Summary of the Amendments of Bill 229 to the Conservation Authorities Act

Bill 229, An Act to implement Budget measures and to enact, amend and repeal various statutes, was introduced on November 5, 2020 pursuant to the Protect, Support and Recover from COVID-19 Act (Budget Measures), 2020. Bill 229 received Royal Assent on December 8, 2020. The bill made changes to the Conservation Authorities Act (the Act) and the Planning Act, among others. Although the bill only makes minor changes to the Planning Act, the changes to the Act will significantly impact the land use planning regime. In particular, the changes affect an applicant’s appeal rights for development permits and impose decision-making timelines on Conservation Authorities (CA), while also limiting the role of the CAs in the municipal planning process.

Developers and interested parties that interact with permitting applications should re-evaluate applications that involve CAs, as applications may now be submitted to another party for approval, or alternatively may be appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal (the Tribunal).