With respect to the changes…

With respect to the changes to the growth management policies the County has concerns that the removal of the comprehensive review process will lead to ad hoc and inconsistent approaches as to how urban expansions are approached across the Province. While some flexibly is warranted to address variations in regional contexts and growth levels, a consistent province-wide approach to urban boundary expansions creates certainty for local and county councils, as well as the development industry, as to how expansions will be evaluated. It further places undue pressure on councils to develop and enforce these policies alone. While the County supports greater flexibility in the preparation of comprehensive reviews, we believe that the Province has an important role to play in establishing a consistent approach to managing growth.

With respect to new residential lot creation policies in the agricultural area, the County was happy to hear of your office’s decision to reconsider the proposed changes. The County has significant concerns with the proposed policies and their implications on farm operators, economic development, the potential loss of agricultural land, the general conflict with provincial and local goals to direct growth to settlement areas, and the administrative requirements to implement the proposed policy. As well as the removal of any discretion for councils to determine whether such a policy is appropriate for a given municipality.