May 10, 2024 Ministry of…

May 10, 2024
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Provincial Land Use Plans Branch
777 Bay Street, 13th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 2J3

ERO 019-8462 Review of proposed policies for a new provincial planning policy instrument

Thank you for the opportunity to provide input on the proposed Provincial Planning Statement (PPS). Please note that the following comments and recommendations are provided by Peel Region in response to the above posting. If additional comments are provided through a Council resolution, they will be forwarded to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for consideration.

Please note that Peel staff have provided separate comment responses on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) and Ontario Regulatory Registry postings relating to changes to the Planning Act, Municipal Act, and Newspaper Notice Requirements in Bill 185, Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act, 2024.

Peel staff's detailed comments are provided in Appendix I, which identifies suggestions for the proposed PPS based on Peel’s subject matter expertise in these areas. At a high-level, recommended policy directions should:
• Mandate consistent use of growth forecasts to prevent fragmented planning and ensure alignment in population, employment, and housing projections.
• Implement standardized land assessment methodologies, protect agricultural lands, and support sustainable development.
• Strengthen policies to ensure the provision of long-term affordable housing and explore and promote public-private partnerships and non-profit approaches for diverse and equitable housing solutions.
• Require thorough land needs assessments for settlement area boundary expansions to consider environmental, agricultural, and infrastructural impacts to balance housing needs with asset protection, and promote compact urban development and financially sustainable growth.
• Preserve economic diversity in Areas of Employment by maintaining a mix of uses, including office, and introduce stringent land use conversion controls to reflect evolving economic demands and ensure land use compatibility.
• Introduce stringent climate action measures by mandating risk assessments, integrating renewable energy systems, and requiring detailed climate impact studies for infrastructure planning and settlement area boundary expansions.
• Mandate protective measures for natural heritage using definitive language and strategies to ensure uniform environmental protection for a broader systems-based approach.
• Require comprehensive watershed planning, including sub-watershed studies for major developments, and integrate climate change and green infrastructure considerations into water management strategies.
• Continue to maintain the protection standard of the 2020 PPS for settlement area boundary expansion into specialty crop and prime agricultural areas, restrict non-farm residential development and severance in prime agricultural areas including through farm consolidation, and provide detailed provincial guidance for the identification of the Agricultural System and Agricultural Impact Assessments.

Peel looks forward to continuing to work with the Province, local municipalities, and other stakeholders to meet Ontario’s housing needs. I would be pleased to provide any clarifications or additional comments on these matters.

Yours Respectfully,

Tara Buonpensiero, MCIP, RPP
Chief Planner and Director of Planning & Development Services Tara.Buonpensiero@peelregion.ca
437-218-7724