OHBA major advocacy 2022–2025: Bill 23 (More Homes Built Faster), municipal development charges, landmark 2025 AMO/OHBA joint DC modernization, HCRA fee increase pushback

Bill 23 — More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 (passed November 28, 2022)

Claim: OHBA supported the bill's freezes, reductions, and exemptions to municipal development charges, parkland fees, and conservation authority fees. OHBA commissioned an independent analysis arguing that municipalities were "overstating the impact" of Bill 23 on their finances and pointing to more than $6 billion in DC reserves held by GTA municipalities (more than $9B Ontario-wide).

Sources: ola.org Bill 23; ohba.ca; OHBA media release November 2022 (clickdimensions PDF). Confidence: Verified.

Bill 109 — More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022

Supported by OHBA as part of its broader housing-supply agenda. Confidence: Verified.

2025 AMO/OHBA joint position on development charges — landmark

Claim: OHBA and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) co-signed a joint letter recommending a modernized DC framework (standardizing definitions, spreading DC payments out, etc.). The Ford government's 2025 housing bill incorporated the joint recommendations.

OHBA CEO Scott Andison:

"I think there were some people in the ministry that never thought they would see AMO and OHBA signatures on the same letter, saying, 'We want the same thing.'"

Source: Global News, June 2025. Confidence: Verified.

Why this matters: for years OHBA and AMO were adversaries on DC policy (OHBA representing builders, AMO representing municipalities). A joint position is a strategic inflection — it gives both sides a single document to point to in subsequent rounds.

HCRA fee increases (2025 consultation)

OHBA filed a formal submission opposing proposed HCRA fee increases (43% renewal, 31% fast-track, 17% per-unit), arguing the increases would compound affordability pressure during "an over 90% drop in new home sales volumes for many builders."

Source: ohba.ca submission PDF. Confidence: Verified.

Housing supply / 1.5 million homes

"A Home for Everyone: Provincial Strategies for Increasing Housing Supply – 2024" is OHBA's principal current advocacy document on supply.

Confidence: Verified.

Why this matters for Candid use

When writing for Ontario builder/renovator clients about the policy environment, OHBA is the right policy voice to cite for provincial fights (Bill 23, DC modernization, HCRA fees). CHBA is the federal voice; the local HBAs handle municipal-scale advocacy. Each tier has a distinct policy lane — cite the right one.