BUILDING DURHAM

Now that the finalists for DRHBA's 2023 Awards of Excellence have been released, it's time to vote for this year's People's Choice Award winner!  The nominees are the finalists from DRHBA's "Outstanding Achievement Awards" categories, including Builder of the Year (Large & Small Volume), Renovator of the Year, Supplier or Manufacturer of the Year, and Trade of the Year.

This year's nominees are:

• Accubuilt Construction Ltd.
• Coughlan Homes
• Khanani Developments Inc.
• Minto Communities
• Reliance Home Comfort
• Tribute Communities
• Uplynk

DRHBA asks that each person only vote once.

Voting closes on April 21, 2023!

Click here to vote!

Oshawa – March 23, 2023 – The Durham Region Home Builders’ Association (DRHBA) has released the finalists for the 2023 Awards of Excellence.  This year, DRHBA had over 100 entries and judges from across Canada have scored the submissions and chosen this year’s winners.

These prestigious awards celebrate excellence in new homes, home renovations, innovative technology and construction, outstanding presentation, and marketing of projects within Durham Region.

Please join us in person for this year’s Awards of Excellence ceremony!  DRHBA will be hosting the in-person gala on Thursday, May 4^th at 5:30 p.m. at the Towneplace Suites by Marriott, located at 1011 Bloor Street East in Oshawa.  Please click here [hyperlink to be added] to purchase your tickets.  Don’t delay – ticket sales close on April 14, 2023.

If you have any questions regarding DRHBA’s Awards of Excellence, please contact Stacey at s.hawkins@drhba.com or 905-579-8080 ext. 2.

This year’s finalists include:

Sales & Marketing Finalists

Excellence in Digital Advertisement

• Minto Communities – The Heights of Harmony
• Tribute Communities – VUPOINT

Excellence in Interior Decorating

• Atria Development – 80 Bond Suite F1
• In2ition Realty – The Grand at Universal City
• Khanani Developments Inc. – Whitby Manor Model Home

Excellence in Logo Design

• COOLAID Studios – Trulife - Whitby Grove
• Jeffery Homes – VIEWS by Jeffery Homes
• Tribute Communities – VUPOINT

Excellence in New Homes Sales Office

• In2ition Realty – The Grand at Universal City
• Minto Communities – The Heights of Harmony
• Tribute Communities - VUPOINT

Excellence in Sales Brochure Design

• Atria Development – 80 Bond Marketing Brochure
• Khanani Developments Inc. – Whitby Manor
• Tribute Communities – VUPOINT

Excellence in Signage

• Esquire Homes – Meadowtowns
• Khanani Developments Inc. – Whitby Manor

Excellence in Social Media

• Atria Development – 80 Bond
• Minto Communities – The Heights of Harmony
• Tribute Communities – VUPOINT

Excellence in Website Design

• Atria Development – 80 Bond Website
• COOLAID Studios – Trulife – Whitby Grove Website
• Tribute Communities – Tribute Communities

Finalists – New Home Design - Custom

Excellence in Custom Built Bathroom Design

• A&R Development Group Ltd. – Rosebank Custom Build
• Ian Robertson Design – Montgomery Farmhouse

Excellence in Custom Built Home Under 3,500 sq.ft.

• Andelwood Homes – The Andorra
• Construct & Conserve Building Inc. – Charles Tilley Custom Home – credit to: Cassidy + Company and Fourteen Estates
• Jeffery Homes – Somerville Residence

Excellence in Custom Built Homes Over 3,501 sq.ft.

• A&R Development Group Ltd. – Rosebank Custom Build
• LCM Project Management & General Contracting – Mellings Masterpiece

Excellence in Custom Built Kitchen Design

• A&R Development Group Ltd. – Rosebank Custom Build
• Ian Robertson Design – Island for Days

Finalists – New Home Design – Production

Excellence in Back-to-Back Townhome

• Cassidy + Company – The Acadia – credit to: The Sorbara Group
• Cassidy + Company – The Dryden – credit to: The Sorbara Group
• Cassidy + Company – The Sussex – credit to: The Sorbara Group

Excellence in Building Design (Mid-Rise & High-Rise)

• Atria Development – 80 Bond Building Design – credit to: WSP Canada Inc.
• Tribute Communities – VUPOINT

Excellence in Multi-Unit Suite Design

• To be revealed at the Awards

Excellence in Production Built Bathroom Design

• To be revealed at the Awards

Excellence in Production Built Home Under 2,000 sq.ft.

• Cassidy + Company – The Homewood – credit to: Delpark Homes
• Cassidy + Company – The Talbot – credit to: Delpark Homes
• Minto Communities – The Heights of Harmony - credit to: RN Design

Excellence in Production Built Home 2,001 – 3,000 sq.ft.

• Cassidy + Company – The Pernhill – credit to: Delpark Homes
• Khanani Developments Inc. – Lot 12 Subdivision Home
• Minto Communities – The Heights of Harmony – credit to: RN Design

Excellence in Production Built Home 3,001 – 4,000 sq.ft.

• Construct & Conserve Building Inc. – Pogmore Residence – credit to: Cassidy + Company
• Holland Homes – 777 Adelaide
• Minto Communities – The Heights of Harmony – credit to: RN Design

Excellence in Production Built Kitchen Design

• Holland Homes – 777 Adelaide
• Khanani Developments Inc. – Lot 12 Kitchen
• Khanani Developments Inc. – Lot 3 Kitchen

Excellence in Semi-Detached or Townhome under 2,000 sq.ft.

• Coughlan Homes – The Ess
• Minto Communities – The Heights of Harmony – credit to: RN Design

Excellence in Semi-Detached or Townhome Over 2,000 sq.ft.

• Coughlan Homes – The Wick
• Holland Homes – 132 A/B Elgin
• Minto Communities – The Heights of Harmony – credit to: RN Design

Finalists – RenoMark Home Renovator Awards

Excellence in Bathroom Renovation

• Accubuilt Construction Ltd. – Coronation
• Wiltshire Homes – Project Elle Bathroom Renovation

Excellence in Home Renovation/Addition Over $250,001

• Accubuilt Construction Ltd. – Coronation
• Kooger Construction – In-Law Suite
• Paradisaic Building Group – Courtice Home Transformation

Excellence in Home Renovation/Addition Under $250,000

• Accubuilt Construction Ltd. – Palace
• Wiltshire Homes – Project Elle Renovation and Addition

Excellence in Kitchen Renovation

• Accubuilt Construction Ltd. – Coronation
• Kooger Construction – Project 51
• Paradisaic Building Group – Whitby Kitchen Transformation

Excellence in Unique Space

• Accubuilt Construction Ltd. – Camber
• Accubuilt Construction Ltd. – Solina

Outstanding Achievement Awards

Excellence in Training & Development

• Brookfield Residential
• Tribute Communities

Innovation of the Year

• Render Developments – Northwood Tour
• Uplynk – The Uplynk Alexa Home

Sales Team of the Year

• In2ition Realty – In2ition Realty for The Grand at Universal City Condos
• PMA Brethour Real Estate Corporation Inc. – Sorbara – Homeward Hills – Christine Doan & Susan Mazzotta-Dennehy
• Tribute Communities – VUPOINT – Rhonda Simcoe, Julie Corby & Dina Poulos

Supplier of the Year

• To be revealed at the Awards

Trade of the Year

• To be revealed at the Awards

Renovator of the Year

• To be revealed at the Awards

Corporate Citizenship

• Brookfield Residential
• Minto Communities
• Tribute Communities

Community of the Year

• Coughlan Homes – Enclave
• Minto Communities – The Heights of Harmony – credit to: RN Design
• Tribute Communities – U.C./U.C. Towns/U.C. Towers

Green Builder of the Year

• Brookfield Residential – credit to: Cassidy + Company
• Minto Communities

Builder of the Year – Small Volume

• To be revealed at the Awards

Builder of the Year – Large Volume

• Coughlan Homes
• Minto Communities
• Tribute Communities

The Durham Region Home Builders' Association is excited to announce that through a partnership with the Canadian Home Builders' Association and the Region of Durham, we are offering a free training opportunity specifically for renovators!

The training includes Advanced Building Science, followed by Net Zero Renovator Bootcamp.  Typically these courses would cost several thousand dollars to attend, but we are able to offer them for free this one time only, so we hope you take advantage of this opportunity!

The Advanced Building Science course will be held virtually.  The course is two half days, and will be held in the afternoon on Wednesday, February 22 and Thursday, February 23, 2023.  The content will be delivered through EnerQuality, and the trainer is Stephen Magneron of Homesol.  The course is the prerequisite to the Net Zero Renos Bootcamp.  

Register here for Advanced Building Science

The Net Zero Renos Bootcamp will be held in-person at Deer Creek in Ajax.  The course is two full days and will run on Wednesday, March 8 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday, March 9 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Participants who complete the course will receive their Net Zero Renovator certificates.  

Participants must complete the Advanced Building Science course in order to attend the Net Zero Renos Bootcamp.

Register here for Net Zero Renovator Bootcamp

The Town of Ajax is currently undergoing a development application fees review.

On February 9, Watson & Associates provided a presentation to stakeholders to review the process used and the proposed new rates.

Comments will be received until February 27, 2023.

If you have any comments, questions or concerns, contact Stacey.

The Region of Durham has released the draft new Regional Official Plan (ROP), which is culmination of work completed through Envision Durham, the Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) of Durham's ROP.

The draft new ROP addresses a wide variety of strategic land use planning and development matters.  Envision Durham also represents the Region's provincially mandated exercise to ensure that the ROP conforms with provincial plans or does not conflict with them; has regard to matters of provincial interest; and is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement.

Once adopted by Regional Council, the amendment will be submitted to the Minister of Municipal Affairs for approval under Sections 17 and 26 of the Planning Act, RSO 1990.

In addition, the Region has released draft mapping for the new ROP:

• Map 1 - Regional Structure - Urban & Rural Systems
• Map 2 - Greenlands System
• Map 3 - Transportation System
• Map 4 - Aggregate Resources

The deadline for comments on the draft ROP and the maps is April 3, 2023.

A public open house will be held on March 6 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the main atrium at the Durham Regional Headquarters at 605 Rossland Road East in Whitby.

If you have any comments, questions or concerns, please contact Stacey.

As approved by Report CF-23-02 on January 9, 2023, City staff are looking to receive feedback from the public and industry stakeholders on the proposed Community Benefits Charge (C.B.C.) Strategy.

The Community Benefits Charge is a new charge that can be collected by municipalities to ensure funding is available for a range of community services that are needed due to growth. The C.B.C. can be collected on high-density development and redevelopment of five or more storeys with ten or more residential units. Certain types of development, such as long-term care homes and hospices, retirement homes, universities, colleges and Indigenous Institutes, as well as not-for-profit housing, are exempt from the C.B.C.

In order to impose and collect the charges, the City needed to complete a C.B.C. Strategy and By-law, which provides details of the City’s increased capital needs and services based on eligible development.

The following capital needs and services are included in the City of Oshawa’s Proposed C.B.C. Strategy:

• Development Charges Services Becoming Ineligible - Municipal Parking; and,
• Other Capital Needs including C.B.C. Strategies, Solid Waste Management Services, Library Services, Animal Control, By-law Services, Economic Development, Information Technology and Workforce Strategic Planning.

The Proposed C.B.C. fee is shown in the following table.

Schedule “A” Community Benefits Charges

Development Type	C.B.C. per Dwelling Unit
2 Bedroom +	$147
Bachelor & 1   Bedroom	$90

If you have any comments, questions or concerns, please contact Stacey.

Report 2022-COW-33: Implications of Bill 23 on the Region of Durham was brought to the Region of Durham’s Committee of the Whole on December 14, where it was passed.

The report was then brought to council on December 21, where it was also passed.

The report identified key concerns of the Region, which include:

• Removing Regional Council’s role as an approval authority in land use planning decisions, and the Regional Official Plan as the guiding document for integrating land use, infrastructure and financial planning; or the ability to act as an approval authority for major planning decisions with Regional implications;
• Reducing development charge funding and other development financing necessary to pay for the infrastructure required to support significant growth of new housing;
• Removing the ability to collect development charges to support the delivery of critical assisted housing for vulnerable populations;
• Requiring York and Durham Region to build capacity in the York Durham Sewage System (YDSS) and the Duffin Creek Water Pollution Control Plant to service development known as Upper York (Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Newmarket); and
• Servicing impacts of additional unplanned densification.

Conclusions of the report include:

• Bill 23 has significant impacts to planning processes and to the Region’s ability to fund infrastructure related to growth.  There remain many unknowns about how Bill 23 will affect coordination between Regional and Municipal and local infrastructure planning, and the delivery of Regional capital projects such as growth-related road projects as certain aspects of the Bill still need to be defined.
• The Region submitted staff-level feedback on Bill 23 to the province through a letter and direct comment to the ERO postings.  Council endorsement of this feedback is being sought with a further recommendation that Regional Council call on the province to amend the Act to address the unintended and financially harmful consequences noted in this report.  As enacted, it remains doubtful if this legislation will result in more homes being built faster.  Builders will typically charge whatever the market will bear for a new home, regardless of any financial breaks they may receive, so the impact of this legislation on affordability is similarly questionable.  The focus of this legislation is on supply, but more emphases could be made on demand to address whether the right types of units will be built to accommodate the needs of the current and future population.
• It is important that the Region’s taxpayers understand the impacts of Bill 23.  Recent public comments by the province imply that there is either current capacity to absorb these costs or that the costs could be borne by the additional assessment revenue stream from the new homes.  That would have the unfortunate result of not leaving assessment growth capacity for the operating impacts of that growth such as paramedics, policing, road maintenance as well as all other Regional services impacted by population service levels.  An information campaign will support accountability to property taxpayers and ratepayers about potential increases in tax increases and fees, and impacts on the delivery of Regional infrastructure.

The Town of Ajax hosted a General Government Committee meeting on December 12, 2022, which was followed immediately after by their council meeting.

The Committee, then Council, passed Report 2022-PDS-29: Bill 23: More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 Town of Ajax Comments. 

Key comments from the report include:

• The Town does not support amendments that remove a funding source for land acquisition and studies for DC projects.  Based on the current DC Background Study, this would impact $14.7 million in planned growth-related studies and land costs.
• The Town does not support discounting new DCs.  After examining the previous 5 years of DC collections, the discounting of DCs would have resulted in $4.6 million less DC collections.
• The known impact to the Town would be approximately $1.9M annually, which equates to an annual tax levy increase of 2.5%.  This figure does not include anticipated funding loss from the exclusions for attainable/affordable housing, the extension of historical service level from 10 years to 15 years, the discount on purpose-built rentals, and amendments to Parkland Dedication and CBC calculation and exemptions.
• The Town does not support the exemption for ‘attainable’ housing units from paying DCs, Parkland Dedication and CBCs as the province has not identified what an ‘attainable’ unit is.
• The Town does not support extending the timeframe for calculating the historical service level from 10 to 15 years, as the historical level of surface would decrease the calculated cap, thereby further reducing the charge, and would not be reflective of the needs of the community.
• The Town does not support amendments to Section 42 of the Planning Act related to Parkland Dedication, as it will have consequential impacts on parkland within communities across Ontario, especially in high density communities.
• The Province recently required municipalities to update parkland dedication by-laws by September 18, 2022, many of which have already been appealed by the development industry.  Poor coordination of legislative changes is unnecessarily costing municipalities significant financial resources.
• The Town does not support the amendment that prevents Conservation Authorities from providing non-mandatory programs and services related to development application review.  Conservation Authorities provide informative and cost-effective services related to environmental management, ecology, habitat restoration, species at risk, and water quality, watershed planning, among many other matters.  This will require lower-tier municipalities to take on this function and will substantially increase development application costs.  The ability for municipalities to enter into service agreements should be implemented.
• The Town does not support the amendment to the definition of Headwater Drainage Feature (HDF) as HDFs are integral to watershed health and play a critical role in flood control, source water conveyance, infiltration, water quality, and improved habitat quality.
• The Town has concerns with the Region’s OP being transferred to the Town as servicing and transportation infrastructure planning is inherently tied to growth management and could result in construction delays and higher costs for infrastructure.
• Amendments to Section 41 (Site Plan Control) should be repealed.
• The Town does not support limiting Inclusionary Zoning units to 5%.

The Town of Whitby hosted a special council meeting in late November to discuss the potential impacts of Bill 23.  The meeting included a presentation from Roger Saunders, Commissioner of Planning and Development, that focused on municipal planning in Ontario.  In addition to explaining how planning works, he also detailed the current and expected growth in Whitby, as well as current and approved proposals pending or under construction.

A second presentation was made by Lori Tesolin, Supervisor of Policy and Heritage and Principal Planner, and Jennifer Hess, Manager of Development Financing and Long Term Financial Planning that focused on providing an overview of proposed changes included in Bill 23.

Both presentations can be viewed here.

Council then approved report PDD-65-22: Bill 23, More Homes Built Fast Act, 2022.  Staff outlined their concerns in the report, which included:

• Removing planning authority from the Region will increase the burden on lower-tier municipal staff and will result in uncoordinated planning for critical infrastructure that crosses local municipal boundaries, as well as uncoordinated long term planning for intensification, population and employment growth.
• Allowing up to three units per lot will cause safety issues if units are not appropriate for the building/lot size; will cause or exacerbate on-street parking issues and traffic impacts; increases burden on municipal by-law staff to enforce compliance.
• With affordable and attainable housing, demand on infrastructure such as parks, rec centres, libraries, fire services, etc. will increase.  An increase in property taxes will be needed to maintain service levels.
• Changes to site plan control will prevent the municipality from incorporating sustainable design practices; limits the ability of staff to work with developers to create good urban design and pedestrian friendly environments in new development.
• By removing third-party appeals to the OLT, it limits residents and neighbouring landowners from participating in the appeals process; leaving the Town with the burden of being the only party able to represent the public interest, potentially resulting in the Town participating in more Tribunals appeals.
• Parkland dedication changes will lead to “have” and “have-not” communities with respect to availability of park space; developers can offer land that the Town considers unacceptable; accepting encumbered parkland presents significant risks to the Town; spending or allocating 60% of funds each year may not be practical for the Town.
• In regards to DC changes, some of the cost of infrastructure will have to be passed on to taxpayers; may result in delays of delivery of infrastructure; cost of studies and land required for new roads and facilities to support population growth will need to be fully paid by existing taxpayers; could result in inefficient servicing, further limiting the supply of serviced land.
• Changes to the OLT – parties that bring forward appeals in good faith should not be penalized because they are not successful, discourages public participation in the appeals process.
• Ontario Heritage Act – increases burden on staff to review every two years; overall reduces ability to protect properties.
• Conservation Authorities – their expertise helps protect sensitive lands; Town does not have in-house experts.

At the December 12, 2022 council meeting, Clarington Council passed report PDS-054-22, which included key comments and concerns on Bill 23.

Some of those comments included:

• That Bill 23 may not achieve its goals to increase housing supply, but will remove key partnerships and areas of expertise and assessment, as well as eliminate quality control checks and balances built into the planning and development approvals process that are designed to ensure growth and development takes place in an environmentally respectful and socially responsible way.
• Staff has concerns about the removal of urban landscape from the scope of site plan approval.
• Staff want the province to amend the legislation to maintain the regional planning role for the purposes of coordinating long-range land use planning and infrastructure.
• Concerns that requiring municipality to accept encumbered lands for parks purposes will detrimentally impact the municipality’s ability to deliver access to quality, safe and functional park spaces for residents.
• Requests that the province not change parkland dedication ratios.
• Requests that financial shortfalls from the changes to development charges be made up for from funding from the province.
• Concerns that changes to conservation authorities will add more work for municipal staff.

At the meeting, council added the following comments:

• The proposed changes in Bill 23 would significantly reduce municipal collections from developers to pay for and deliver infrastructure to support population growth (e.g. development charges for road improvements, stormwater infrastructure, parks, recreational facilities, libraries, etc.);
• The Municipality of Clarington supports the principle that growth should pay for growth;
• Staff have reviewed the proposed changes to Development Charges, Parkland Dedication, and Community Benefit Charges and have quantified the anticipated financial impact on Development Charges over a 10-year period to be a reduction of approximately $18.3M, equating to $1.8M per year or an annual tax levy increase of 2.6% and which does not include funding shortfalls related to other exclusions, discounts, Parkland Dedication and Community Benefit Charges;
• With the proposed reduction in municipal revenues from development charges (DCs), community benefit charges and cash-in-lieu of parkland dedication fees collected from developers, a larger burden of the growth-related infrastructure costs will shift to property taxes/existing residences and businesses;
• While Bill 23 may provide for more housing units, significantly reducing land use and infrastructure planning oversight of upper and lower tier municipalities, as well as conservation authorities, has the potential to cause public safety impacts (e.g. traffic, parking, flooding issues, water quality, air quality), as well as the loss of natural heritage resources, parkland, and overall good land use planning practices that would otherwise provide for a mix of housing options in sustainable, livable communities;
• By limiting third-party appeal rights, Bill 23 may result in faster approval processes, but limits public participation in a process that has long-term impacts on the local community;
• It also limits the ability of neighbours to bring forward concerns about a development that may directly affect the use of their property;
• Bill 23 will require that Heritage registers be reviewed and decisions made whether listed properties are to be designated, and if not, then removed from the register within 2 years; once removed, those properties cannot be added back to the Register for another 5 years;
• Bill 23 provides no mechanisms to ensure, and it is unclear how, any potential savings from the proposed changes would be passed on to the homebuyer to ensure long-term affordability;
• An increase in supply does not necessarily mean an increase in affordability;
• Bill 23 will create a significant burden on municipal staff resources to implement the proposed changes, at a time when many municipalities are dealing with increased (financial and staffing) constraints;

Council also added that provincial intervention in the form of settlement area boundary expansions, Minister’s Zoning Orders and changes to the Greenbelt is not required; nor is it supported; and that Clarington is concerned about the impacts that the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 (Bill 23) could have for the people of Clarington, including seniors and those on fixed income who cannot afford property tax increases that could result from the loss of development charges; and that community services, building design, park space, sprawl and unplanned density are also a concern.

Council has directed staff to work with AMO, Ontario Big City Mayors (OBCM) and Durham Region to mitigate the impacts of Bill 23 on the quality of life in the community.

A copy of the report and these comments be sent to the provincial government, including the Premier and specific MPPs, as well as neighbouring municipalities, the Region and AMO.