Introduction
The Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (“Plan”) is an ecologically-based plan established by the Ontario government to provide land use and resource management direction for the 190,000 hectares of land and water within the Moraine. The decisions of municipalities, provincial ministers, ministries and agencies made under the
Planning Act or the
Condominium Act, 1998 or in relation to a prescribed matter, are required to conform to this Plan.
The Plan provides policies for the protection of the ecological and hydrological integrity of the Oak Ridges Moraine. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs, in conjunction with the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Natural Resources, have developed a series of technical papers to assist approval authorities, applicants, landowners, interested stakeholder groups and others in the implementation of the policies and application of some of the technical requirements contained in various sections of the Plan. The papers were developed using comments and feedback received from other provincial ministries, conservation authorities, municipalities, environmental and community groups, the development community and the aggregate industry.
These technical papers were developed specifically for the policy and ecological context of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan Area. Although they may contain useful information that could help develop support material in other parts of Ontario, they should not be directly transferred or applied to other jurisdictions. Any technical papers or standards of this kind must be developed and applied in the context of the unique environmental, social and economic attributes of the area being considered.
The technical papers were prepared based on the best science and information available at the time of preparation and may be amended from time to time to incorporate new information and improved approaches as they become available.
These technical papers represent the Province’s approach to implementing Plan policies. The content of the papers does not constitute new policy for the Oak Ridges Moraine; rather it provides clarification and assistance for the implementation of the policies already contained in the Plan. Adherence to these papers regarding the development of land or changes in land use within the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan Area will help to ensure conformity with the applicable policies contained in the Plan. These papers should be read in conjunction with both the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act, 2001 and the Plan and should not be applied in isolation.
In addition to the technical papers, the Province has made available a broad collection of digital data regarding natural heritage and hydrological features in order to aid in the implementation of the provisions of the Plan.
Publications, legislation and maps, including the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act, 2001 and Plan, as well as additional information on the Oak Ridges Moraine can be found on this website.