Please accept the following…

Please accept the following as Staff Comments from the Town of East Gwillimbury on EBR Posting #013-0968 (Proposed Agricultural System Mapping). The Town of East Gwillimbury’s Official Plan identifies Prime Agricultural Areas & Rural Areas based on the results of York Region’s LEAR and Official Plan designations. The majority of non-urban lands within East Gwillimbury are Prime Agricultural Areas, meaning there is a limited amount of lands in the Rural Area. The Province’s proposed mapping identifies a number of Rural Areas as changing to Agricultural (or having the potential for being Agricultural). This may be problematic, as the new Provincial Plans direct certain uses to only rural lands (e.g. cemeteries, some agricultural-related industries), and a reduction of the Town’s Rural Area will further restrict opportunities for these uses. Additionally, when the Greenbelt Plan’s Natural Heritage System overlay is considered, many of the lands proposed to be added to the Agricultural System are fragmented, which is contrary to the Province’s goal for a connected Agricultural System. Town staff encourage the Province to revise the Agricultural System Mapping to use the results of York Region’s LEAR (or any upcoming updates through the Region’s next MCR process) to determine Agricultural and Rural lands.

[Original Comment ID: 211047]