The Ontario government has released a new set of land-use planning rules that will provide municipalities with the tools and flexibility they need to hit their housing targets in a way that is responsive to local challenges and reflective of local priorities.
Building on the government’s Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act, the new Provincial Planning Statement (PPS) will help municipalities support growth by reducing and streamlining planning rules, simplifying approvals to build homes and eliminating duplication.
The new PPS streamlines land-use planning and cuts red tape by creating one province-wide land-use planning policy statement, which eliminates over 100 pages and 30,000 words of administrative burden and will save municipal staff an estimated 6,600 hours.
The PPS is a set of directions provided by the province that municipal planners, planning boards, and decision makers can follow for land-use planning and development in Ontario.
This helps them, as well as the province, forecast and plan for which areas will be used for new housing, which areas will be used for industry, and which areas will be reserved for farming, parks and other greenspace so that we will have the homes and businesses we need, while ensuring the protection of agricultural lands, cultural heritage and natural areas.
The new PPS also encourages building a broader range of housing options, including housing for students and seniors. It supports better and more integrated planning for future growth in a way that maximizes public investment by, for example, promoting better coordination between municipalities and school boards.