Upon review of the material…

Upon review of the material provided regarding the revised Land Needs Assessment Methodology staff were disappointed to see that no actual revised methodology was released. Rather, only a summary of changes was made available for comment, with the underlying message being that the new methodology is meant to be ‘outcome-based’.

While staff would welcome some changes to the current methodology, particularly the over-dependence on the numbers to plan communities, we are concerned about the lack of any true methodology being made available for comment.

With only guidelines and no clear definitions being provided, references to municipalities making adjustments based on ‘market contingencies’ is worrisome and could be misused if not given some further guidance. Further, without a methodology available staff are unable to determine if the revised approach will effectively address the issues municipalities are experiencing.

We request more clarity around the ‘outcomes-based’ approach as this might mean that municipalities have greater ability to use good planning principles to plan their communities, rather than adhere to a strict numbers-based approach. However, without some further understanding of what the Province may or may not support, it is recommended that the Ministry release a full draft of the revised methodology for review and comment or provide further information on what outcomes and data sources will be deemed acceptable as part of an LNA exercise.