Bill 197 – COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act

COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act (Bill 197) received Royal Assent on July 22, 2020.  Bill 197 sets out amendments to the Building Code Act, City of Toronto Act, Development Charges Act, Drainage Act, Education Act, Environmental Assessment Act, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Act, Municipal Act, Planning Act, Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act and enacts the new Transit-Oriented Communities Act, 2020.

The Transit-Oriented Communities Act, 2020 permits the Lieutenant Governor in Council to designate land as transit-oriented community land if specified conditions apply.  The Act provides that if land, any part of which is transit-oriented community land, is expropriated in specified circumstances, the hearings of necessity process under the Expropriation Act does not apply.  The Act permits the establishment of a process for receiving and considering comments from property owners respecting a proposed expropriation of such land.

In addition, the Ministry of Infrastructure Act, 2011 is amended to permit the Minister to make investments supporting or development transit-oriented community projects related to priority transit projects.

https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/bill-197