METRO NEWS OTTAWA, By Haley Ritchie
The Ontario government is planning to replace the controversial Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) with a new system for planning appeals that would embolden citizens and give cities more power to challenge developers.
Attorney General Yasir Naqvi and Minister of Municipal Affairs Bill Mauro made the announcement in Toronto on Tuesday morning. Naqvi held a second press conference with Mayor Jim Watson at Ottawa City Hall in the afternoon.
The proposed legislation will be introduced at Queen’s Park later this week.
If approved, the new rules would replace the OMB with a new appeal body called the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal. The new system would give more power to local governments to have the final say on planning issues.
Naqvi said the result will be “faster and fairer hearings” with more resources given to ordinary citizens in planning disputes. Right now, citizens challenging decisions in front of the OMB must compete with legal teams funded by businesses.
“No matter the level of planning or consultation, we know that there are many different ideas on the best way to develop a neighbourhood or a community,” said Naqvi.
Naqvi said reforming the OMB was a commitment made to constituents in Ottawa in 2010.
Mayor Jim Watson welcomed the announcement. In September 2016, six Ottawa city councillors ( including Councillor Tobi Nussbaum, Chair of the city's Built Heritage Subcommittee ) signed a letter asking for reforms to the OMB.
“We are very optimistic about what we have heard today and are supportive of measures that will help create a level playing field between communities and people who want to build in their communities,” Watson said.
The changes could also give municipalities new powers for city planning, including banning appeals in LRT-served areas that are a priority for intensification.
“We need to do what we can to push transit oriented development,” Watson said.
Not everyone in the city is pleased.
“We were disappointed. There’s no way to get around that. It’s far more one-sided than we were led to believe by the government that it would be,” said John Herbert, executive director of the Greater Ottawa Home Builders' Association.
Herbert said cities like Ottawa need intensification, and the elimination of the OMB could increase the cost of housing. “This is intended to help them get re-elected, it’s not something that’s going to help city growth or fund LRT,” he said.
Heritage Ottawa welcomes the announcement of proposed reforms to the Ontario Municipal Board.
Related Reading:
Reevely: Ottawa's Retiring OMB Member Cries Out for Better Planning / Ottawa Citizen, March 2, 2017
OMB Overturns Council's Decision on Sandy Hill Student Housing / Metro News, February 3, 2015
OMB Ruling on Sandy Hill Project Reveals Need for Change / Heritage Ottawa, February 6, 2015
