BUILDING DURHAM

The Municipality of Clarington is reviewing its building permit fees, within the building by-law, as a requirement under the Building Code Act.

The Municipality is projecting the providing building code services will cost $3,667,600 in 2024.

In accordance with the provisions of the Building Code Act, the Municipality is proposing an increase of 8.99 per cent for building permit fees and inspection fees as of March 1, 2024.  This represents an increase from $15.33 to $16.71 per square metre for a single family dwelling.

The Municipality believes that this increase will ensure that building permit revenue covers all direct and indirect costs to the Municipality in delivering these services, based on projected trends and building data.  The increase is also projected to contribute to the reserve fund, which would be used to maintain services during an economic downturn.

A public meeting will be held on Monday, February 12 at 6:30 p.m. You can join in person or virtually.

To participate virtually, please pre-register by completing the online form at www.clarington.net/delegations, by calling 905-623-3379 ext. 2109 or emailing clerks@clarington.net by February 9, 2024 at 3:30 p.m.  You do not need to pre-register as a delegate in order to speak in person.

Written comments can be sent to Brent Rice at brice@clarington.net or to Stacey before the public meeting.

The City of Oshawa invites you to provide feedback on the Bloor-Simcoe Intensification Study (the “Study”). The purpose of the Study is to develop an intensification policy framework to guide future development in suitable locations and at appropriate densities within the Study Area.

The City is advancing the following public consultation opportunities related to the Study:

• A Public Open House on Tuesday, January 30, 2024 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. in the C-Wing Committee Room at City Hall (50 Centre St. S., enter from the main south entrance and immediately turn right).
• • Two identical 30-minute presentations will be made – at 6:45 p.m. and at 7:45 p.m., each followed by 30 minutes for discussion and questions on the presentation.
  • The presentation and display boards are available for viewing on Connect Oshawa (ConnectOshawa.ca/BloorSimcoe).
• A feedback form on Connect Oshawa or on paper at Service Oshawa, located at City Hall (50 Centre St. S.).
• A mapping exercise for the Study Area on Connect Oshawa and also submit questions through Connect Oshawa.

It is requested that you submit comments related to the Study directly to Victoria White at vwhite@oshawa.ca. Please note that feedback will be received until 12 p.m. on Friday, February 9, 2024 and will be considered in a future staff report to be presented to the Economic and Development Services Committee.

The City of Pickering is exploring new opportunities to support urban agriculture within Pickering and is seeking your input. Urban agriculture comes in many forms, but it's considered by many to be simply growing or producing vegetables, herbs, and fruits in urban spaces. 

Recent years have seen the development community incorporate urban agriculture opportunities into new communities where possible. This includes providing community gardening plots (on the ground and integrated within buildings terraces and podiums), edible landscaping to container balcony gardening. The integration of urban agriculture provides various opportunities for growing local food on site where future residents can establish a community garden for social, economic and well-being benefits.

To better understand why urban agriculture consideration is (or not) part of your company's business sustainability plan, as well as the challenges to undertaking these programs, the City of Pickering has prepared a short survey. Your ideas and feedback will help City staff understand the opportunities and barriers facing the development community when considering these types of design features. This information will help shape the City's short-term actions and long-term planning to meet the needs of the community.

The results and feedback from individuals will not be shared. The overarching ideas/themes will be included as part of a report that staff are preparing for Council in March 2024. If you cannot comment on behalf of your company, please forward the survey link to an appropriate colleague. We request that surveys be completed by January 29, 2024.

SUMMARY

OHBA has been closely following the Ontario Minister of Energy’s commitment to reverse an Ontario Energy Board (OEB) decision in late December 2023 that denied Enbridge’s amortization of natural gas connection costs.

The OEB’s decision would have had the effect of front-ending the entire cost of the natural gas servicing connection on the construction of any new homes connected to natural gas utility. This is estimated to add several thousands of dollars in additional costs to the construction costs of a new home.

Minister of Energy Todd Smith committed to introducing legislation to reverse the decision, citing that the decision would lead to increased costs and reduced choice for consumers.

BACKGROUND

On December 21st, the OEB released a decision that Enbridge could no longer amortize natural gas connection costs for new customers over a 40-year period and would have to charge the complete costs upfront (estimated by the OEB at roughly $4,400 per new home).

The OEB’s position is that Enbridge’s long-term plan is unreasonable because it assumes that every new housing development will include gas servicing and that homebuyers will remain on gas for 40 years, with OEB citing an energy transition toward electrification in new home construction.

"The OEB is not satisfied that Enbridge Gas's proposal will not lead to an overbuilt, underutilized gas system in the face of the energy transition," much of the board wrote.

The OEB stated the connection cost should be paid upfront by home developers to address that risk and incentivize developers "to choose the most cost-effective, energy-efficient choice." Per the OEB: “Consumers would benefit if developers chose to forego that up-front cost and opted against gas lines.”

The decision also noted that “connection costs have escalated sharply for Enbridge Gas in recent years due to rising construction costs and additional costs related to municipal permit and restoration requirements.”

The final decision was two to one, with the dissenting commissioner arguing that a 20-year horizon would be appropriate for amortizing gas connection costs for Enbridge’s customers.

MINISTER’S RESPONSE

Minister Todd Smith Released the following statement on December 22nd, 2023.

“Our government was elected with a mandate to rebuild Ontario’s economy as we keep costs down for people and businesses and build the homes our growing province needs.

“I am extremely disappointed in yesterday’s split decision by the Ontario Energy Board to reduce the amortization period for the cost of installing new natural gas connections for homes. This decision, which would mean costs that are normally paid over 40 years would be owed in full upfront, could lead to tens of thousands of dollars added to the cost of building new homes.

“At a time when Ontario, like the rest of Canada, is already dealing with the difficult headwinds of high-interest rates and inflationary pressures, the Ontario Energy Board’s decisions would slow or halt the construction of new homes, including affordable housing. We will not stand for this.

“In response, I will use all of my authorities as Minister to pause the Ontario Energy Board’s decision. At the earliest opportunity, our government will introduce legislation that, if passed, would reverse it, so that we protect future homebuyers and keep shovels in the ground.” [Emphasis added].

The Legislature is in recess till February 20th – so the earliest any legislation can be introduced would be on or after this date.

Some notable points that Minister Smith highlighted during his press conference:

“We’re still doing the math on how many thousands of dollars it could be. More than half of the delegations I’ve had as minister of energy over the last two years are from municipalities that want new natural gas in their communities; they want that expansion program expanded again.”

“We’ve been trying to take a pragmatic approach to the energy transition and not heaping tons of new costs on new homes, making sure that life is affordable for people, particularly for those looking to buy a home for the first time.”

There have been no further statements from the Ministry on the announcement to overturn the decision. Due to the sensitive precedent of overruling an independent regulator’s decision, the Minister has not speculated on precisely what the government will bring forward regarding legislation.

NEXT STEPS FOR OHBA

• OHBA will be sending official correspondence to the Minister of Energy and the Premier communicating OHBA’s support for the government’s move to ensure housing affordability by reversing this decision AND encourage local HBA’s to send letters as well, reinforcing the OHBA position. We will provide a sample form letter to ease of reference.
• OHBA will continue to engage directly with the Ministry of Energy and the Ontario Government to reinforce the sector’s position and seek clarity regarding the legislative vehicle that the government introduces to reverse the decision, as well as the anticipated timeline.
• OHBA will coordinate efforts with our industry partner, Enbridge Gas, on any efforts we may mutually agree are in the best interest of OHBA members to ensure this decision is rescinded.

RESOURCES

OEB Decision Backgrounder December 21, 2023

https://www.oeb.ca/sites/default/files/backgrounder-EGI-EB-2022-0200-20231221-en.pdf

OEB Decision and Order

https://www.rds.oeb.ca/CMWebDrawer/Record/827754/File/document

Minister’s Statement

Ontario Government Standing Up for Families and Businesses | Ontario Newsroom

OHBA has released their Weekly GR Reports for the first two weeks of January, which can be viewed here:

• OHBA Weekly GR Report - January 2 - 4, 2024
• OHBA Weekly GR Report - January 8 - 11, 2024

On December 7, 2023, the OHBA Board of Directors passed a motion to enter into a new operating agreement with BILD.  This agreement aims to highlight each Association's strengths and avoid duplication in efforts to deliver the best possible value to our members.  The agreement will see BILD staff support OHBA in areas of advocacy, jointly supported efforts in research and communication campaigns, and a clearer role sort between the Associations.  BILD released this member update on the agreement.

It is with great sadness that CHBA advises that Kathleen Maynard, Senior Director, Building Innovation, CHBA, passed away from cancer on January 11, 2024. This came as a shock as she only became aware of the cancer less than two months prior. Kathleen was a wonderful colleague, a trailblazing and central contributor to the sector and an all-around amazing person. We will all miss her tremendously. 

CHBA does not have funeral information yet. As it becomes available it will be posted here.

Kathleen’s CHBA colleagues Keith Herring (Director, Modular & Construction Systems, keith.herring@chba.ca) and Frank Lohmann (Director, Building Science, frank.lohmann@chba.ca) will be continuing the important work she was so passionate about.

About Kathleen at CHBA

In her capacity as CHBA’s Senior Director, Building Innovation, Kathleen headed up CHBA’s Modular Construction Council and Technical Research Committee. The sheer volume of building codes-related information she read through and actioned was staggering, and she was a wonder to her colleagues. Kathleen represented CHBA on the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes as well as CSA’s Strategic Steering Committee on Construction and Civil Infrastructure. She also chaired the CSA Technical Committee on Prefabricated Buildings, Modules and Panels and was a very active participant on the Joint Task Group on Impact Analysis under the new Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes – a core concern for CHBA members. Kathleen’s talents were many, and it may come as a surprise to some that she also was heavily engaged in the production of CHBA’s National Conference and its sponsor relations for many years—Kathleen loved the conference. Her creativity and attention to detail helped create a wonderful experience for members time and again.

Kathleen began her career working with the building industry in 1987 as National Director of Communications for Energy Pathways, an Ottawa-based environmental consulting company, until 1997, when she joined Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation as Marketing Officer for CMHC's Research Division initiatives and collaborations, such as Healthy Housing, FlexHousing, Affordability and Choice Today (ACT), Regulatory Reform, and NRCan's R-2000 Program. As the CEO of the Canadian Manufactured Housing Institute from 2000 to 2016, she managed all facets of the institute’s operation and represented the factory-built housing industry. She then transitioned CMHI to become the CHBA Modular Construction Council in 2017, and officially joined the CHBA staff after having shared office space for many years.

Words cannot express how much everyone in the CHBA family, from staff to members to colleagues in other organizations, will miss Kathleen in so many ways.

The Municipality of Clarington is consulting the public about Clarington's Site Alteration By-law to ensure that the environment is protected and residents remain safe.  The current by-law was enacted in 2008 to regulate grading, filling or dumping on land, and removal of topsoil from land.

A Public Information Centre (PIC) will be held on January 25, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers at 40 Temperance Street in Bowmanville.  Following the presentation, there will be an opportunity to ask questions and share feedback on the proposed changes.  Registration is not required.

More information on the PIC can be found here.

The Town of Whitby has announced the their Climate Emergency Response Plan: Phase 2: Mitigation was endorsed by Council at the Regular Council Meeting on Monday, December 18, 2023.

Phase 2: Mitigation focuses on climate mitigation and identifies the sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Whitby and provides guidance and recommendations to reach the Town's community GHG emissions reduction target of net-zero by 2045.  The Town of Whitby will work with the community to commence the actions outlined in the Implementation Plan which actively guides the Plan's progress from 2024 to 2030.

The Phase 2: Mitigation Plan documents can be found at the links below:

CERP Phase 2 – Mitigation Plan

CERP Phase 2 – Mitigation - Implementation Plan

CERP Phase 2 – Mitigation - Financial Analysis

CERP Phase 2 – Mitigation - Engagement Summary

CERP Phase 2 – Mitigation - Data, Methods, and Assumptions

As per the Town of Whitby By-Law #7748-21, development charge rates will be indexed on February 1, 2024.  Based on the 2023 (third quarter) Statistics Canada Non-Residential Construction Price Index for Toronto, development charge rates are set to increase by 6.6% on February 1, 2024.

Please note, development charge payments made before February 1, 2024 must have the applicable building permit(s) issued no later than 60 days after the payment has been received; otherwise a top-up payment will be required, equal to the difference between the old and new development charge rates for the Town of Whitby.

The new Town of Whitby development charge rates effective February 1, 2024 to January 31, 2025 are shown here:

Residential Type (per unit)	Development Charge Rate  Feb. 1, 2024 - Jan. 31, 2025
Category A - i.e. Single/Semi-Detached	$49,254.31
Category B - i.e. Large Townhome	$37,538.63
Category C - i.e. Small Townhome/Large Apartment	$20,678.15
Category D - i.e. Small Apartment	$15,801.53
Category E - i.e. Special Care/Special Needs	$14,046.72

The posted development charges may not apply to any calculated development charge rates determined as per section 26.2 of the Development Charges Act, 1997. 

The rates shown above do not include any Region of Durham of DDSB/DCDSB development charges that may also be payable.

Additional information regarding development charges can be found on the Town of Whitby Development Charge Webpage.

Fred Petrich, owner of DFP Surveyors, passed away on November 19, 2023.

There will be a celebration of life on November 29, 2023 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Oshawa Golf Club, 160 Alexandra Street in Oshawa.

Please join us to celebrate Fred's life. He will be remembered fondly by friends and family in a setting befitting of someone so gregarious. Whether at the office, the rink or the golf course, Fred was known for capturing a room with a masterfully told joke or story. We hope to honour his memory with our own stories and memories of him.

Read full obituary here.