Bruce County council has directed staff to send a leter outlining feedback on Ontario Bill 17.
On May 12, 2025 the provincial government tabled Bill 17, the Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act and initiated consultation on a number of matters within the Bill.
“We do appreciate the province is interested in building the economy and advancing priorities,” explained Planning and Development Director Jack Van Dorp. “Overall, the intent of the overall comments is to appreciate how the province sees the appeal of system-wide changes as a means of achieving results at a provincial scale.”
The Bill was tabled in the provincial legislature on May 12 by Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack.
Bill 17 calls for changes to the Building Code Act, Development Charges Act, and the Planning Act.
It proposes to reduce the reports or studies that can be required as part of a building application, allows for variations to minor variances such as setback requirements, and streamlines planning approvals for schools.
Councillor Kenneth Craig shared his thoughts on the changes.
“I don’t agree with absolutely every word that’s in the report, but I agree that it addresses the broad need for regulation and how it’s implemented in Bruce County.”
In particular, it would exempt the pavement of all portable classrooms at public school sites from site planning approval, allowing public schools from Kindergarten to Grade 12 to add accessory buildings ‘as of right’ on urban lands with municipal services zoned for residential uses.
There is also a proposal that if a report submitted in support of a building application is prepared by a certified professional, the application would be deemed to meet the requirements of a complete application. The provincial government has not yet provided a list of prescribed professions.
“I think it’s important that we continue to comment. And I think it would be good, perhaps… to think about asking the province to start to clarify what the end state they’re aiming for is.” Warden Luke Charbonneau said to conclude discussions, adding that with all of the different Bills that the province has put forward surrounding building and preparing for growth, due to priorities that are constantly changing.
