Meeting Provincial and Regional Policy Objectives

Growth management policies of the federal and provincial governments must be considered in the update of the current water and wastewater master plans. Growth management is broadly defined as specific regulatory policies aimed at influencing where and how growth occurs. These policies affect the location and density of development, the availability of land, the mixture of uses and timing of development.

Bill 136, the Places to Grow Act 2005, provides a legal framework for the Ontario government to designate geographic areas in the province as growth areas. The goal of Bill 136 (also know as the "Growth Plans" is to create growth plans that promote a rational and balanced approach to growth in the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area (GGHA) that builds on existing infrastructure and services. The Growth Plan's focus is on intensification in built up areas, urban growth centres, major transit corridors and stations, brownfields and greyfields sites. These areas will provide the focus for transit and infrastructure investment to support growth. York's four Regional Centres have been recognized in the Places to Grow Act as designated urban growth areas. How York will accommodate the Provincial Growth Plans is the subject of a separate study. Please visit the Planning for Tomorrow - York Region Growth Management Study for more information.

The Ontario Green Belt Act 2005 and Greenbelt Plan protects approximately 1.8 million acres of environmentally sensitive and agricultural land in the GGHA from urban development and includes about 800,000 acres of land within the Niagara Escarpment Plan and Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan. The act has strict policies that address how transportation infrastructure will be constructed in these areas and mandates the needs and justification regional and local municipalities must address in proposing and improvements or new facilities through this area.

The Places to Grow Act and the Region's Planning for Tomorrow study set the tone for how and where the Region will develop over the next 30 years. The goal of the TMP update is to ensure that the future transportation network can support this demand in a sustainable manner and ensure that our future plans support the policies of the Green Belt Act and Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan.