Decision on proposed amendments to the Greenbelt Area boundary regulation

ERO number
019-6217
Notice type
Regulation
Act
Greenbelt Act, 2005
Posted by
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Notice stage
Decision
Decision posted
Comment period
November 4, 2022 - December 4, 2022 (30 days) Closed
Last updated

This consultation was open from:
November 4, 2022
to December 4, 2022

Decision summary

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has amended the Greenbelt Area boundary regulation (O. Reg 59/05) to add 13 new Urban River Valley areas and lands in the Paris Galt Moraine in Wellington County and remove 15 areas of land.

Decision details

The government is taking bold action to address Ontario’s housing crisis by building 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years. As part of this plan, the government proposed changes to the Greenbelt that would support municipal partners to plan for responsible growth and help build housing faster and in a targeted manner, while leading to an overall expansion of the Greenbelt.

The public consultation took place from November 4, 2022, through December 4, 2022, and sought feedback on the government’s proposal to:

  • Add lands in the Paris Galt Moraine in Wellington County to the Greenbelt Area
  • Remove or redesignate 15 areas of land totaling approximately 7,400 acres from the edge of the Greenbelt Area that are serviced or adjacent to services and will be used to build housing in the near term.  

The government received feedback from approximately 19,800 submissions related to this proposal.

In addition to written comments, the Ministry met with the Greenbelt Council to seek their feedback. Indigenous communities and organizations were engaged through a separate and parallel process.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing reviewed and considered key substantive feedback received during the comment period.

This decision will result in the construction of approximately 50,000 or more new homes in the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

The strategic removal of lands from the Greenbelt Area was considered in the context of the objectives and policies of the Greenbelt Plan and the requirement in the Greenbelt Act, 2005 that the total amount of land within the Greenbelt Area shall not be reduced.

MMAH previously consulted on adding 13 Urban River Valley (URV) areas to the Greenbelt in April 2022 (see ERO Posting 019-4485: Growing the size of the Greenbelt). The area of the proposed Paris Galt Moraine lands is in addition to these Urban River Valley areas, totalling 9,400 acres for an overall expansion to the Greenbelt of approximately 2000 acres. The total lands added are greater than or equal to the area of the lands removed from the Greenbelt Plan under this decision.  

While this ERO posting relates specifically to the amendment to the Greenbelt Area boundary regulation (O. Reg.59/05), there are two related ERO postings regarding amendments to the Greenbelt Plan and Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (O. Reg. 140/02):

Description of Regulation

O. Reg. 59/05 was made on February 25, 2005 and established the boundary of the Greenbelt Area pursuant to the Greenbelt Act, 2005O. Reg. 59/05 has been amended by this regulation to add 13 new Urban River Valley areas and lands in the Paris Galt Moraine in Wellington County and remove 15 areas of land.

Lands to be added:

The regulation adds the following area to the Greenbelt Areas as described in O. Reg 59/05:

  • Lands in the Paris Galt Moraine within the County of Wellington

See Additions to the Protected Countryside (2022) for maps of the amended Greenbelt Area.

Lands to be removed:

The regulation removes the following areas from the Greenbelt Area as described in O. Reg 59/05. See Removals from the Protected Countryside (2022) for maps of the amended Greenbelt Area.

Area/Location

Land located in the Township of King east of Dufferin Street, south of Miller’s Sideroad and west of Bathurst Street

Land located in City of Vaughan north and east of Teston Road and Pine Valley Drive

Land located in City of Richmond Hill east of Leslie Street, north of Elgin Mills Road East, west of Highway 404

Land located in the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville at 11861 and 12045 McCowan Road

Land located in City of Markham at 5474 19th Ave. at the northeast corner of 19th Ave. and McCowan Road

Land located in City of Markham at 10235, 10378 and 10541 Hwy 48

Land located in the City of Markham at 10379 Kennedy Road

Land located in the City of Pickering south of Highway 407, west of West Duffins Creek and north of the CP Belleville rail line

Land located in Town of Ajax located at 765 and 775 Kingston Road East

Land located in Clarington at the northeast corner of Nash Road and Hancock Road

Land located in the City of Hamilton south of Garner Road West, west of Fiddlers Green Road, east of Shaver Road in the vicinity of Book Road

Land located in the City of Hamilton south of White Church Road East, west of Miles Road, north of Chippewa Road East, east of Upper James Street

Land in the Town of Grimsby south of the GO rail line, west of Oakes Road North, north of Main Street West, east of Kelson Ave North

Land located in the City of Hamilton at 331 and 339 Fifty Road

Some of the lands to be removed are also subject to policies under the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (see ERO 019-6218), Central Pickering Development Plan (see ERO 019-6174), and the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve Act. The Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve Repeal Act was proclaimed and came into force on December 15, 2022 (see ERO 019-6304).
 

Purpose of Regulation

The purpose of the regulation is to:

  • Remove the lands listed above from the Greenbelt Area to support the goal to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years.
  • expand the Greenbelt Area to enable the policy coverage of theGreenbelt Planto be extended to lands in the Paris Galt Moraine

An amendment to the Greenbelt Plan has also been made to Schedules 1,2,3, 4 and Appendices I and II to remove 15 areas of land and add 13 Urban River Valley areas and lands in the Paris Galt Moraine. The overall Greenbelt Area will increase from approximately 810,000 hectares to approximately 811,000 hectares.  The new schedules for the Greenbelt Plan came into effect on December 14, 2022. 

This decision also allows for the alignment of policy coverage of the Greenbelt Plan with the updated Greenbelt Area boundary. Changes to O. Reg. 59/05 came into effect on April 29, 2022.

Comments received

Through the registry

1,866

By email

17,951

By mail

0
View comments submitted through the registry

Effects of consultation

Members of the public, municipalities, and a range of stakeholders, including from the environmental, development, agricultural and aggregates sectors submitted feedback. Indigenous communities and organizations also provided feedback.

Indigenous communities were also engaged through a separate and parallel process.  

Many submissions also addressed Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan 3.0 and related initiatives.

A total of 1866 comments were received through the ERO. 17,951 were received by email during the consultation period.

Summary of Comments

Removals

Overall, there was strong support for continued Greenbelt protections and broad opposition to any removals or redesignation of lands under the Greenbelt Plan. Numerous submissions asserted that the proposal is contradictory to the vision and goals of the Greenbelt Plan and requested a full withdrawal of the proposal. All responding Conservation Authorities were unsupportive of the proposal. Responding Indigenous communities did not support the proposed removals.

  • Directly impacted municipalities generally requested further clarification on funding and development processes, including servicing, affordable housing requirements, and conditions on housing development in the removal areas.
    • Clarington, Pickering and Niagara Region noted that some of the proposed removals aligned with previous removal requests.
    • Wellington, Erin, Puslinch, and Niagara Region requested the removal of additional Protected Countryside areas.
    • Hamilton, Toronto, Mississauga, Georgina, Halton Region, Oakville, and Brampton did not support the proposed removals.
  • The home building industry supported the proposed amendments.

Environment

  • Responding environmental groups were unsupportive of the proposal. A key theme across many submissions was concern regarding anticipated negative environmental impacts of this proposal. Many also identified the Greenbelt as playing a key role in Ontario’s ability to address climate change and emphasized the importance of protections for natural areas.

Agriculture

  • Responding agricultural stakeholders were unsupportive of removals of Protected Countryside lands.
  • Some reiterated the importance of permanent protection for agricultural lands.  

Process

  • Many expressed concerns with the length of the consultation, the complexity of overlapping proposals, and inconsistencies with previous Greenbelt consultations and government commitments. Many requested transparency on the identification and evaluation process for the proposed removals.
  • Although some noted support for additions to the Greenbelt many felt that Greenbelt expansion should follow a scientific/transparent process and not be used to justify removals or exchanges. Some stakeholders stated that URV additions should not count towards an increase in the Greenbelt Area.

Housing/Affordability

  • Many submissions from stakeholders and members of the public asserted that additional land is not required to meet Ontario’s housing needs. Although affordability was identified as a key priority for many, some respondents asserted that densification in existing urban areas and the development of explicitly affordable housing should be the preferred approach to increasing housing supply. The cost of urban sprawl was a key concern across a variety of stakeholders.
  • The home building industry supported the proposal as it would contribute to increasing housing supply.

Effects of the Consultation on this Decision

No changes were made to the proposal as a result of public consultation.

To view all maps, including the amended maps of the Greenbelt Area boundary, visit Greenbelt Maps

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Original proposal

ERO number
019-6217
Notice type
Regulation
Act
Greenbelt Act, 2005
Posted by
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Proposal posted

Comment period

November 4, 2022 - December 4, 2022 (30 days)

Proposal details

The government introduced the More Homes Built Faster plan, which takes bold action to advance our plan to address the housing crisis by building 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years. The government is taking further action to support this goal by launching a consultation on proposed changes to the Greenbelt that would support our municipal partners to plan for responsible growth and help build housing faster and in a targeted manner, while leading to an overall expansion of the Greenbelt.

Ontario is expected to grow by more than two million people by 2031, with approximately 1.5 million people living in the Greater Golden Horseshoe Region. To accommodate that growth and support the building of more homes, our government is proposing to remove or redesignate 15 areas of land totaling approximately 7,400 acres from the edge of the Greenbelt Area that are serviced or adjacent to services and will be used to build housing in the near term​.

Should these lands be removed from the Greenbelt, the landowners will be expected to develop detailed plans to build housing and move forward with the project quickly. It is the government’s expectation that construction of these new homes will begin on these lands by no later than 2025, and that significant progress on approvals and implementation be achieved by the end of 2023. It is the government’s expectation that the proponents would fully fund necessary infrastructure upfront.

If these conditions are not met, the government will begin the process to return the properties back to the Greenbelt.

If this proposal is adopted, it would result in the construction of approximately 50,000 or more new homes in the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) is seeking feedback on proposed amendments to the Greenbelt Plan, Greenbelt Area boundary regulation (O. Reg. 59/05), and Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (O. Reg. 140/02) that would:

  • Remove lands from the Greenbelt Area that could be suitable for residential development in the near term
  • Add lands in the Paris Galt Moraine to the Greenbelt Area, designated as Protected Countryside with a Natural Heritage System
  • Redesignate lands in the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan Area that could be suitable for residential development in the near term

The proposed strategic removal of lands from the Greenbelt Area was considered in the context of the objectives and policies of the Greenbelt Plan and the requirement in the Greenbelt Act, 2005 that the total amount of land within the Greenbelt Area shall not be reduced (See ERO 019-6216: Proposed Amendments to the Greenbelt Plan).

MMAH previously consulted on adding 13 Urban River Valley (URV) areas to the Greenbelt in April 2022 (see ERO Posting 019-4485: Growing the size of the Greenbelt). The area of the proposed Paris Galt Moraine lands would be in addition to these Urban River Valley areas, totalling 9,400 acres for an overall expansion to the Greenbelt of approximately 2000 acres. The total lands proposed to be added would be greater than or equal to the area of the lands proposed for removal from the Greenbelt Plan under this proposal.

While this ERO posting relates specifically to the proposed amendment to the Greenbelt Area boundary regulation (O. Reg.59/05), there are two related ERO postings regarding proposed amendments to the Greenbelt Plan and Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (O. Reg. 140/02):

The maps available for this consultation are posted in Supporting Materials below and outline:

  • 15 areas proposed for strategic removal/redesignation (Redesignations/Removal Maps 1-11)
  • Lands in the Paris Galt Moraine proposed to be added to the Greenbelt (Addition Map A)
  • A contextual map of the geography (Overview Map)

Description of Regulation

O. Reg. 59/05 was made on February 25, 2005 and established the boundary of the Greenbelt Area pursuant to the Greenbelt Act, 2005.

The proposed regulation would remove the following areas from the Greenbelt Area as described in O. Reg. 59/05:

Area/Location Map Number
Land located in the Township of King east of Dufferin Street, south of Miller’s Sideroad and west of Bathurst Street Map 1
Land located in City of Vaughan north and east of Teston Road and Pine Valley Drive Map 2
Land located in City of Richmond Hill east of Leslie Street, north of Elgin Mills Road East, west of Highway 404  Map 3
Land located in the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville at 11861 and 12045 McCowan Road Map 4
Land located in City of Markham at 5474 19th Ave. at the northeast corner of 19th Ave. and McCowan Road Map 4
Land located in City of Markham at 10235, 10378 and 10541 Hwy 48 Map 5
Land located in the City of Markham at 10379 Kennedy Road Map 5
Land located in the City of Pickering south of Highway 407, west of West Duffins Creek and north of the CP Belleville rail line Map 6
Land located in Town of Ajax located at 765 and 775 Kingston Road East Map 7
Land located in Clarington at the northeast corner of Nash Road and Hancock Road Map 8
Land located in the City of Hamilton south of Garner Road West, west of Fiddlers Green Road, east of Shaver Road in the vicinity of Book Road Map 9
Land located in the City of Hamilton south of White Church Road East, west of Miles Road, north of Chippewa Road East, east of Upper James Street Map 10
Land in the Town of Grimsby south of the GO rail line, west of Oakes Road North, north of Main Street West, east of Kelson Ave North Map 11
Land located in the City of Hamilton at 331 and 339 Fifty Road Map 11

Some of the lands listed above are also subject to policies under the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan - please see ERO 019-6218 for more details on proposed amendments.

The proposed regulation would add the following areas to the Greenbelt Area as described in O. Reg. 59/05:

  • Lands in Paris Galt Moraine within the County of Wellington

The proposed regulation would be an amendment to O. Reg. 59/05. The final decision on the proposal would be made by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.

Purpose of Regulation

The purpose of the proposed regulation is to:

  • Remove the lands listed above from the Greenbelt Area to support the goal to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years.
  • expand the Greenbelt Area to enable the policy coverage of the Greenbelt Plan to be extended to lands in the Paris Galt Moraine

Analysis of Regulatory Impact:

The anticipated regulatory impacts of the proposal are positive. The proposed removal or redesignation of 15 areas of land and adding lands in the Paris Galt Moraine area is intended to remove regulatory burdens for municipalities in order to effectively direct growth, optimize investments in infrastructure and support needed housing. Lands to be removed would no longer need to comply with the prohibitions and requirements of the Greenbelt Plan. There would be some additional burden placed on the lands proposed to be added, though some of these lands are already constrained by existing requirements. While there are no direct administrative costs associated with this proposal there would be a small burden on municipalities to update their official plans to reflect the new boundaries of the Greenbelt Plan.

Comment

Commenting is now closed.

This consultation was open from November 4, 2022
to December 4, 2022

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