A Submission to the Co-ordinated Land Use Planning Review

Planning rules should incorporate business considerations to maximize economic growth potential in the Greater Golden Horseshoe

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has provided its submission to government’s review of four land use plans affecting development in the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH): Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, the Greenbelt Plan, the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and the Niagara Escarpment Plan (“the Plans”). With the region set to experience considerable growth over the next few decades, the province must take this opportunity to create streamlined and integrated planning conditions to accommodate this population boom in the most beneficial way possible.

In this submission, the OCC highlights four principles that the government should employ as it makes changes to the Plans. These are:

• The government must consider the impact that proposed changes to the Plans will have on the province’s economy
• Ontario’s land use plans should allow for flexibility in municipal and regional planning.
• The government should provide greater transparency in land use planning decisions related to the Plans
• The outcomes of proposed changes to the Plans should be regularly monitored and publicly reported.

The review is a critical opportunity to set the framework conditions for long-term economic success in the GGH region. To ensure that success, it is important that the considerations of the region’s businesses are incorporated into the government’s final policy decisions.

Read our submission.