Bruce County appreciates the…

Bruce County appreciates the efforts of the province to streamline the review and approval process to advance important projects, and the appeal of system-wide changes to support swift implementation.

Regarding Educational Facilities, we offer the following comments:

We understand the desire to extend exemptions from site plan control for portables on school sites developed before 2007 to all school sites. We encourage the province to plan for and appropriately resource investment in educational facilities to reduce reliance on portable classrooms.

We also note the recent direction for educational facilities in the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024:
Planning authorities, in collaboration with school boards, should consider and encourage innovative approaches in the design of schools and associated child care facilities, such as schools integrated in high-rise developments, in strategic growth areas, and other areas with a compact built form.

Proposed legislative changes may provide more as-of-right opportunities for locating schools, but may also impact the quality of locations and collaboration between school boards and municipalities on the infrastructure needed to support good community outcomes. Regular dialogue between school boards and municipalities are key to understanding community growth pressures, school expansion plans and childcare facilities.

Regarding conditions for Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs):

We understand that sometimes approval “in principle” is appropriate, but more needs to be done – for example, to address infrastructure capacity or technical requirements - before development proceeds.

We appreciate the capacity for holding provisions, land division or variance conditions, and agreements to address these matters that are under municipal jurisdiction. We understand the province contemplating authority to establish conditions relative to the use of Minister’s Zoning Orders, in an effort to increase transparency and accountability where this tool is applied. If enacted, we would encourage the province to engage with affected parties including First Nations when such authorities are exercised to ensure that conditions are appropriate to the project and its context.

Comments regarding as-of-right variances and complete applications are provided under their specific respective postings.