The Regional Official Plan provides a long-term strategic policy framework for guiding growth
and development in Peel, while protecting the environment, managing resources, and outlining
a regional structure that supports complete communities.
The Peel 2041+ work sets the stage for more detailed planning
by the local municipalities.
This video will give an overview of the Peel 2041+ and
Municipal Comprehensive Review Process to date.
It’s meant to also provide background information in advance of our upcoming virtual consultations.
A Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) is a process required by the Province of Ontario.
It results in a new official plan or a series of official plan amendments subject to Provincial
approval.
Regional policies set the direction for subsequent local official plan reviews and detailed planning
taking place at the local municipal level.
The focus areas you see here comprehensively make up the Peel 2041+ work.
We work jointly with the local municipalities on various policy areas.
To date, Age-friendly Planning and Health & Built Environment-related policies was the
first set of work approved and now in place, contributing to active and healthy communities.
In December 2019, environment related draft policies were recommended to Regional Council
for public consultation that focused on Climate Change & Wildfire, Water Resources, Provincial
Greenbelt Plans, and Agriculture.
These policies contribute to achieving a sustainable, resilient community that is able to respond
to the challenges of a changing climate and growing Region.
In June 2020, growth related draft policies were recommended to Regional Council related
to Greenlands System, Transportation, Growth Management, Housing, Major Transit Station
Areas and Other focus areas.
This set of draft policies emphasize the importance of a strong policy framework for future growth
and development beyond 2031 in sustaining the Region’s social, economic and environmental
well-being.
These are new draft policies that will be presented on at upcoming virtual public consultations.
We will also be consulting on Settlement area boundary-related draft technical studies through
our upcoming virtual public consultations.
Draft policies for this focus area will be presented in the future.
Lastly, we will be consulting on Aggregate Resource policies in the future, as this work
is still in its preliminary stages.
The Peel 2041+ Official Plan Review process began in 2013.
We are now in our September 2020 Consultation phase.
We are consulting with the public at various stages to continue the conversation, respond
to feedback, and provide multiple opportunities for input.
Some key elements of Peel 2041+ have begun emerging including climate change, managing
growth in a fiscally sustainable manner, providing affordable housing, encouraging job growth
and active transportation and ensuring the healthy development of our communities.
Earlier this year, residents and stakeholders had an opportunity to review and comment on
the first set of environment-related draft policy changes.
These policies ensure that resources are protected and decisions regarding growth and infrastructure
are informed by watershed planning and the coordination of environmental initiatives.
A number of comments were received from residents and stakeholders that attended the consultations.
A summary and initial response to these comments is available on our website.
In response to comments we received, environment-related draft policies have been updated with new
wording to be clearer, stronger, and more direct.
Some comments have generated more significant changes.
Regional staff are working in collaboration with partners, stakeholders, agencies, and
the public to finalize these draft policies as part of the Peel 2041+ process.
Significant changes to the environment-related draft policies include updates to two mapping
schedules.
Schedule X11, formerly Schedule D3, maps land use designations within the Greenbelt Plan
Area.
It is being updated to include the Natural Heritage System designation from the Province’s
2019 Growth Plan.
Schedule X12, formerly Schedule B, shows the Region’s Prime Agricultural Area.
It is being updated so that it also identifies the Rural System and its various components.
Growth-related draft policy changes make up the next component of draft policies for public
consultation.
These policies will help ensure the efficient use of infrastructure, protection of valuable
resources from the impacts of growth and development and plan for the needs of Peel’s diverse
population to ensure the Region’s vision of a ‘Community for Life’ can be achieved.
To take a closer look at the focus areas that make up our growth-related draft policies,
we will start with Growth Management.
Growth Management is an integrative approach to manage where and how population and employment
growth is accommodated.
The Region is expected to grow by 540,000 people and 275,000 jobs from 2016 to 2041,
with more growth anticipated to 2051.
In fact, the Province has proposed that municipalities extend the planning horizon to 2051 through
this current Municipal Comprehensive Review process.
We are proposing policies that will: • Allocate population and employment growth
until 2041 and beyond • Identify areas for new growth
• Protect a range of housing options and employment types
• Determine how much land is needed to accommodate growth through expansion of the Region’s
settlement area • AND plan for services and infrastructure
that support future growth.
Major Transit Station Areas are lands within a 500-800 metre radius of a transit station
or stop.
They are located mainly along existing or planned transit corridors.
We are proposing policies that will: • Protect Major Transit Station Areas
• Identify their boundaries • Provide minimum densities for people and
jobs • Define the different types of transit
stations and prioritize them accordingly, • AND create a framework to guide local
municipalities as they plan for these areas.
In Peel, more than 30% of middle-income and 70% of low-income households face housing
affordability challenges.
The Region contains mostly low-density single and semi-detached homes, combined with a very
low rental vacancy rate, demonstrating a need for more housing choices.
We are proposing policies that will: • Encourage higher densities of housing
within growth areas • Protect rental housing and encourage a
range of housing types • Introduce new tools that allow us to better
meet housing targets.
Peel’s transportation network is one of the most travelled in the Greater Toronto
and Hamilton Area.
By 2041, it is expected that there will be a 45% increase in vehicle trips across the
Region.
To accommodate this growth, the Region has adopted a target of 50 percent sustainable
mode share, meaning that more travel options will be offered to pedestrians, cyclists,
and transit-users, in addition to motorists.
We are proposing policies that will: • Encourage transportation demand management
strategies, sustainable transportation infrastructure, and transit supportive development
• Move goods and people through the network in a safer, more efficient way
• AND Implement the Region’s Long Range Transportation Plan.
Greenlands systems, also known as natural heritage systems, are made up of natural features,
areas, and linkages that provide connectivity for the movement of plants and animals.
We are proposing policies that will: • Help adapt to climate change
• Ensure that Peel’s natural features will be preserved over time
• Update our approach to natural heritage planning
• Revise mapping of the Greenlands System • AND add or change policies regarding urban
forest planning, greenlands system management, and invasive species.
We are proposing policies that will: • Encourage transportation demand management
strategies, sustainable transportation infrastructure, and transit supportive development
• Move goods and people through the network in a safer, more efficient way
• AND Implement the Region’s Long Range Transportation Plan.
Following a review of Provincial plans, legislation, policy direction and Regional strategies,
other focus areas have been identified as needing updates.
The first is waste management.
Peel generates more than 500,000 tonnes of residential waste per year.
In 2018, Peel diverted 50% of its waste from landfills, with Regional Council adopting
a 75% diversion goal by 2034.
We are proposing policies that will: • Include practices that allow for a circular
economy of waste management • Promote the recovery of food and organic
waste • AND require that new developments have
infrastructure that promotes waste diversion and convenient source separation
Cultural Heritage and Indigenous Engagement is another focus area that will be updated
as part of the review.
As we plan for growth, we must protect cultural heritage resources, engage Indigenous communities
in the planning process, and recognize their unique cultures and rights.
We are proposing policies that will: • Better recognize the links between Indigenous
communities and cultural heritage landscapes.
After accounting for intensification opportunities across Peel, there will be a need for new
lands to accommodate population and employment growth.
Settlement Area Boundary Expansion draft technical studies are available for public review.
These studies detail Growth Management and the Built Environment, Infrastructure and
Finance, Environment, Climate Change and Agriculture, and Resources for potential future growth
areas.
While Settlement Area Boundary Expansion is not part of the growth-related draft policies
being shared at this time, we will be providing an update on the draft technical studies.
This part of the consultation has been split up into four sessions that group various technical
studies together.
Each study identifies principles that should be considered when identifying the draft settlement
boundary expansion area.
Some examples include maximizing infrastructure efficiency, considering locational factors
for future employment lands, maximizing opportunities for energy efficiency and renewable energy
use, minimizing the impacts of settlement expansion on agricultural operations, and
many more principles to be detailed during the sessions.
These studies will review their findings based on the draft Focused Study Area.
Further, the Scoped Subwatershed Study – Phase 2 is being undertaken on the Focus Study Area.
The Scoped Subwatershed Study includes an inventory of the natural environment, assesses
the impact of development and provides recommendations to ensure the natural environment is protected.
We invite you to view our virtual open house display boards and join us at our upcoming
live virtual open house sessions.
To learn more, visit our website at peelregion.ca/officialplan/review or email planpeel@peelregion.ca.
Thanks for listening!