Long-Term Vision Reflects Ontarians’ Priorities
For Immediate Release
February 28, 2005
The Ontario government is setting the course for a future that will ensure strong, prosperous communities, a robust economy and a healthy environment for this province.
Recognizing that Ontarians want a better quality of life — not only for themselves but for their children and grandchildren — the government is carrying out a long-term vision to encourage growth while protecting our valuable resources for generations to come.
Looking Ahead
Urban sprawl, traffic congestion, environmental decline, loss of greenspace and farmland to development: these are a few examples of the challenges facing many Ontario communities now.
Left unchecked, issues like these would only multiply. With more than four million people expected to move to Ontario over the next 30 years, planning wisely for growth is a key government commitment.
The Ontario government is planning for the kind of growth Ontarians have made it clear they want — growth that creates jobs, attracts investment, spends infrastructure dollars strategically and improves quality of life, without destroying valuable greenspace.
This vision for growth signals a new era in community planning and co-operation with municipalities in order to:
- manage growth;
- support economic development;
- re-invest in public infrastructure; and
- protect our natural environment.
Action Now
Many strategies are already underway across government in support of the government’s plan to build stronger communities now and in the future. Here are some examples of these initiatives.
STRONG COMMUNITIES
Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement - Immigration is critical to Ontario’s social and economic growth. The province continues to be the leader in welcoming immigrants to Canada, receiving more than half of the country’s immigrants each year. Yet, after a year of negotiations and a signed Letter of Intent with Ottawa, Ontario is the only province that does not have an immigration agreement with the federal government. The 2005 federal budget falls short of meeting the needs of immigrants in Ontario, and Ontario remains the province that receives the least per capita immigrant funding from Ottawa. Nonetheless, Ontario continues to expect Ottawa to provide the province’s immigrants with their fair share of immigration and settlement funds. Ontario will continue negotiating in good faith to reach an immigration agreement that ensures newcomers to the province can settle and find jobs quickly, and that paves the way for municipal involvement in immigration issues. For more information, visit http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/.
Canada Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (COMRIF) — The Government of Ontario along with the Government of Canada and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) are working in partnership to improve and renew public infrastructure across the province through the Canada-Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (COMRIF). COMRIF is a key component of the Rural Plan. Canada and Ontario are each contributing up to $298 million to COMRIF. With municipal investments, this program is expected to stimulate up to $900 million in capital investments over the next five years. COMRIF focuses on local needs through infrastructure improvements to provide cleaner water, better sewage systems, improved waste management processes, safer local roads and bridges as well as other health and safety priorities. For more information, visit www.comrif.ca/
Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund — The 2003 federal budget announced a second round 10-year, $2 billion Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF) commitment to support infrastructure needs in cities with populations greater than 250,000. In Ontario, CSIF is targeted at large-scale transit and water quality improvement projects. To date the federal and Ontario governments have partnered with municipalities to announce three strategic transit initiatives in the province. For more information, visit www.pir.gov.on.ca.
Places to Grow: Better Choices. Brighter Future — The government’s plan for growth in the Greater Golden Horseshoe region will realize the vision for how the region should grow over the next 30 years. The government introduced legislation in the fall that, if passed, would authorize the designation of any geographic area of the province as a growth plan area, and the development of a growth plan for that area. The growth plan would address issues such as future infrastructure needs, economic development, and the protection of valuable environmental and agricultural assets in areas across the province. The Places to Grow Act, Bill 136 will be introduced for second reading in the current session of the legislature. If the legislation is passed the first growth plan will deal with the Greater Golden Horseshoe. A draft Growth Plan for the GGH has been developed and publicly released. The draft plan is based on a discussion paper, Places to Grow: Better Choices. Brighter Future, which was circulated for public comment during the summer of 2004.
Planning Reform — Planning reform will support strong communities, enhance managed growth, help ensure sustainable development and protect the environment. The government’s new planning reform agenda will give people a genuine voice in planning decisions in their communities. These fundamental reforms will ensure that effective planning legislation and implementation tools are in place and that important provincial land-use policies are clearly spelled out so that vital provincial interests are protected for the benefit of all Ontarians. The Strong Communities (Planning Amendment) Act, 2004, which received Royal Assent on November 30, 2004, will boost local democracy and bring greater accountability and transparency to land-use planning by putting planning decisions back in the hands of municipalities. For more information, visit www.mah.gov.on.ca.
Rural Plan — Strong rural communities are important to the health and vitality of Ontario. As part of its commitment to growing strong rural communities, the government is developing a rural plan that will articulate the vision for rural communities and provide a coordinated approach to shaping policy and delivering programs and services. Rural stakeholders have been providing input during the development of the plan. The rural plan focuses on four themes: how to build sustainable municipal fiscal capacity and infrastructure; how to grow strong economies; how to promote a healthy social climate; and how to ensure a clean and healthy environment. For more information, visit www.mah.gov.on.ca.
Affordable Housing — The government is working with the federal government and municipalities to increase the number of affordable housing units in Ontario. In its first year, the government committed to funding more than 3300 units of affordable housing in communities across the province – almost eight times more than announced by the previous government over two years. The government has also made a commitment to match federal funding over time under the Affordable Housing Program. As of December 31, 2004, 3,446 units were announced or committed under the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Agreement. In February 2005, Ontario doubled the amount of provincial funding available for approved projects to an average of $4,000 per unit from $2,000 under the pilot phase of the Affordable Housing Program. The province will also provide private non-profit groups with up to $100,000 from existing approved funding to assist in planning, legal and architectural activities. Ontario has also introduced a Surplus Government Lands for Affordable Housing initiative, which will ensure that some provincially owned sites can be made available for projects proceeding under the Affordable Housing Program. For more information, visit www.pir.gov.on.ca or www.mah.gov.on.ca.
A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT
Greenbelt — By creating permanent greenbelt protection in the Golden Horseshoe region, the government intends to contain sprawl, ensure wise management of growth and enhance our quality of life. More than 1 million additional acres in the Golden Horseshoe will be protected by the greenbelt, for a total of 1.8 million acres, more than doubling the areas protected on the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Niagara Escarpment. The Greenbelt Act, 2005, which received Royal Assent on February 24, 2005, gives the government the authority to establish a greenbelt plan containing broad objectives and detailing the types of land uses that will be permitted and not permitted. The act authorizes the government to designate the greenbelt area and requires the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to create a Greenbelt Council to advise the minister on the administration of the greenbelt plan. For more information, visit www.mah.gov.on.ca.
Long-Term Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Investment and Financing Strategy —To ensure that our drinking water remains clean and safe, the government is investing in the infrastructure that treats and distributes water and collects and treats wastewater. To that end, the government has established an expert panel to provide advice on how to ensure that this investment takes place, that water and wastewater systems are financially sustainable and that water rates are affordable. In parallel, development of the regulations for the Sustainable Water and Sewage Systems Act will implement full cost recovery, as recommended by the Walkerton Inquiry. This will be a key component of the new water strategy. For more information, visit www.pir.gov.on.ca.
Natural Heritage Systems and Greenspace Protection — The government is ensuring that the protection of greenspace, including a healthy system of natural areas and its contribution to biodiversity, is an integral part of Ontario’s plan to build strong communities. We are active in identifying and mapping natural heritage features and systems in southern Ontario while encouraging their protection. Tax incentives and stewardship programs, for example, encourage private landowners to protect conservation lands and conserve and restore forest land and other natural areas. Working closely with partners such as municipalities, conservation authorities, environmental groups and the public, we help conserve key areas and work on the protection and restoration of habitat. We also protect species at risk, and manage Ontario’s system of parks and protected areas. The government will continue to protect the Niagara Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine as key greenspace areas. For more information, visit www.mnr.gov.on.ca.
Source Protection — Implementing watershed-based source protection is a key recommendation of the Walkerton Inquiry. In June 2004, the government released draft legislation on the development and approval of watershed-based source protection plans on the Environmental Registry for a 60-day comment period. In December 2004 the government received advice from two expert committees on the technical aspects and implementation aspects of source protection planning. Their advice was posted on the Environmental Bill of Rights site for public review. Targeted stakeholder roundtables were also held across the province, allowing the government to receive further input on the implementation of source protection. This will help to ensure the development of the best possible legislation. For more information, visit www.ene.gov.on.ca.
Waste Management — In June 2004, the government released Ontario’s 60% Waste Diversion Goal: A Discussion Paper to seek input from stakeholders and the public on ways to help Ontario divert 60 per cent of waste from disposal by the end of 2008. The discussion paper explores options to divert from disposal 60 per cent of waste from the residential, industrial, commercial, institutional, construction and demolition sectors. For more information, visit www.ene.gov.on.ca.
A STRONG ECONOMY
Agri-Food — Ontario has some of the richest agricultural land in the country and the most diverse agriculture industry. Our agri-food industry enriches both the economy and the quality of life in this province. It is in everyone’s best interest to protect these lands for agricultural uses, today and in the future, and to ensure the continued strength of the agri-food sector. To ensure that the concerns of the agricultural community are fully understood, the government created an Agricultural Advisory Team to consult with the agricultural community. The team will provide advice and recommendations to the government to ensure the protection of prime farm land and the continued strength of Ontario’s agri-food industry as the government develops and implements its growth management strategy. For more information, visit www.gov.on.ca/OMAF.
Greater Toronto Transportation Authority — In support of strong communities, the government is committed to creating a Greater Toronto Transportation Authority (GTTA) to bring a region-wide approach to identifying and meeting GTA transit and transportation needs. The GTTA’s development includes a plan for gathering input from municipalities and other stakeholders who will benefit the most from the GTTA. For more information, visit www.mto.gov.on.ca.
Getting Connected: A Transportation Strategy for the Greater Golden Horseshoe — Almost four million more people are expected to live in the Greater Golden Horseshoe in the next 30 years, and commuting time is expected to double. In planning for that growth, the ministry will release a draft Transportation Strategy for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. This strategy will propose a vision to improve Ontario’s transportation system for the next 30 years with a seamless, integrated and attractive transportation network. Our plan is about improving our quality of life by developing a more effective and efficient transit system that attracts more riders and reduces the amount of time people spend commuting. It’s also about giving travelers the widest possible degree of choice in how, where and when to travel. The strategy will also focus on the importance of creating a seamless transportation network for the flow of goods to and from the region. Our approach will support the land use objectives of the Growth Plan. For more information, visit www.mto.gov.on.ca.
Northern Prosperity Plan – The government restated its commitment to promoting prosperity in northern communities and growing the northern economy through the recently unveiled Northern Prosperity Plan. The Northern Prosperity Plan is a range of targeted initiatives aimed at stimulating growth, job creation and a better quality of life for northern Ontario. The plan is based on four pillars: strengthening the north and its communities; listening to and serving northerners better; competing globally; and providing new opportunities for all. For more information, visit www.mndm.gov.on.ca.
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Contacts:
Patti Munce
Minister’s Office
416-585-6333
Audrey Bennett
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
416-585-6014
www.greenbelt.ontario.ca