More Homes for Everyone Act Submission, Employment Services Transformation, Municipal Use of ASE Administrative Penalties, Large Quadricycles Pilot
AMO’s Submission to Various Consultations Related to the More Homes for Everyone Plan and Bill 109, More Homes for Everyone Act
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) submitted comments earlier this week on the various consultations related to the More Homes for Everyone Plan. It was unfortunate that Bill 109, the More Homes for Everyone Act, received Royal Assent on April 14, 2022, prior to the close of the commenting period for the various consultations. Further, the final Bill did not integrate any amendments put forward by any parties, including recommendations by AMO. That said, we have provided our comprehensive comments for the province’s consideration – both in respect to Bill 109’s implementation and other housing policy work that should resume after the provincial election.
As part of AMO’s submission, we have also encouraged the province to carefully consider comments from other municipal associations and our member municipal governments who have provided more specific feedback based on their local circumstances.
In addition to the More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022 submission, AMO has prepared numerous documents to support the work being done across the province to improve housing affordability and supply.
We understand that the More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022 is just the start of the province’s efforts to increase housing supply and affordability in Ontario. We look forward to continuing to work with the province and other critical partners on advancing housing affordability in Ontario.
Employment Services Transformation Update – New Service System Mangers Selected in Prototype Areas
The provincial government announced earlier this week the launch a new training program, Better Jobs Ontario. At the same time, information was also provided about the government’s ongoing transformation of Employment Ontario services.
After a competitive process, new service system managers for employment services were selected in York Region, Halton Region, and Stratford-Bruce Peninsula. One municipal government, the County of Bruce, was successful and will become the service manager for employment services in the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula area. The county leads a consortium that includes the County of Grey, the County of Huron, and the City of Stratford. The other successful proponents in the other areas are non-municipal organizations.
New Regulations Permit Municipal Use of Administrative Penalties for Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE)
Last week, the provincial government filed Ontario Regulation 355/22 under the Highway Traffic Act which will permit the municipal use of Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPs) for Automated Speed Enforcement. It also includes the use of AMPs for other camera bases systems such as red lights, streetcars, and school buses. This represents a big step forward for those communities seeking to broaden the tools available to help enforce speed limits and improve road safety.
Municipalities are permitted to use speed cameras in school safety zones or where a council has designed a community safety zone. The use of Administrative Monetary Penalties provides an alternative to the use of the Provincial Offences Act (POA) and the POA court system. Administrative Monetary Penalties will be administered in the same way as they are for parking offences. The penalties are the same and as they exist within the Provincial Offences Act.
AMO recognizes that, for some municipalities, an AMP system set up can be more burdensome than the use of the POA system, especially when paired with Automated Speed Enforcement. It is for this reason that Local Authority Services (LAS), AMO’s Business Services, is designing a turnkey service for municipalities wishing to implement Automated Speed Enforcement. Along with cameras and processing of offences, the full end-to-end service will offer the use of AMPs as an option in compliance with the regulations. More details regarding this service will be available in the months ahead and at the AMO Conference in August 2022.
Ontario Launches Large Quadricycles Pilot
Ontario has introduced a new pilot for electric assisted large quadricycles to operate on-road in Ontario beginning April 21, 2022. Large quadricycles are bikes that can seat twelve or more people and are often used for tourism.
Municipalities must opt-in to the program and pass a by-law enabling their use. The pilot is intended to assess these vehicles over a period of ten years (with a mid-pilot review built in) to examine their ability to safely integrate with other vehicle types and determine whether existing rules of the road are adequate.
A municipal guidelines document is available to support municipalities as they set up these pilots. The document also includes any other related regulatory requirements. As part of the pilot framework, the Ministry will request data which will be used to evaluate this pilot and determine any potential amendments required.
