(Regional Council at its meeting on December 16, 2004, amended the following by revising Recommendation 1 to read as follows:
1. That the Provincial Growth Management Plan proceed at the same time as the Greenbelt Plan and both documents reflect the new Provincial Population and Employment Forecasts to ensure full co-ordination of the Plan with such elements as an adequate land supply to reflect the residential and employment forecasts anticipated in the GTA and co-ordination with the Provincial Transportation Strategy for the Golden Horseshoe and Rural Development Program.
By revising Recommendation 20 to read as follows:
20. The Province re-examine the Greenbelt designation in the City of Vaughan and limit the Greenbelt designation to those lands currently in public ownership, or which are a part of the natural heritage system, designated in OPA 600 and OPA 601 the Kleinburg Nashville Community Plan, and remove the Greenbelt Designation from the lands designated as Rural Use Area and Agricultural Area in OPA 600.")
1. RECOMMENDATIONS
It is recommended that:
Clause 7 of Report 11 of the Regional Planning and Economic Development Committee be modified as follows:
By revising Recommendation 1, to read as follows:
That the Provincial Growth Management Plan and new Provincial Population and Employment Forecasts, proceed before the final approval of the Greenbelt Draft Plan or proceed at the same time as the Greenbelt Plan to ensure full co-ordination of the Plan with such elements as a adequate land supply to meet the residential and employment forecasts anticipated in the GTA and co-ordination with the Provincial Transportation Strategy for the Golden Horseshoe and Rural Development Program.
By revising Recommendation 20 to read as follows:
20. The Province re-examine the Greenbelt designations in the City of Vaughan to ensure a consistent application across the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
By the addition of a new Recommendations 24 as follows:
24. That Section 4.2.1 of the Greenbelt Draft Plan be modified to specifically permit priority transportation and infrastructure projects, including but not limited to, extensions of Highway 404 and Highway 427 and the Bradford By-pass and water and sewer serving projects including the completion and construction of the South-East Collector and Upper Leslie Trunk Sewer through the Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine in York Region.
This report be sent to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and his staff in accordance with the requirements of the Bill of Rights posting PF04E0006, and circulated to area municipalities and stakeholders in the Region.
2. PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to provide Council with Regional staff comments on Submissions received from stakeholders dealing with Clause 7 of Report 11 of the Regional Planning and Economic Development Committee on December 1, 2004.
3. BACKGROUND
Regional Planning and Economic Development Committee at its meeting of December 1, 2004 endorsed the recommendations of Clause 7 dealing with Bill 135 - Greenbelt Act, 2004 and the Greenbelt Draft Plan, and directed Regional staff to prepare an addendum report reviewing submissions received and recommending any necessary changes.
As of the date of writing of this report, nine submissions have been received, including a recent written submission from Mr. Don Given of Malone Given Parsons prepared in support of the deputation made to Planning and Economic Development Committee at the December 1, 2004 meeting.
A summary of the submissions and Regional staff comments is appended as Attachment 1 to this report, with copies of the letters appended as Attachment 2 a) through h).
4. ANALYSIS AND OPTIONS
Submission Issues
Nine submissions, either to the Region directly or copies of submissions to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs have been received. The majority of the submissions received deal with issues that:
Require the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to reconsider Greenbelt designations.
Exclude lands from the Greenbelt Plan;
Co-ordinate or provide justification and rationale for the Proposed Greenbelt Draft Plan against soon to be released Provincial population and employment forecasting; or
Extend the commenting period for the Greenbelt Draft Plan and the Act.
Since the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Provincial Government is the decision authority on this Provincial Plan, these comments have been sent directly to the Ministry for their review and disposition. There are no changes recommended to the Regional recommendations as a result of these submissions.
The submission by Don Given, of Malone Given Parsons to support his deputation to Planning and Economic Development Committee makes suggestions for further clarification of several recommendations. Regional staff has reviewed the submission and concur that Recommendation 1 could be strengthened to reflect the need for greater co-ordination between the Greenbelt Plan, other growth management and population forecasting initiatives and land supply in the GTA. Specifically, Regional staff proposes that Recommendation 1 of Clause 7 of Report 11 be revised to read as follows (bolded italics indicate changed wording):
That the Provincial Growth Management Plan and new Provincial Population and Employment Forecasts, proceed before the final approval of the Greenbelt Draft Plan or proceed at the same time as the Greenbelt Plan to ensure full co-ordination of the Plan with such elements as a adequate land supply to meet the residential and employment forecasts anticipated in the GTA and co-ordination with the Provincial Transportation Strategy for the Golden Horseshoe and Rural Development Program.
In addition, to clarify the Region's recommendation with respect to the designation of lands in the City of Vaughan and consistent with our original report and submissions made on behalf of the Block 41 owners by Aird and Berlis (N. Jane Pepino and others), Regional staff recommend that Recommendation 20 also be revised to read as follows (Strikethrough bolded italics indicate deleted words):
20. The Province re-examine the Greenbelt designations in the City of Vaughan and provide a rationale for the designation in order to ensure a consistent application across the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
Mr. Given also expressed issues with the vagueness of the Proposed Greenbelt Draft Plan wording in Section 4.2.1 relating to infrastructure and specific critical Regional and Provincial infrastructure projects and suggested that the Region's recommendations should be expanded to request that the wording clearly clarify that infrastructure such as the extension of Highways 404 and 427, the Bradford Link and the Southeast Collector Sewer will not be limited by the criteria (Section 4.2.1 - that extensions support the existing development or the Greater Golden Horseshoe Growth Plan or growth south of the Greenbelt) contained in the Greenbelt Draft Plan. Regional staff concurs with this recommendation and proposes the addition of a further Recommendation 24, as follows:
24. That Section 4.2.1 of the Greenbelt Draft Plan be modified to specifically permit priority transportation and infrastructure projects, including but not limited to, extensions of Highway 404 and Highway 427 and the Bradford By-pass and water and sewer serving projects including the completion and construction of the South-East Collector and Upper Leslie Trunk Sewer through the Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine in York Region.
4.2 Recent Greenbelt Protection Act, 2003 and Greenbelt Plan Timing Changes
On December 9, 2004 the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing introduced into the legislature a bill to extend the date of repeal of the Greenbelt Protection Act, 2003 from December 16, 2004 to March 9, 2005. With the unanimous consent of all parties, the Bill was given first, second and third reading. Royal Assent is anticipated shortly.
As a result, the moratorium contained in the Greenbelt Protection Act, 2003 relating to applications and municipal activities currently in place will not expire on December 16, 2004 but will continue to March 9, 2005. The Minister has also extended the commenting period for the Greenbelt Draft Plan from December 12, 2004 to December 20, 2004.
The practical result of this delay in passage of the enabling legislation is that the Greenbelt Plan will not be capable of being approved by February 1, 2004 as the Minister indicated at a recent information session with the Greater Toronto Home Builders.
Further, this delay will also permit Provincial government officials to further refine the Greenbelt Plan wording and mapping and potentially permit more consultations to occur. The extensions do not fundamentally affect the Regional review of the documents.
4.3 Relationship to Vision 2026
Many of the goal areas in Vision 2026 compliment and support the proposed Greenbelt
Planning effort including Quality Communities for a Diverse Population; Enhanced
Environment, Heritage and Culture. Managed and Balanced Growth; Engaged Communities and a Responsive Region. The proposed recommendation revisions and addition of Recommendation 24 will assist the Region in achieving Vision 2026.
5. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no direct financial implications from the submissions received and the costs of implementation of the Greenbelt Plan and the ultimate financial impact on municipalities cannot be predicted at this time.
6. LOCAL MUNICIPAL IMPACT
As previously indicated, Regional staff has discussed this Plan and responses with the area municipalities on several occasions and coordinated a meeting between the areas municipalities, the conservation authorities and the Province to discuss mapping and the Plan.
7. CONCLUSION
The majority of the submissions received deal with issues that require the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing:
Reconsider Greenbelt designations.
Exclude lands from the Greenbelt Plan; or,
Co-ordinate or provide justification and rationale for the Proposed Greenbelt Draft Plan against soon to be released Provincial population and employment forecasting. No changes recommended to the Regional recommendations as a result of these submissions.
Revisions to strengthen Recommendation 1, clarify Recommendation 20 and add a new Recommendation 24 are proposed in accordance with the issues raised by Mr. Don Given, Malone Given Parsons based on his deputation to Planning and Economic Development Committee and his letter of December 6, 2004 and Regional staff clarification of Recommendation 20.
The Senior Management Group has reviewed this report.
(The attachments referred to in this clause are attached to this report.)
[The following links open .pdf files of the Attachments]