Item - 2023.PH8.15

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council support the Province’s proposal to return 15 parcels, totalling 2,995 hectares (7,400 acres) into the Greenbelt Plan Area.

2. City Council support the Province’s proposal in Bill 136, to bring the boundaries of the Greenbelt Plan Area into the body of the Greenbelt Act (and remove the Regulation that had previously defined the boundary).

3. City Council request that the City Clerk forward Council's decision on this item to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing following City Council's consideration of this report, as its supplementary submission to the Province on their Proposal to return land to the Greenbelt – Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023 and the ERO posting (019-7739).

The Planning and Housing Committee:

1. Requested the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to forward the report (November 14, 2023) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing immediately following Planning and Housing Committees meeting of November 30, 2023, as its submission to the Province on their Proposal to return land to the Greenbelt – Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023 and the ERO posting (019-7739).

As the region continues to experience high population growth and a growing housing affordability crisis, effective regional planning must prioritize infill development and intensification within settlement boundaries. Protection of the Greenbelt, coupled with land use planning that prioritizes compact form, complete communities, and better use of existing and planned infrastructure is a key strategy to address the dual crisis of biodiversity loss and climate change.

The Province is consulting on a proposal, posted on the Environmental Registry and presented to the Legislature in Bill 136 that includes two key elements:

·       to restore 15 parcels of land, which were removed from the Greenbelt in December 2022 (City Council had previously adopted a Staff Report in October 2023 that supported the return of these 15 parcels of land to the Greenbelt in addition to the Province's proposal at that time to return of one parcel in Ajax); and

·       to define the Greenbelt Plan Area boundaries directly into the Greenbelt Act.

A permanent Greenbelt supports the foundation for the long-term ecological integrity of the region's natural systems. A robust regional natural system supports Toronto's biodiversity and increases our resilience to the impacts of climate change. Consistent Greenbelt policies and land use certainty enables the agri-food sector to make long term agricultural investments and reduce speculation across a land base that includes the most productive agricultural land in the country. The City of Toronto has long supported the permanent protection of the Greenbelt, and regional planning policies that reduce the impacts of urban sprawl.

This report discusses the Province’s reversal on their previous decision to amend the Greenbelt Plan Area boundary to remove or redesignate 15 parcels of land totaling 2,995 hectares (7,400 acres) and outlines staff comments and recommendations related to the Province’s current consultation on their “Proposal to return lands to the Greenbelt – Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023” posted on the Environmental Registry of Ontario.

The comment period for this consultation is open from October 16 to November 30, 2023.