Dear Minister Flack: Thank…

Dear Minister Flack:

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed regulation under the Planning Act to regulate as-of-right variations from setback requirements.

Please find below for the Province’s consideration the Township of Oro-Medonte’s concerns regarding the proposed regulation. A detailed version of the Township’s comments and concerns related to Bill 17 is contained in Staff Report DS2025-052 (copy attached), as adopted by the Council of the Township of Oro-Medonte on June 4, 2025.

Concerns:
1. Minor variances, as of right variations to setbacks – Although in many situations a 10% decrease to a setback is not going to cause adverse impacts to surrounding land uses, there are instances where it may. The existing Minor Variance process adequately allows municipalities, stakeholders and the public to review a proposal and confirm that a requested variance is appropriate for the site.

Secondly, understanding that Bill 17 as presented does include transition information, if passed, the regulation should also include clarification surrounding interpretation and implementation to allow for a consistent approach across municipalities. For instance, the province should confirm:
• Could the as-of-right variance be applied to a site-specific zone provision which already allows for reduced setbacks than the parent zone?
• Could the as-of-right variance be applied to a legal non-conforming setback?
• Would encroachment provisions be affected or altered by a decreased setback resulting from an as-of-right variance?

In conclusion, the Township appreciates the opportunity to provide comments for the Ministry’s consideration on the proposed regulations under the Planning Act.

Sincerely,
The Corporation of the Township of Oro-Medonte