Ford’s Bill 98 gives Councillor Noyes ‘Big Brother’ vibes

The Town of Fort Erie will be both sharing its concerns and seeking clarification on the Province’s Bill 98.

Presenting to council at the April 27 meeting, the Town’s Project Manager for Policy Aaron Hair shared some of the potential issues staff have identified with the so-called Building Homes and Improving Transportation Infrastructure Act proposed by Doug Ford’s PC government.

Councillors later approved a recommendation directing staff to submit formal comments on the legislation.

Among the changes, Hair said one that may cause the most concern are new rules that force municipalities to allow residential lots as small as 175 square metres in urban residential lands.

“These are very small,” Hair said.

While municipalities may still be able to dictate certain dimensions of lots, they couldn’t do so in a way that alters the minimum.

One of the main goals of the legislation is to standardize official plans in Ontario. That means standardized tables of contents, land use designations and schedules. Hair noted a particular absence.

“There are no headings that speak to affordable or attainable housing,” he said, adding they’re topics that may be addressed when the legislation is further fleshed out.

There’s also a standardized list of studies that could be required for applicants, limiting what municipalities can require and when.

Additionally, Hair said official plans can no longer include goals, objectives or actions related to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, or to provide for climate change adaptation.

Along with concerns about what’s included in the legislation are some uncertainties. For instance, Fort Erie approved an updated official plan in late 2025, which has yet to be approved by the Province. It’s unclear when the Town would be required to implement the new rules.

“It does have the potential to impact our recently adopted official plan,” he said.

The removal of special economic zones and international gateways–which the Town has in the form of the Fort Erie Race Track for the former and Peace Bridge for the latter–has also left staff with questions.

“How those would be able to fit into our new official plan in the future is a question,” Hair said.

The Province has likewise contemplated changes to site plan control, which gives municipalities some added control over more detailed aspects of a development. Hair said the Province has signalled interest in either removing the option and replacing it with a health and safety checklist, or keeping it but further restricting options.

While councillors offered few comments, they did seem to share the concerns raised by Hair.

“It sounds like there’s a lot of Big Brother, meaning the Ontario Government is going to be dictating changes, which will really affect what the Town can and can’t do, and basically it’s a one-size-fits-all approach,” said Councillor Ann-Marie Noyes.

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