Policies & Threats Related to Greenspaces
New updated content: 2024-12-19 12:45:52 Conditions and fees for urban expansion applications under the new policy were approved at a Joint Meeting of Agricultural and Rural Affairs and Planning and Housing Committees on October 16, and approved by Council on October 20, when they took effect.
New updated content: 2024-12-19 12:45:50 The Greenspace Alliance signed on to the Peoples Official Plan Coalition’s submission on Draft 1 of the new Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw. Much of the work on the submission was done by CAFE’s Tree Caucus, supplemented by contributions from POP members, including the GA. It is excellent work, which covered all the points that the Alliance wished to make, and more. Draft 2 of the new
New updated content: 2024-12-19 12:45:51 Staff has sent a memo to Council regarding their communications with the Normal Farm Practices Board of Ontario, which was in response to a staff direction provided as a result of the Tewin deforestation. It was the invocation of the agricultural exemption that was used as justification for not applying the Tree Protection Bylaw or the Site Alteration Bylaw to this clear cut by the
New updated content: 2024-11-25 12:23:33 The revised Site Alteration By-law was passed on October 16. Despite staff’s initial recommendations and our representations in support, the By-law has in fact been weakened by reducing the limit of peri-urban area, the only rural area where the By-law applies, to 1 km from urban boundary from 2 km in the original version of the By-law. The proposal to extend its natural environment protection
New updated content: 2024-11-25 12:23:33 The City has published its response to the change in the PPS that allows for individual applications for expansions of the urban boundary outside of the 5-year Comprehensive review cycle. To their credit they have set fairly onerous conditions and stiff fees for proponents to avail themselves of this new provision. This is in line with the GA’s stated position on this policy change when
New updated content: 2024-11-25 12:23:30 The City is developing indicators and metrics to track the progress of implementing the new Official Plan. The GA put forward the request for the OP targets for canopy cover, access to greenspace and no net loss of rural wetlands and forest cover be included in the regular monitoring.
New updated content: 2024-10-21 11:07:37 An omnibus Official Plan Amendment (OPA) was to be considered at Planning and Housing Committee on August 28. The GA made a submission regarding the specific issue of Country Lot Subdivisions, which led to a meeting with the lead planner to further elaborate on the issue. We later learned that the Omnibus OPA will be brought to Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee on October 3
New updated content: 2024-11-21 11:07:37 The latest version of the PPS has been published, incorporating changes and revisions based on the several changes to legislation and policies made by the provincial government over the last few years to boost housing supply, often to the detriment of environmental and natural heritage. An analysis of the new PPS will need to be made to identify and assess these impacts locally.
New updated content: 2024-09-24 15:44:20 Stephen gave an update on the tabling of Bill C-73 in the House of Commons in June. This bill will likely be debated in the fall session, which will provide an opportunity to comment. The accountability framework and strategy would be key elements in meeting the 30% by 2030 nature conservation target adopted in COP 15. The strategy also includes a target for the restoration
New updated content: 2024-04-15 08:20:13 Ontario Bill 185 Just this week, the Province has announced yet another omnibus bill to spur more rapid residential construction, walking back some provisions of previous housing bills, bringing back provisions previously dropped in similar earlier bills and other general flailing around to address housing supply. There has been no time to analyze the new Bill more carefully but one provision that stands out is
