Stouffville Review, December 2022

10 STOUFFVILLE REVIEW COMMUNITY DECEMBER 2022 STOUFFVILLEREVIEW.COM
Province aims to cool housing prices with increased foreign buyer tax
BY JENNIFER MCLAUGHLIN
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
According to the Ontario Housing
Affordability Task Force Report, housing
prices in Ontario have almost tripled in
the past 10 years – far outpacing growth in
household incomes.
A recent increase in the non-resident
speculation tax (NRST) rate is one strategy
the provincial government is using to cool
the housing market by reducing demand
from foreign investors.
“Young families, newcomers, and
those all over the province dream of having
their own home, a dream which continues
to be out of reach for too many,” said Peter
Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance.
Effective Oct.25, the provincial government
is prioritizing Ontario families and
homebuyers by increasing the NRST rate
from 20 to 25 per cent province-wide. This
comes after an increase earlier this year,
from 15 to 20 per cent in March 2022.
“To help Ontario homebuyers, our
government is increasing the Non-Resident
Speculation Tax rate by another five percentage
points to 25 per cent,” Bethlenfalvy
added, “making it the highest in Canada, to
further discourage foreign speculation in
Ontario’s housing market.”
The NRST applies to the price of
homes purchased in Ontario by foreign
nationals (individuals who are not citizens
or permanent residents of Canada), foreign
corporations, or a trust having a foreign
entity as either a trustee or beneficiary.
The increased NRST rate is one of several
strategies stemming from recommendations
from the Ontario Housing Affordability
Task Force and the Provincial-Municipal
Housing Summit. Both initiatives aim to
identify and implement measures to address
the housing supply crisis.
Data supplied by the Ministry of
Finance confirms that from July 1, 2019,
to June 30, 2020, there were 261 NRST
payments made to the province totalling
$45.3 million for homes purchased in York
Region by foreign speculators.
Scott Blodgett, a spokesperson for
the Ministry of Finance, advises that these
amounts may still be subject to rebates and
refunds that could reduce the net NRST collected
over time.
He clarified, however, that the NRST’s
objective isn’t to bring additional revenue
to the province.
“Instead, the Non-Resident Speculation
Tax changes are introduced to help discourage
foreign speculation and make sure
Ontario families and Ontario homebuyers
are the first priority for housing,” he said.
“(This) announcement is another step
in our government’s plan to make housing
more attainable for all Ontarians,” said
Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs
and Housing.
A commitment to building 1.5 million
new homes over the next 10 years is
another strategy the Ontario government is
implementing to increase access to housing
across the province.
Visit ontario.ca/document/land-transfer-tax/non-resident-speculation-tax
for
information.
The Food Bank of York Region is continuing its efforts to fight food insecurity with a new program
to support school-aged kids at both the primary and secondary levels. (FBYR photo)
Food Bank of York Region
expands into schools
BY JENNIFER MCLAUGHLIN
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Food Bank of York Region
(FBYR) is continuing its efforts to fight
food insecurity with a new program to support
school-aged kids at both the primary
and secondary levels.
“We are very engaged and committed
to helping to support and grow new food
pantry and snack programs in our schools.
Children need the right nourishment to succeed
in and outside of the classroom, and
we can help provide that,” said Alex Bilotta,
founder and CEO of the Food Bank of York
Region.
Glad Park Public School in Stouffville,
with a student population of about 850 kids,
was the first York Region school to connect
with FBYR last February. A Glad Park
staff member who had worked with one of
FBYR’s agencies and was familiar with the
organization’s programming saw an opportunity
for a partnership with FBYR and got
the ball rolling.
Studies have proven the correlation
between nutrition and children’s academic,
social, and developmental success. Kids
with regular access to healthy food are
more likely to succeed than their peers who
experience poverty and food insecurity.
The FBYR is working towards
levelling the playing field for all children
because no child deserves to go hungry and
be denied the chance to thrive.
“Inflation, the increasing number of
families relying on low-wage work, and the
exorbitant cost of housing in York Region
means more families, many who have never
experienced food insecurity before, are now
relying on help from others. We welcome
the support of the FBYR to establish supports
in our schools that contribute to food
security for students and families,” said
Yvonne Kelly, Community and Partnership
Developer with York Region District School
Board (YRDSB).
FBYR credits Kelly with connecting
them to schools she recognized could benefit
from their support.
The FBYR provides a weekly delivery
of fresh and non-perishable school-safe
snacks and foods throughout the school
year. A volunteer team of teachers, support
staff, and students coordinates healthy and
nutritious meals and snacks from the food
supplied by the FBYR for students to eat in
school or take home.
“We are continuing to expand into
schools across the region where our help
is needed and look forward to providing
some relief to food insecure kids and their
parents,” said Bilotta.
FBYR continues to engage with new
schools throughout the region to help
fight hunger and support the basic needs
of school-aged children. As of September
2022, three more York Region schools
joined the program: Dr. J. M. Denison
Secondary School and Maple Leaf Public
School in Newmarket, and Sutton District
High School.
Visit fbyr.ca for information or to apply
for the in-school program.
Province wants to fast track
sewage system upgrades
The provincial government is taking
steps to improve the York-Durham Sewage
System network to accommodate growth
and new housing in the upper part of York
Region over the next three decades.
Under the proposed Supporting Growth
and Housing in York and Durham Act,
2022, it would fast track improvements to
the existing York-Durham Sewage System
network connected to the Duffin Creek
treatment facility that’s co-owned and operated
by York and Durham Regions.
“Expansion of this shared critical
wastewater infrastructure for York and
Durham Regions is needed to support their
significant population housing and economic
growth. Our government is proposing
a solution that ensures the most robust
wastewater treatment as these communities
continue to grow,” says Minister of the Environment,
Conservation and Parks David
Piccini.
The proposed legislation follows
recommendations made by the York Region
Wastewater Advisory Panel, which was created
last year to advise the government on
possible solutions to meet the region’s sewage
servicing needs. Among other things,
the legislation would call on York and
Durham to work together “to do everything
in their powers” to enlarge and improve the
existing sewage system to transport sewage
from Aurora, Newmarket and East Gwillimbury
to the Duffin Creek Water Pollution
Control Plant in Durham for treatment and
discharge into Lake Ontario, the government
explains.
“The Duffin Creek treatment facility
is one of the best performing wastewater
The Duffin Creek Plant was built in the 1970s
by the provincial government, and its ownership
was transferred to York and Durham Regions
in 1997. Photo courtesy of the Regional
Municipality of York.
facilities in the province that ensures the
protection, enjoyment and welfare of Lake
Ontario, shoreline communities and nearshore
areas,” Piccini says.
It has achieved world-class standards
for high-quality treatment, phosphorus
control and protective measures for the surrounding
environment and watershed, with
a capacity to process 630 million litres per
day, the government reports.
The facility currently operates at about
50 per cent capacity. The proposal would
add an additional 12 per cent to the current
flow level, which means the facility has
the capacity to ensure every litre of water
received gets high-quality treatment. Phosphorous
limits at the plant are significantly
lower than those at other wastewater facilities
in Ontario and will continue to drop as
the facility implements additional upgrades
between now and 2030, according to the
government.