In keeping with many recent law and policy changes that facilitate sprawl development, the provincial government is now proposing to replace the Provincial Policy Statement, 2020 (PPS) and the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (Growth Plan) with a new Provincial Planning Statement (ERO #019-6813).

This proposal is deeply concerning, given that the PPS and the Growth Plan are critical provincial policies that provide comprehensive, integrated, balanced direction on land use planning. The proposed new Provincial Planning Statement will jeopardize decades of progress on land use policy, with changes that would:

• Eliminate mandatory intensification and greenfield density targets that were designed to rein in urban sprawl; 
• Allow municipalities to expand settlement areas at any time without a comprehensive review of associated infrastructure needs or potential impacts on farmland and natural areas; 
• Force municipalities to allow three lots to be severed from every farm, even in prime agricultural areas; 
• Exempt lands that are the subject of Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs) from complying with provincial policies and official plans; 
• Remove the requirement for municipalities to undertake watershed planning; and 
• Weaken and eliminate policies that address climate change.

These are only some of the harmful proposed changes that would fundamentally undermine smart growth and sustainable land use planning in Ontario. Others involve weakening rules and standards for affordable housing, water pipelines, employment areas, and development along public transit lines. In sum, the government is abandoning its long-standing policy commitment to promote compact, transit-friendly development and prevent sprawl. Instead, the new policy thrust is to allow scattered residential lots and subdivisions anytime and anywhere, including on prime agricultural land.

The government’s underlying premise, that more land is needed for housing development outside existing settlement boundaries, is demonstrably false. As noted by Ontario’s Housing Affordability Task Force in 2022, a shortage of land is not the cause of the housing shortage:

"Land is available, both inside the existing built-up areas and on undeveloped land outside greenbelts. … Most of the solution must come from densification. Greenbelts and other environmentally sensitive areas must be protected, and farms provide food and food security. Relying too heavily on undeveloped land would whittle away too much of the already small share of land devoted to agriculture.” (p.10) 

While the new proposed natural heritage policies have not yet been released, the government’s sprawl-friendly agenda spells disaster for nature and farmland, especially in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, one of the largest and fastest growing regions in North America.

Please join Ontario Nature in opposing these changes. Ask the Government of Ontario to retain all PPS and Growth Plan policies designed to curb sprawl and protect farmland and natural areas.

The deadline for public comment through the Environmental Registry of Ontario was extended until August 4, 2023 (ERO #019-6813).