Email this pageNew Provincial Policy Statement

February 21, 2005

New Provincial Policy Statement (PPS)

The Planning Act sets out the ground rules for land-use planning in Ontario, describes how land uses may be controlled and identifies provincial interests in land-use planning. The PPS provides further detail and direction on provincial interests identified in the act. 

The PPS plays a key role in Ontario’s planning system by providing the policy foundation necessary to guide the development and use of land.  It is the basis of the province’s policy-led planning system, and supports the provincial goal of strong, livable and healthy communities.

The PPS is issued under the authority of Section 3 of the Planning Act and provides policy direction on matters of provincial interest related to land-use planning and development, such as managing growth, efficient use of land and protecting resources such as prime agricultural lands, water and significant natural features.  The new PPS includes policies that will:

• Support long-term planning for alternative and renewable energy sources such as wind power;
• Discourage urban sprawl across Ontario by supporting intensification in appropriate areas and the efficient use of land and resources;
• Support the protection of Ontario’s environment through enhanced policies, including stronger protection of the province’s water resources consistent with recommendations of the Walkerton Enquiry in advance of upcoming source water protection;
• Protect more strongly the province’s natural heritage resources including habitats, provincially significant wetlands on the Canadian Shield and coastal wetlands;
• Promote development of affordable housing by requiring municipal targets;
• Respond to concerns about the loss of farmland, by prohibiting retirement lots and residential infilling on prime agricultural lands;
• Support and protect rural areas, by allowing development that is in keeping with the unique character of rural Ontario.

“Shall be consistent with” standard

The government has chosen the “shall be consistent with” standard to ensure that provincial interests remain an essential part of decision-making in land-use planning. The new standard is a stronger test than the previous “shall have regard to” standard for implementing the policy statement. When exercising any authority that affects a planning matter, decision-makers need to ensure their decisions are consistent with the PPS.

The “shall be consistent with” standard applies to all policies in the PPS. Examples of key policy directions in the new PPS include:

• Managing growth in settlement areas, by requiring intensification and redevelopment and allowing boundary expansions only after comprehensive municipal review
• Further promoting intensification and use of brownfields by allowing municipalities to permit/facilitate all forms of residential intensification and redevelopment and to plan the infrastructure to support priority growth areas
• Supporting transit-friendly land-use patterns, such as promoting the use of lands already serviced by transit and a mix of uses, e.g., residential and commercial uses, to minimize the number and length of vehicle trips
• Protecting employment lands, by ensuring an adequate supply of land to accommodate long-term needs, e.g., for industrial, commercial and other employment uses
• Promoting better air quality and energy conservation, by supporting alternative energy systems and conservation
• Requiring municipalities to set minimum targets for affordable housing for low and moderate income households
• Preserving greenspace, by protecting more significant natural heritage features including coastal wetlands and habitat of endangered and threatened species
• Better protecting agriculture, by including stricter criteria for the removal of these lands from prime agricultural areas and by limiting non-agricultural lot creation
• Better protecting specialty croplands, including tender fruit and grape lands, by prohibiting urban expansion and limiting non-agricultural lot creation in these areas.

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