Proposal to identify and protect a corridor of land for future electricity infrastructure within and adjacent to the Parkway Belt West Plan Lands

To ensure timely and cost-effective transmission expansion in a rapidly developing and land-constrained region, the government is initiating a study that will identify and protect land for future transmission infrastructure throughout the Greater Toronto Area, spanning from Hamilton in the west to Markham in the east. The study area follows the Parkway Belt West Plan lands, which includes lands already designated or used for electricity infrastructure, as well as additional lands that may be needed for future expansion. Preserving a viable corridor for future transmission in this area will ensure that our electricity system can support electrification, housing development, and economic growth reliably and affordably.

This approach will also maximize the use of existing corridors and co-locate transmission with other linear infrastructure, where possible, thereby ensuring that we can meet transmission needs while minimizing impacts to land.

A map illustrating the study area is included in the supporting material below. It is also available as a data layer, which can be downloaded from Ontario’s Open Data Catalogue.

Purpose of the Study

Since its inception in 1978, the Parkway Belt West Plan has played a critical role in ensuring that electricity transmission infrastructure can be built through the greater Toronto area (GTA) efficiently and affordably. The Parkway Belt West Plan lands currently host multiple circuits of the province’s bulk transmission system that transfers electricity to and through the GTA to major load centres around the province. The government, through the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH), is consulting on a proposal to revoke the Parkway Belt West Plan and its five associated Minister‘s Zoning Orders (MZOs) because of its redundancy. Continuing to preserve some of these lands provides an opportunity to enhance transmission supply with minimal new land requirements.

Electricity transmission capacity in this area is nearing its limits. Given very limited options to expand transmission infrastructure in the region, the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) recommended actions to preserve lands around existing GTA transmission corridors, including the Parkway Belt West Plan lands. Initiation of a study has the effect of designating the study area as a planned corridor under the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024. The study area is subject to land protections under the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024 that prohibit planning authorities from approving any development which could preclude the future use of the corridor for the purpose for which it was identified. The study’s outcome will be a recommendation for a corridor of land to be preserved in the long term with the purpose of hosting future transmission infrastructure and protected from development for other purposes.

While the specific technical needs are still being identified and will be determined throughout the course of the study and through future system planning by the IESO, the Parkway Belt Transmission Corridor would likely host new high voltage (230 kV and 500 kV) transmission lines and new high voltage transformer stations to bring power into and through the area. These lands may also be used to accommodate other lower voltage infrastructure to connect new residential, manufacturing, and commercial loads. Specific solutions will depend on the viability of the available corridor lands.

Description of The Initial Study Area

• The majority (83%) of the initial study area is located within the Parkway Belt West Plan lands and is based on lands that are already host or are designated for electricity infrastructure. The initial study area represents approximately 30% of existing Parkway Belt West Plan Lands.
• Additional lands (17%) that have been identified as strategically important have also been included in the study area, as they may provide an opportunity to enhance transmission supply into and across the GTA with minimal new land requirements.
• The Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) and IESO have worked to narrow the initial study area as much as possible, while still ensuring that sufficient transmission capacity will be available to support housing and economic development throughout the GTA.

Maps of the finalized refinements can be found below. For detailed mapping information, including access to spatial files or requests for site specific maps, please contact parkwaybelttransmissioncorridor@ontario.ca.

Study Objectives

The corridor study will be guided by a set of principles informed by provincial legislation, policies and technical planning documents. These principles will help shape the recommended study area by identifying land that can reasonably support future transmission projects while minimizing impacts. Specifically, the study will aim to:

1. Co-locate with other linear infrastructure;
2. Plan for the most cost-effective outcome, which could include identifying the shortest geographic route and reducing crossings of other infrastructure such as highways, railways, and pipelines;
3. Minimize impacts to natural heritage, agricultural and hydrological features;
4. Minimize impacts on built up areas, including impacts on existing municipal plans, cultural heritage, planned development, and airports; and
5. Provide flexibility for the future by identifying a corridor that does not preclude reasonably anticipated future infrastructure requirements, maintains optionality for transmission infrastructure design options and connections to existing electrical infrastructure, and provides sufficient flexibility for future environmental study.

Next steps

Following engagement with municipalities, Indigenous communities, landowners and interested stakeholders, and the completion of the technical study, MEM will post a decision notice confirming the specific corridor lands that will continue to be protected. 

Simultaneous to this proposal, the MMAH is proposing to revoke the Parkway Belt West Plan and the remaining portions of its five associated MZOs, to support the government’s initiative to streamline, reduce and eliminate municipal and provincial burden. In the absence of the Parkway Belt West Plan, the Parkway Belt Transmission Corridor Study will help to provide continued, modernized protection for key infrastructure across this rapidly growing region. 

Following the study, transmission within the Parkway Belt corridor will likely be developed in stages, as the IESO identifies the scope and timing of specific transmission projects that are needed. Multiple projects are expected to be constructed within the corridor at different times. The IESO continues to study electricity transmission needs in this area through its system planning processes. Initial transmission investments are expected to occur in the corridor in the next 5-7 years, followed by further transmission projects that may be identified through future IESO electricity planning processes over time. 

Once an infrastructure project has been recommended and a transmitter is selected to develop the project, the transmitter will undertake a Class Environmental Assessment as applicable, secure other appropriate permits (e.g., Leave to Construct), and acquire lands and/or land rights (e.g., easements) as necessary. The transmitter would then initiate construction and may end up releasing portions of land that are not needed based on the final corridor design. The province also expects to delegate the procedural aspects of consultation with Indigenous communities to the transmitter in respect of future transmission line and/or station projects, which may be fulfilled through environmental approvals and/or other provincial regulatory approvals and/or permits as appropriate.

Timing:

The publication of this posting has initiated the transmission corridor identification study and designated the initial study area as a planned corridor under the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024, triggering protections against any development that could preclude the future use of the corridor for the purpose(s) for which it was identified. 
The study will yield a recommendation for a corridor to be preserved in the long term. 
While system planners have identified a long-term need for electricity transmission infrastructure, the technical scope of the transmission infrastructure required, and the timing of its need may not be certain for many years. Development of transmission infrastructure on the corridor lands will begin when the timing of need aligns with timelines for transmission infrastructure development (typically 5-7 years).

Environmental Impact:

The transmission corridor identification study will have no environmental impacts. The study will determine the extent to which new transmission infrastructure can be accommodated within Parkway Belt West Plan lands but will not immediately result in the construction of any infrastructure. 
Any future electricity transmission infrastructure development in the area would be subject to Environmental Assessment Act requirements and other applicable regulatory approvals, including through the Ontario Energy Board. The future transmitter would be responsible for conducting the necessary assessments, obtaining the necessary approvals and carrying out the procedural aspects of Indigenous consultation that are delegated to it.

Contact the Study Team:

To contact the Project Team directly, or to request a more detailed map of your property, please email ParkwayBeltTransmissionCorridor@ontario.ca. 

If you’d like to be added to our notification list to receive updates on the study, please click here.