Planning

The Ontario Planning and Development Act gives the public a chance to take part in preparing development plans for land use and gives the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing the ability to:

  • propose development plans
  • promote municipal implementation
  • process changes to the plan - called amendments

When we create a development plan for land use we must follow the Ontario Planning and Development Act. When a municipality creates a development plan they must:

Contents

Development plans may contain policies to:

  • develop an area
  • finance and implement public projects
  • help municipalities implement the plan

Plan approval

After the plan is proposed and public comments have been received, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing may submit the development plan to the Lieutenant Governor in Council for whole or partial approval.

Amendments

Amendments to development plans can be initiated by the minister. If you would like to propose an amendment you can submit an application to the minister for consideration. We strongly encourage having a pre-consultation with MMAH before submitting an application.

Plans under the act

Parkway Belt West Plan

The Parkway Belt West Plan (PBWP) took effect in 1978 to reserve land for:

  • infrastructure
  • separate urban areas
  • connecting open spaces in Halton, Peel, York, Hamilton and Toronto

Over 160 amendments have been made to the PBWP since 1978. Today, the Parkway Belt West Plan primarily designates and protects land needed for large-scale infrastructure corridors such as:

  • transit
  • hydro
  • electric power facility

The area covered by plan is divided into two general land use categories:

  1. public use areas
  2. complimentary use areas

Public Use Areas

Public Use Areas are or will be mainly used for infrastructure and open space. Designations include:

  • utility
  • road
  • inter-urban transit
  • electric power facility
  • public open space and buffer area

Complementary Use Areas

Complementary Use Areas are mainly for private uses that help preserve open spaces and encourage agricultural, recreational and institutional land uses that do not require intense urbanization.