Email this pageThe Strong Communities (Planning Amendment) Act, 2004 (Bill 26)

The Strong Communities (Planning Amendment) Act, 2004, (Bill 26) received Royal Assent on November 30, 2004. The Act is the first step in planning reform.  It puts the public first by opening up the planning process and by allowing more time for public scrutiny, boosting environmental protection and better protecting the public interest. 

The Strong Communities (Planning Amendment) Act, 2004, (Bill 26) includes measures that ensure the application of  provincial planning policies, by changing the implementation standard for applying the Provincial Policy Statement – the document setting out the province’s priorities for how communities grow and how municipal governments protect the environment. The reforms require that land use planning decisions “shall be consistent with”, rather than “have regard to”, the Provincial Policy Statement.  The “shall be consistent with” standard takes effect to coincide with the Provincial Policy Statement, 2005.

• Bill 26 - Strong Communities (Planning Amendment) Act, 2004
  Link to the legislation on the Ontario Legislative Assembly web site.
  
• Ontario regulation 385/04
  Transition provisions for the Strong Communities (Planning Amendment) Act, 2004,(Bill 26) 
  
• Ontario Regulation 63/05
  Transition provisions for the Strong Communities (Planning Amendment) Act, 2004,(Bill 26)
  
• InfoSheet: Strong Communities (Planning Amendment) Act, 2004 (Bill 26)
  Description of the amendments to the Planning Act