Municipal Law Bulletin: Proposed Changes to Greenbelt Boundary Area
Province Proposes Changes to Greenbelt Area Boundaries
The Ontario government announced on January 11, 2017 the opening of a public consultation with respect to several proposed changes to the Greenbelt boundaries. The changes are based on a review of over 700 site-specific requests for boundary changes related to the Greenbelt Plan Area and the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan Area, as well as related technical information, and information provided by municipalities, conservation authorities and landowners.
The government has said that it was guided by the following considerations when undertaking its review:
- Avoiding boundary changes that would fragment farmland, including prime agricultural lands;
- Maintaining a robust Natural Heritage System that can be supported despite urbanization occurring in proximity and downstream to the Greenbelt;
- Respecting the functional connections in the Natural Heritage System;
- Valuing the overall objectives of the Greenbelt as a landscape;
- Avoiding a minimalist approach to defining the Natural Heritage System; and
- Being responsive to landowner requests to evaluate site-specific situations.
The public consultation period will run from January 11 to February 27, 2017, and boundary changes, if any, are expected to be finalized in early 2017 as part of the completion of the Coordinated Land Use Planning Review. For details on the propsed changes, please see the accompanying PDF.
If you have any questions about these proposed changes or any aspect of municipal, land use planning, or development law, please contact one of our lawyers on our website.