Item - 2022.PH33.13

The Planning and Housing Committee:

1. Authorized the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to use the draft employment policies and directions and draft Chapter 1 directions as the basis for consultation, attached as Attachments 1 to 4 to the report (April 11, 2022) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

2. Authorized the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to use the Preliminary Assessments, attached as Attachment 5 to the report (April 11, 2022) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning as the basis for consultation.

3. Directed the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to bring forward a Final Report with recommended employment policies by July 5, 2022 at a statutory public meeting.

4. Requested the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to expand their preliminary review of conversion request at 450 Dufferin Street (Number 004) by including the lands directly east west designated as Core Employment Industrial Areas at 50 Alma Avenue.

The Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Policy and Analysis, City Planning gave a presentation on Our Plan Toronto: Draft Official Plan Employment Policies and Chapter 1 Directions for Consultation.

The Planning Act requires that municipalities revise their official plan to ensure that it conforms to provincial plans. The Places to Grow Act requires that municipalities amend their official plan to conform to the Growth Plan. These provincially legislated requirements are satisfied through a Growth Plan conformity exercise and Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR). The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is the approval authority for the conformity exercise and Municipal Comprehensive Review. There is no appeal of the Minister's approval. 

Toronto is largely built-out and there is fierce competition for land for both residential and employment space. While the Growth Plan sets out growth forecasts for Toronto (+700,000 people and +450,000 jobs) for 2051, it is more important that the City's Official Plan articulates a shared vision of how the city will grow and describes what kind of city we want to be in 2051. The purpose of Our Plan Toronto is to satisfy Provincial MCR requirements and take the opportunity to engage Indigenous First Nations, Treaty Rights holders and communities, Torontonians, businesses, and stakeholders on the City's future.

This report provides draft Official Plan employment policies and Chapter 1 policy directions for the basis of consultation. These draft policies and directions reflect input received from a series of virtual engagement events, detailed study and analysis, and respond to a number of Council directions. City Planning staff are currently designing consultation meetings across the City to be held in May and June 2022, including an Open House, as required by the Planning Act. Staff are targeting a statutory public meeting with recommended employment policies at the July 5, 2022 meeting of Planning and Housing Committee.  It is anticipated that amendments to Chapter 1 will be presented for consideration by City Council early in 2023. 

At its meeting on February 2, 2022, City Council requested an extension from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for the date by which the City's Official Plan must conform with the Growth Plan. To date, the Minister has not provided a response to Council's request.