Input Sought on Proposed 4-Plan Land Use Changes
Posted: May 18, 2016
Categories: Food in the News / Food in the News / GoodFoodBites / News from Sustain Ontario
Ontario is prop
osing changes to four provincial land use plans that play a critical role in planning for the future of food and farming in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, Niagara Escarpment, Oakridges Moraine, and Greenbelt regions of Ontario. Public open houses regarding proposed changes are to be held in May and June across Southern Ontario.
The news release from the province explains that the proposed changes to the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, the Greenbelt Plan, the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and the Niagara Escarpment Plan would:
- Protect clean water by adding the lands within 21 major urban river valleys to the Greenbelt, along with seven coastal wetlands, and establish a process for further expanding the Greenbelt to protect key water features
- Require zoning along transit corridors to provide adequate density to support transit
- Establish Greenbelt-level protections for natural heritage systems – such as wetlands, woodlands and rivers – beyond the Greenbelt, with the provincial government taking a lead in mapping those areas
- Support agricultural viability and preserve farmland by setting strict requirements for the expansion of urban areas and allowing more flexibility for agricultural use in the Greenbelt
- Require municipalities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe to integrate climate change
policies into municipal official plans and to conduct climate change vulnerability risk assessments when they are planning or replacing infrastructure.
The Process
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and the Niagara Escarpment Commission have been working closely with a number of other ministries and an advisory panel to review the changes to the four plans.
A co-ordinated review of the four plans began in February 2015, that according to the Ministry has received extensive feedback. The Advisory Panel, chaired by David Crombie, provided its recommendations in December 2015, stating that “There is strong support for these plans” yet “there is an urgent need to improve the plans.”
Sustain Ontario Involvement
Sustain Ontario submitted comments and recommendations on the Co-ordinated Review to the Environmental Bill of Rights registry on May 28, 2015. This initiative was led by Sustain Ontario member, Ontario Farmland Trust, a small member-led working group (Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance, Farms at Work, and Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable) prepared a submission on behalf of the alliance.
Sustain Ontario will continue to remain engaged in the review process, and is looking to gather input from members for the Co-ordinated Review: Feedback on Proposed Revised Plans due September 30, 2016.
If you are a member and are interested in writing a final submission with Sustain Ontario, or supporting these efforts, please email municipalpolicy [at] sustainontario.ca
How you can be involved
To learn more, you may attend an upcoming public open house across the province. The public can also offer comments on the proposed changes.
