Perhaps I’ll be controversial, but it might be a good thing. Here in Ottawa, projects are debated for ages, and the rural councilors simply do not want to do what’s best for the urban area. Maybe this power expansion will speed up project development.
You might just be venting but:
If you are actually interested in development applications in Ottawa and why they are rejected, that info is available in the development application search on the City of Ottawa website. Look in “post application” as the status.
The story is the same across Ontario. Applications for amendments to the Official Plans so developers can build outside of places that have established infrastructure. Strong mayor powers don’t magically make sewers appear where there aren’t any.
The Official Plan is public and shows developers where they can build based on available infrastructure capacity. Developers who own land outside these areas make an application and changes to the planning act mean the province will likely approve these applications (at the Ontario Planning Board) and force cities to try and catch up with infrastructure. Oh, and they force cities to lower development fees so there is no money to build it either.
Something to think about when you read about the undersized infrastructure in Ottawa over the next few days.
(Also this isn’t new, it’s about the pushback the new powers got during consultation. It came into force May 1, 2025).
Damn shit wizard spitting facts
It won’t, it’s just going to be used by ford and his local Jr.s to get what he wants
Why should they want that? Rural councilors in cities are elected to look out for their constiuents’ interests. You don’t get to assimilate townships and tax rural voters at the same rate as urban voters, and then reduce their functional services to bottom-tier levels to fund urban interests “for the greater good” without pushback.
Mostly on board with not assimilating townships, but it’s a little bit the other way around with tax revenue. It’s extremely expensive to provide municipal services to suburban and rural customers. Cities, with their much better tax revenue per acre, tend to subsidize rural customers.
Consider sewer, water, electricity, roads. All that extra pipe and wire to service a whole bunch of spread-out residences is quite expensive, and the revenue obtained from those residences is small. Which is why you have all these little towns going bankrupt, because their finances don’t make sense.
I am on board with towns being able to manage their own affairs, but unsustainable development without the tax base to support it is causing a LOT of trouble. They spend without taxing.
edit: I see other people made this point better than I did.
I’m not trying to suggest these numbers solve the gap (I have no idea what the gap is) but Ottawa in particular does charge different development fees depending on if the development is inside the greenbelt, and if they are serviced or not. Different dwelling types within those areas have different fees too.
Further to that, the Village of Richmond has extra charges specific to the cost of sanitary sewers and so does a specific development in Greely.
Hydro is not managed at the municipal level.
All I know is if they come for the Greenbelt, there’s gonna be hell to pay.
