Thank you for the…

Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the land use planning matters that should be addressed through the transition regulation to facilitate the introduction of the 2024 Provincial Policy Statement.

The Town of Halton Hills continues to have reservations with the limiting nature of the updated Areas of Employment definition in the Planning Act and the new Provincial Policy Statement which will come into effect on October 20th, 2024. The new definition of Areas of Employment narrows the list of uses in an employment area and removes stand-alone institutional and commercial uses such as office. The definition of Employment Areas and the related policies in the PPS also restrict such uses. Prohibiting institutional and commercial uses in specific areas that are currently designated or legally zoned to allow these uses within Employment Areas is not in keeping with the proposed PPS goal and objectives under Section 2.8.1 of supporting a modern economy and promoting economic development and competitiveness.

In the event that there is an expectation on the part of the Province that Employment Areas are to be limited to the uses of the new PPS, key Employment Areas in the Town, such as the Premier Gateway Employment Area, which are already designated and, in some cases, zoned to allow supportive commercial and institutional uses in strategic locations, will potentially have to be stripped of those existing land use permissions.

The Premier Gateway Employment Area is identified as the Town’s Prestige Employment Area where large scale employment growth is to be directed. The Premier Gateway is strategically located near Hwy 401, Hwy 407, and the proposed Hwy 413. The Area is divided into four phases; Secondary Plans have been completed for three phases (Phase 1A, Phase 2A, Phase 1B), while a secondary plan for the fourth phase has been approved by the Region of Halton and is currently under appeal (Phase 2B). Existing and proposed land use permissions allow for institutional and commercial uses including business and professional offices in free-standing buildings or as part of an industrial mall, hotels, banquet halls, full-service restaurants, convenience stores, commercial fitness centres and limited retail and service commercial uses. These uses are permitted in areas designated, and in the case of Phase 1A and 2A, zoned, as “Gateway Area” or “Business Commercial Area”. These uses are to be strategically located along key roads or intersections, such as Trafalgar Road and Steeles Avenue, and Winston Churchill Boulevard and Steeles Avenue. The Town is currently in the process of reviewing development applications located within the Premier Gateway Employment Area that would permit industrial uses as well as institutional and commercial uses, including a site plan application at Steeles Avenue and Eighth Line, a zoning by-law amendment application at 8250 Eighth Line and a zoning by-law amendment application at 8156 Hornby Road. It is important to note that a key employment generating commercial use for the Greater Toronto Area, the Toronto Premium Outlets (TPO), is located within the Premier Gateway Employment Area. TPO is one of only three Simon Premium Outlets Centres in Canada, currently has over 130 stores and employs thousands of people in both full time and part time employment.

At a minimum the Town would like to request a transition regulation that delays the new definition for “employment areas” from coming into effect until the completion of the Town’s Official Plan Review (OPR) process and subsequent Comprehensive Zoning By- Law Review, which are anticipated to be completed in the next three years. As part of the OPR, the Town will be able to thoroughly assess existing and future Employment Areas and adapt its approach to Employment Areas in response to emerging policy direction, while ensuring that the required flexibility is provided to develop vibrant, flexible, and innovative employment generating uses, better positioned to respond to the changing needs of the job market.

The Town would also like to ask clarification from the Province on what “lawfully established” means under Subsection 1 (1.1) of the Planning Act and whether this could be interpreted as an official plan /zoning permission rather than the physical establishment of the use. A clear interpretation of this provision will allow the Town to ensure that the appropriate policy direction is implemented as part of the Official Plan Review process.