Hi. My name is Gary Wright.
I’m the Chief Planner for the City of Toronto.
In this video I am going to provide you with
an overview of the Official Plan as well as explain
why we are doing a review of the Plan and undertaking
to conduct a Municipal Comprehensive Review.
Let's first start with "what is an Official Plan?"
In Ontario the Planning Act requires municipalities
to have an Official Plan.
The Official Plan is a legal document approved
by Council that describes policies and objectives
for land uses and how and where
the community should grow.
The Official Plan is prepared in consultation
with residents and reflects a community vision
for future change and development.
Now it’s no secret that Toronto is a great city.
What kind of city Toronto will be in the twenty-first
century is a question that we must ask ourselves
and ensure we stay on course.
The one constant we can be sure about
is that Toronto is growing and will continue to grow.
Look around, and you’ll see new development
and investment across the city.
So our choice is not whether we grow,
but how well we grow.
Toronto's Official Plan sets out the vision
for where and how the city will grow
to the year 2031. Think of it as a blueprint.
It describes the general location for new housing,
employment, parks, office and retail areas,
community services, parks and other land uses.
The Official Plan also establishes policies
for the built environment such as criteria for how
new buildings relate to the street,
for improvements to the City's hard services
(such as transit, roads, and sewers)
and for the protection of the City's
natural environment.
You might be thinking, "sounds interesting,
but how does it affect me?"
Well from the time you wake up in the morning
until you go to bed at night your life is affected
by how Toronto is planned.
This includes what kind of housing is available,
the range of services in your community,
where you study, work, and how
you move about the city.
All of these elements of our city life link
to the Official Plan. Now our Official Plan
is organized into 7 chapters,
starting with the Vision in Chapter 1.
The Vision of the Plan is about creating an attractive,
safe city, that evokes pride, passion,
and a sense of belonging.
A city where people of all ages and abilities
can enjoy a good quality of life. A city with:
a strong, competitive and diverse economy;
vibrant neighbourhoods;
affordable housing choices that meet
the needs of everyone throughout their life;
attractive, tree-lined streets with shops and housing;
transportation networks that enable people to move
around the City quickly and conveniently;
clean air, land and water;
green spaces of all sizes and public squares
that bring people together;
a wealth of recreational opportunities
encouraging active participation;
cultural facilities that celebrate the best of city living;
and beautiful architecture and excellent
urban design that astonish and inspire.
The policies contained within the Plan help
in part to move Toronto towards this vision.
I encourage you to take a closer look
at our Official Plan. It is an important
document that shapes our city.
The Official Plan is available on-line.
The link is available under
the "Documents and Information" tab
or you can search "Toronto Official Plan"
in your favourite search engine.
Now, a great deal of effort and consultation
was put into formulating the Official Plan,
so why are we reviewing it now?
Well, Ontario's Planning Act requires municipalities
to review their Official Plan at least every
5 years after the Plan comes into effect.
And our Official Plan came into force in June 2006,
so we’re required to start looking
at this, today, in 2011.
It is important to recognize that the review
is considering what policies are working,
what policies need to be updated,
revised or taken away, and what new policies
are required to be added. The purpose of this
review is not to create a new Official Plan
but to improve on the Plan that exists!
Now in conjunction with the 5 Year Review,
we are also doing a Municipal Comprehensive Review.
Again, as required under the Provincial Growth
Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
This Review will look specifically at the City's
designated areas of employment and how
the Official Plan policies and designations are working.
The Provincial Growth Plan requires the City
to address specific criteria if it wants to consider
changing the land use permissions for
designated areas of employment.
Since our 5 Year Review of the Official Plan
includes a review of these policies and designations
for employment lands, we think it is a great
opportunity to undertake both of these
initiatives at the same time.
To initiate the Reviews, I have sent a report
to City Council's Planning and Growth
Management Committee. My report highlights
development trends and the Official Plan's
success at directing growth in Toronto
since 2006 and it outlines a general work
program and public consultation for the Reviews.
The link to this report is available under
the "Documents and Information" tab.
I hope you have found this overview helpful.
If you have any further questions,
you’re likely to find the answers in our
‘Questions and Answers’ section.
You can also contact us if you like.
Our contact information
can be found at the "Contact Us" tab.
Now I invite you to get involved and be engaged
on the Review of Official Plan and
and the Municipal Comprehensive Review.
Remember, this is your city and my city.
Together we can only make it better.
I am Gary Wright. I look forward to hearing from you,
and thank you for spending the time.