BILL NO. 328
(as introduced)
1st Session, 64th General Assembly
Nova Scotia
2 Charles III, 2023
Private Member's Bill
Municipal Housing Targets Act
Braedon Clark
Bedford South
First Reading: October 12, 2023
Second Reading:
Third Reading:
An Act Respecting
Municipal Housing Targets
Be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:
1 This Act may be cited as the Municipal Housing Targets Act.
(a) "housing target" means a housing target established by a housing-target order;
(b) "housing-target order" means an order made under subsection 3(1);
(c) "Minister" means the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
3 (1) The Minister shall within six months of the coming into force of this Act, by order, establish a housing target for each municipality with a population of 10,000 persons or greater.
(2) A housing-target order must specify
(a) the municipality to which the housing-target order applies;
(b) the housing target or housing targets established;
(c) the performance indicators and timeline by which progress by the municipality towards meeting each housing target is to be assessed;
(d) the reporting period for the municipality; and
(e) any other matters prescribed by the regulations.
4 (1) The Minister shall, in making a housing-target order for a municipality, consider in relation to the municipality
(a) current and previous housing needs reports;
(b) current and previous community plans or development plans;
(c) current and previous regional growth strategies;
(d) information in relation to the demand for and supply of housing, including
- (i) statistical information about current and projected population,
(ii) statistical information about household income,
(iii) information about significant economic sectors, and
(iv) information about currently available housing units and housing units that are anticipated to be available, including information about types of housing units;
(e) information about current investments in transportation and investments in transportation that are anticipated to be made, including information about the types of transportation;
(f) any other information the Minister considers relevant; and
(g) any other information prescribed by the regulations.
(2) Before making a housing-target order for a municipality, the Minister shall consult with the municipality.
(3) In conducting a consultation under subsection (2), the Minister shall
(a) provide a description of the proposed housing-target order to the municipality;
(b) provide, in accordance with the regulations, an opportunity for the municipality to provide comments to the Minister; and
(c) comply with any other requirements prescribed by the regulations.
5 (1) A municipality to which a housing-target order applies must prepare a housing-target progress report, in the form required by the Minister, for each reporting period specified in the order.
(2) A housing-target progress report must include, in relation to each housing target established in the order,
(a) information about the actions taken by the municipality toward meeting the housing target;
(b) information about the progress of the municipality toward meeting the housing target, as assessed in accordance with the performance indicators and timeline specified in the housing-target order;
(c) where the housing target has not been met, information about any actions that the municipality intends to take toward meeting the housing target within the 2-year period following the report; and
(d) any other information prescribed by the regulations.
(a) within the number of days prescribed by the regulations after the end of the reporting period, by resolution, receive the housing-target progress report at a meeting that is open to the public; and
(b) as soon as practicable after receiving the housing-target progress report under clause (a),
- (i) publish the report on its internet site; and
(ii) submit the report to the Minister, in the manner required by the Minister.
6 The Minister shall, as soon as practicable after receiving a housing-target progress report from a municipality under subclause 5(3)(b)(ii), review the report and determine, for each housing target that applies to the municipality, the following:
(a) whether the housing target has been met;
(b) where the housing target has not been met, whether the municipality has made satisfactory progress toward meeting the housing target.
7 (1) Subject to subsection (2) and Section 11, the Minister shall provide funding to assist municipalities with their housing needs in accordance with the regulations.
(2) Funding provided under subsection (1) may only be provided to a municipality if the municipality, in the opinion of the Minister, meets 80% of any housing-target order made under subsection 3(1).
8 Subject to the regulations, a municipality shall, on the request of the Minister, collect and provide to the Minister
(a) statistical information about current and projected population;
(b) statistical information about household income;
(c) information about significant economic sectors;
(d) information about currently available housing units and housing units that are anticipated to be available, including information about types of housing units; and
(e) any other information prescribed by the regulations.
9 (1) As soon as practicable after making a housing-target order under subsection 3(1), the Minister shall
(a) provide the order to the municipality to which the order applies; and
(b) publish the order in the Royal Gazette.
(2) As soon as practicable after receiving a housing-target order, the municipality to which the order applies shall publish the order on its internet site.
10 (1) The Governor in Council may make regulations
(a) respecting the contents of a housing-target order;
(b) respecting matters that may be the subject of a housing target;
(c) prescribing information that must be considered in making a housing-target order;
(d) setting out requirements for consultations with municipalities under this Act;
(e) prescribing time periods to which a housing target may apply;
(f) prescribing information that must be included in a housing-target progress report;
(g) prescribing the number of days in which a municipality must receive a housing-target progress report;
(h) respecting the provision of information by municipalities to the Minister;
(i) respecting funding to be provided under subsection 7(1), including
- (i) the amount of funding provided and how amounts are calculated,
(ii) when payments of funding are made, and
(iii) any terms or conditions that must be met for funding to be provided.
(2) The exercise by the Governor in Council of the authority contained in subsection (1) is a regulation within the meaning of the Regulations Act.
11 The money required for the purpose of this Act must be paid out of money appropriated for that purpose by the Legislature.
This page and its contents published by the Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly, and © 2023 Crown in right of Nova Scotia. Created October 12, 2023. Send comments to legc.office@novascotia.ca.
