Wellington County is warning the province about “unintended outcomes” related to proposed expansion of Ontario’s Greenbelt.
The province is currently consulting on a proposed study area for potential expansion of the Greenbelt Plan to protect water resources from urbanization.
A public consultation document explains the province is not consulting on a proposed Greenbelt boundary at this time, noted manager of policy planning Mark Paoli in a staff report to the county’s planning committee.
The province says input received through the consultation process will help inform decisions on how to move from a study area to a proposed Greenbelt boundary.
“We would consult further on a proposed boundary before any boundary changes are made,” the province states.
In its response, county staff prepared a report responding to a range of inquiries from the province.
Among the issues the county wants the province consider is the potential for unintended outcomes from Greenbelt expansion related to:
– the potential to reduce the ability of farmers to get approval for small scale development proposals such as farm splits, surplus farm dwelling consents, or second units; and
– the potential to cause development pressure to advance outwards from the Greater Toronto Area at a faster rate than forecast.
Other points made by the county in the response include:
– the view that water resource matters that are subject to the Planning Act are adequately addressed by the overlap of the Provincial Policy Statement, Growth Plan, Official Plans, Source Protection Plans, and Conservation Authority Regulations; and
– consideration of Greenbelt boundary changes should not occur until the province has approved Growth Plan municipal comprehensive reviews “at which point the community will have a clear understanding of the need for, size and direction of urban expansion in Wellington County and in its neighbouring municipalities.”
The county also recommends that once the Agricultural System and Natural Heritage System under the Growth Plan are finalized, these new systems “should not be drivers for expansion of the Greenbelt.”
At the Feb. 22 meeting, county council approved the planning committee recommendation that the county’s comments on the proposed Greenbelt expansion study area be forwarded to the Minister of Municipal Affairs, member municipalities in Wellington County, neighbouring municipalities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and the Grand River Conservation Authority.
“Staff put together a very comprehensive list of comments for that study area and they represent a very professional, critical view of what that means for Wellington County,” stated planning committee chair councillor Andy Lennox.
