To ensure clarity around the…

To ensure clarity around the definition of green infrastructure and alignment to policy statements under Section 3(1) of the Planning Act, a direct reference to or inclusion of the Provincial Policy Statement (2014) definition of green infrastructure should be included: “Green infrastructure: means natural and human made elements that provide ecological and hydrological functions and processes. Green infrastructure can include components such as natural heritage features and systems, parklands, stormwater management systems, street trees, urban forests, natural channels, permeable surfaces, and green roofs.”

Municipalities need to plan and manage new and existing green infrastructure assets and they should be encouraged to use the same framework as they use for grey infrastructure assets. The draft definition of “infrastructure assets” in the proposed regulation could be interpreted to only include tangible capital assets (TCA_. The term TCA does not include green infrastructure assets, according to the current guidance from the Public Sector Accounting Board. Not all infrastructure assets owned by a municipality are TCAs, and assets do not need to be TCAs to benefit from inclusion in asset management planning. Thus, an alternative definition has been identified. The definition of "infrastructure assets" in the policy should read: “Infrastructure Assets” are built and natural assets that are directly owned by a municipality or consolidated on the financial statements of a municipality, including tangible capital assets, and may include green infrastructure, but do not include assets that are managed by a joint municipal water board.

[Original Comment ID: 210157]