Decision: 2026 Proposal to Revoke the five MZOs associated with the PBWP

From March 30, 2026 - May 14, 2026, the province undertook public consultation to seek feedback on a proposal to revoke the five remaining Minister’s Zoning Orders that were originally used to establish the Parkway Belt West Plan (“PBWP” or “Plan”) and the Parkway Belt West Planning Area. The decision supports the government’s commitment to streamline, reduce, and eliminate administrative burdens. The consultation closed on May 14, 2026, with 7 submissions received. Copies of all comments submitted through the ERO are available for public viewing by contacting the contact email listed in this notice.

Of the fourteen MZOs put in place to identify and protect lands to support the implementation of the PBWP in 1973 (with the intention of being revoked), portions of five remained:  

• O. Reg. 473/73 - Markham
• O. Reg. 474/73 - Richmond Hill
• O. Reg. 478/73 - Etobicoke
• O. Reg. 481/73 - Oakville, Halton Hills, Milton, Mississauga
• O. Reg. 482/73 – Burlington

As part of the decision to revoke the MZOs associated with the PBWP, site-specific land use permissions previously approved by the Minister as amendments to four of the five MZOs (in Markham, Etobicoke, Oakville, Halton Hills, Milton, Mississauga and Burlington) will continue to exist within the municipality’s own zoning by-law. This will ensure that previous land use permissions, approved through past MZO amendments, are maintained and become part of the municipality’s own zoning by-law post-revocation. 

Maintaining Land Protections Without the PBWP

The PBWP is Ontario’s first provincial land use plan. Originally created in 1978, its goals were to reserve land for multi-purpose utility corridors, to act as an urban separator and provide a linked open space system across the Greater Toronto Area. It stretches 120 km from the City of Hamilton to the City of Markham.

The Plan has been successful in protecting infrastructure corridors for transportation and electricity transmission and open space systems, many of which have now been built (e.g., Highways 403, 407 and an inter-urban transitway) and included throughout municipal planning. Regional growth in the GTA and Greater Golden Horseshoe is now managed by various provincially and municipally led policy and plan initiatives (e.g., the Provincial Planning Statement (PPS), 2024, and municipal Official Plans).   

The decision streamlines land use planning in the province by eliminating the redundant and outdated PBWP that creates confusion for landowners and municipalities. The PPS 2024 will continue to apply in the former PBWP geography, as will other provincial land use plans like the Niagara Escarpment Plan and the Greenbelt Plan. Locally, planning will defer to municipal Official Plans and zoning by-laws.

Where there was overlap between the PBWP, the Greenbelt Plan and Niagara Escarpment Plan, the latter two Plans will continue to apply in their respective geographies. The revocation of the PBWP does not impact the size of the Greenbelt Plan or Niagara Escarpment Plan, nor does it affect the policies in the Greenbelt Plan.

The PPS 2024 will continue to provide protections for transportation and utility corridors to support growth. Specifically, policy 3.3.1 protects transportation and infrastructure corridors by requiring that planning authorities plan for and protect corridors and rights-of-way for infrastructure, including transportation, transit, oil and gas, and electricity generation facilities and transmission systems to meet current and projected needs.

To continue protection of lands for critical electricity transmission infrastructure, the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) consulted on the Parkway Belt Transmission Corridor Study (ERO 026-0347). Launching the consultation triggered land protection policies in the PPS 2024, which protects land in the corridor study area from development that would preclude future transmission infrastructure.

The Ministry of Natural Resources, after consultation (ERO 026-0260), has amended Regulation 826 (Designation of the Area of Development Control) under the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act. The amendment was made to include the lands in the City of Burlington that were part of a MZO associated with the PBWP (O. Reg. 482/73) and are in the Niagara Escarpment Plan Area. The Area of Development Control now includes these lands to ensure development continues to be assessed against Niagara Escarpment Plan policies. This change may require a permit from the Niagara Escarpment Commission for development, change of use, or site alteration within the area of the former Burlington MZO.

Further information on protections to maintain provincial interests is detailed in the original posting at the bottom of this page.

Analysis of Regulatory Impact

Due to hundreds of amendments over time, the plan no longer supports all of its originally intended goals and has been reduced by approximately 44% of its original size. Municipalities and other stakeholders often submit amendments to align with current planning objectives or to remove land from the Plan Area and MZOs. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is responsible for processing and approving Plan and MZO amendments. Applications are time consuming and costly for the applicant ($7,209 for PBWP, $9,142 for MZOs in 2025, as well as an average of $2,828 in required newspaper notices) and the ministry. Processing Plan and MZO amendments cause delays and impacts on revenue opportunities for provincially owned lands in the Plan Area. Implementing a Plan that does not reflect the current provincial land use planning framework, where the province sets broad policy direction and the municipality implements, has resulted in:

1. Significant provincial, agency, municipal, and stakeholder resources to submit and process site-specific amendments; and
2. Municipalities and stakeholders relying on Ministry staff to respond to numerous inquiries on the applicability of the Plan/MZO on a site-by-site basis.

• Infrastructure Ontario (IO) owns and manages 33% (5,500 ha) of the Plan Area and regularly submits amendment applications to remove or amend the Plan’s policies, mapping and land uses.