internship Program. The program aims to attract talented graduates to take up leadership positions in the municipal sector.
The ministry continues to administer the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program which helps municipalities, individuals, farmers, small businesses and non-profit organizations get back on their feet after a natural disaster.
Land Use Planning
The Greenbelt, 1.8 million acres of environmentally sensitive and agricultural lands in the Golden Horseshoe, is protected under legislation. This year the government responded to requests to make the Greenbelt bigger and further protect countryside areas. In February 2008, the ministry released draft criteria for consultation that, once finalized, would be used to consider municipal requests to expand the Greenbelt.
As the provincial lead for brownfields redevelopment, we have created a cross-Canada Intergovernmental Forum on Brownfields, similar to European models, to encourage the sharing of best practices. The ministry brought forward a comprehensive package of legislative reforms addressing liability. This contributed to the ministry receiving national recognition with a Brownie Award from the Canadian Urban Institute for Policy and Program Development.
This year marked the official launch of development of the long-awaited Seaton community – 35 years after its original conception. This was the result of the closing of the Oak Ridges Moraine-North Pickering land exchange transaction after seven years of intense public scrutiny, First Nations and stakeholder consultations, complex negotiations and major legal challenges.
The Provincial One-Window Planning Service Protocol, the service delivery mechanism for land use planning, was created ten years ago. This year we reviewed and are refining the protocol to improve inter-ministry coordination, address new ministry interests and provide timely service to municipal clients. The ministry also continues to work with partner ministries on the proposed northern Growth Plan.
Affordable Housing
Under the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program we are creating new homes for low-income families, senior citizens, persons living with mental illness, and victims of domestic violence. This is the biggest affordable housing program in Canadian history, with all three levels of government contributing at least $734 million over the life of the program.
Over 10,500 new affordable housing units are now occupied, under construction or in planning approvals, with about half of these units dedicated to non-profit groups. In addition, over 3,500 housing allowance units under the Affordable Housing Program are available to Ontarians across the province.
This year the ministry launched three new housing initiatives to utilize the Federal Housing Trust:
- Delivering Opportunities for Ontario Renters: a $127 million capital building program for municipalities for the creation or rehabilitation of more than 1,800 units of affordable rental housing.
- Rental Opportunity for Ontario Families: a housing allowance program launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Revenue to invest $185 million for assistance to 27,350 low income families.
- Funding for housing programs and initiatives for off-reserve Aboriginal peoples through the $80 million Aboriginal Housing Trust.
The government recently unveiled $100 million in funding to municipal service managers for the capital repair and renewal of approximately 4,000 social housing units to help about 10,000 Ontarians.
In January 2007, the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal became the Landlord and Tenant Board with the proclamation of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006. The new legislation provides a balanced approach to the rights of both tenants and landlords.
The ministry also delivered policy and regulatory changes to the Social Housing Reform Act, 2000 to provide greater flexibility for municipal service managers, to improve administrative processes, and to improve the Special Priority Policy for victims of family violence.
We continue to work with the Ontario Realty Corporation to implement the Government Lands for Affordable Housing Initiative to increase the supply of affordable housing.
Building Regulation
The ministry is responsible for the Building Code which, among other things, regulates building safety, accessibility and energy efficiency in Ontario. In January 2008, we began a series of consultations on proposed changes to the Building Code which would require fire sprinkler systems in newly constructed multi-unit residential buildings higher than three stories.
We are also consulting on proposed changes to the Building Code to address maintenance inspections of existing on-site sewage systems. These changes are part of the implementation of the Clean Water Act, in response to Justice O’Connor’s report on the Walkerton tragedy.
During the year we implemented the energy efficiency requirements of the 2006 Building Code. Implementation included developing training, as well as working with external partners to develop both a guide on basement insulation and energy efficiency skills training for the building trades.
To support the implementation in the construction sector of the new objective-based 2006 Building Code, the ministry developed nine new technical training courses for delivery to our in-field training partners.
As part of the implementation of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, the ministry also supported work toward the development of enhanced barrier-free accessibility requirements for buildings.
Table 1: Ministry Interim Actual Expenditures 2007-08 (M)
| Operating |
646.3 |
| Capital |
100.9 |
| Staff Strength (as of March 31, 2008) |
861.2 |
Interim actuals reflect the numbers presented in the Ontario Budget