Ontario Says Goodbye to the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe
TORONTO, Sept. 5, 2024 /CNW/ - Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – On August 20, 2024, the Government of Ontario unveiled the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS), 2024 – a sweeping overhaul of the province's land use planning framework that merges the former PPS with the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. This consolidation, while presented as a streamlining effort, significantly weakens vital environmental safeguards, posing a grave threat to Ontario's natural heritage, farmland and wetlands.
The government justifies these changes with the underlying premise that more land is needed for housing development outside existing settlement boundaries. However, this concept is demonstrably false. Research has shown that Ontario already possesses ample land within existing settlement boundaries to meet housing demands until 2050. In fact, the 2022 report of the government-appointed Housing Affordability Task Force indicated that a shortage of land is not the cause of Ontario's housing crisis. Instead of fostering sustainable growth, the PPS 2024 opens the doors to unchecked sprawl and jeopardizes decades of land use planning progress.
"These policy changes are a major setback for Ontario," said Tony Morris, Director of Conservation Policy and Campaigns at Ontario Nature. "By prioritizing sprawl over smart growth, the government is not only threatening the environment but also undermining our ability to address the interrelated crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. We need policies that protect our vital natural areas, watersheds and farmland, not policies that pave over these areas."
The abandonment of the Growth Plan and replacement of the PPS 2020 is deeply concerning, given that these key provincial policies formerly provided comprehensive, integrated and balanced direction on land use planning. The 2024 PPS has resulted in:
- Weaker Natural Heritage Protections: The Growth Plan set out policies that strictly protect Key Hydrological Features and Key Natural Heritage Features from development and site alteration within the regional Natural Heritage System. The government did not carry forward these policies in the new PPS, leaving more than half of the wetlands defenseless in the Growth Plan area.
- Promotion of Urban Sprawl: Changes to the PPS reduce density targets, allowing expansion of settlement areas into previously protected lands and offers greater flexibility in land use designations. These adjustments can lead to more extensive, lower-density developments on the periphery of urban areas, encouraging the spread of development into natural or agricultural lands.
- Threats to Farmland: Municipalities may expand settlement areas at any time without a comprehensive review of associated infrastructure needs and potential impacts on farmland. Without policy to govern urban sprawl, farmland becomes at risk of re-designation and fragmentation.
The PPS 2024 will come into force on October 20, 2024. This shift not only jeopardizes Ontario's natural landscapes and farmland but also compromises the province's ability to adapt to environmental challenges and climate change. Ontario Nature calls on policymakers to reconsider these changes and to implement strategies that balance growth with environmental protection to foster a sustainable future for all Ontarians.
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Ontario Nature protects wild species and wild spaces through conservation, education and public engagement. A charitable organization, Ontario Nature represents more than 30,000 members and supporters, and 150 member groups across Ontario (charitable registration # 10737 8952 RR0001). For more information, visit ontarionature.org.
SOURCE Ontario Nature
John Hassell, Director of Communications and Engagement, Editor, Ontario Nature, [email protected], 416-786-2171
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