Regarding simplifying and…

Regarding simplifying and standardizing official plans:

The new draft Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS) direct public health units to support healthier built environments. Local public health units work closely with municipalities on this work. This includes developing land use policies that promote physical activity, prevent injuries, improve accessibility, provide greenspaces, protect the natural environment and support climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Planning Authority Changes in Bill 60. Bill 60 proposes streamlined official plans and expands the Minister’s authority to override municipal zoning and environmental protections. This could lead to developments that conflict with local health priorities, disrupt coordinated regional planning, and increase in land use compatibility issues. In addition, streamlining official plans would limit opportunities for public engagement and reduce the potential for underrepresented or marginalized populations to provide meaningful community input into the land use planning process. Streamlining official plans to speed development would lead to simplified plans that overlook unique community needs, cultural heritage, sustainability goals and equity principles.
Official plans are tools through which municipalities can direct planning and development to address local needs and priorities. Communities across Ontario are not homogeneous. There are unique needs across diverse settings including, but not limited to: urban, suburban and rural; north and south; agricultural and resource industry-based. Standardized plans may lead to weaker protections in rural, northern, Indigenous, or low-income communities. Municipal staff and elected officials have knowledge and understanding of local contexts that can and should influence how development proceeds. Standardization of official plans reduces a municipality’s ability to tailor policies to meet local priorities, including health and wellbeing, and doesn’t take into consideration municipalities’ needs to address climate vulnerability, especially in extreme heat zones or flood-risk areas.

The proposed list of standard chapters for official plans has no mention of health or healthy communities. This omission fails to acknowledge the key role that the built environment plays in the health of residents and limits municipalities’ ability to include policies that mitigate negative impacts of built form on well-being in their communities.
Additionally, proposed restrictions on green roofs and sustainability standards reduce municipalities’ ability to integrate climate resilience and urban heat mitigation into planning. These efforts are often undertaken to address the increasing incidence of heatwaves, especially in urban environments. Removing a municipality’s ability to have green development standards will increase incidence of heat-related illness, and lead to poorer air quality and stormwater issues, with disproportionate impact to equity-denied groups. Municipal Green Development Standards and enhanced Building Code requirements support healthy, climate-resilient communities by promoting energy efficiency, sustainable design, and safety.