Bill 44 explained in plain English
Building More Homes by Ending Exclusionary Zoning Act, 2022
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
Bill 44 amends Ontario's Planning Act to mandate official plans include policies allowing up to four residential units in certain housing types and multi-unit buildings up to four stories, while limiting appeals on these matters.
This bill, titled the Building More Homes by Ending Exclusionary Zoning Act, 2022, amends the Planning Act in Ontario. It requires official plans to include policies that permit up to four residential units within detached, semi-detached, or rowhouse buildings in settlement areas. It also allows for multi-unit residential buildings up to four stories high. The bill states that there are no appeals regarding these specific policies or by-laws that implement them, with an exception for appeals made by the Minister. Municipal councils are required to ensure their by-laws align with these new policies. The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- Requires official plans in Ontario to include policies allowing for additional residential units within detached houses, semi-detached houses, or rowhouses in settlement areas.
- Specifies that these policies must permit up to four residential units in these types of houses.
- Requires official plans to include policies that authorize multi-unit residential buildings up to four stories high in settlement areas.
- Prohibits appeals concerning the policies for additional residential units and multi-unit buildings, as well as any requirements or standards within these policies, except for appeals by the Minister.
- Prohibits appeals concerning by-laws that implement these residential unit policies, except for appeals by the Minister.
- Mandates that local municipal councils ensure their by-laws passed under Section 34 of the Planning Act give effect to these new policies regarding residential units and multi-unit buildings.
- Makes the Act effective on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- Municipal councils in Ontario
- Municipal planning departments
- Property owners and developers in settlement areas
- The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (as they can still appeal related decisions)
- Municipal official plans must contain policies authorizing up to four residential units in detached, semi-detached, or rowhouses in settlement areas.
- Municipal official plans must contain policies authorizing multi-unit residential buildings up to four stories high in settlement areas.
- Municipal councils have an obligation to ensure their by-laws give effect to these residential unit policies.
- The Minister retains the right to appeal decisions related to these policies and their implementing by-laws.
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- The bill does not specify penalties for non-compliance, but municipal councils are required to ensure their by-laws give effect to the policies.
- The bill does not define 'areas of settlement'.
- The bill does not specify what requirements or standards may be part of the authorized policies for additional residential units or multi-unit buildings.
- The bill does not explicitly state what happens if a municipality's official plan or by-laws do not comply with the new requirements.
- The bill does not define the scope or conditions under which the Minister can file an appeal.
Changes to Section 16 of the Planning Act are made to require official plans to include policies permitting additional residential units and multi-unit residential buildings.
Source: Section 1
Modifies Section 22(7.2) of the Planning Act to allow for the amendment or revocation of policies related to additional residential units and multi-unit buildings.
Source: Section 2
Introduces a new Section 35.0.1, requiring municipal councils to ensure their by-laws comply with the new policies on residential units and multi-unit buildings.
Source: Section 3
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textProcess Snapshot
Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced