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City Staff Confirm Toronto’s Green Standard Survives Bill 17

The report addresses uncertainty among municipalities about their authority to set sustainability bylaws under the province’s new construction law.

Buildings are shown on Adelaide Street, in downtown Toronto, on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tammy Hoy

Overview

  • On June 17, Toronto city staff reported that its green standard remains enforceable under the recently enacted Bill 17.
  • The city’s sustainability code requires new developments to control stormwater, meet annual greenhouse gas targets and provide energy modelling for low-carbon heating and vehicle parking.
  • Bill 17 was passed without full legislative review or public comment and bars municipalities from enacting bylaws on building construction or demolition.
  • The Residential Construction Council of Ontario condemned the report as “delusional,” contending the green standard raises housing costs and is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit.
  • The Atmospheric Fund praised the clarification but cautioned that other municipalities may halt new green standards until municipal authority under the act is further defined.