Item - 2016.PG12.6

The Planning and Growth Management Committee:

1.   Directed that the report (April 19, 2016) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, containing proposed amendments to the Official Plan, be distributed to the public and considered at a special statutory public meeting to be held on June 15, 2016, as per Council's previous instruction.

This report provides a summary of the public consultations which took place with respect to the draft amendment to the Official Plan with respect to the Greenbelt Plan and presents the proposed City-initiated Official Plan Amendments to bring the Official Plan into conformity with the Greenbelt Plan as required by the Section 9 of the Greenbelt Act (2005). 

The report proposes amendments to Chapter 2 of the Official Plan, Site and Area Specific Policies (SASP) 135 and 141.  The recommended amendments include the results of consultation with the public, City Divisions, The Toronto Zoo, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and First Nations carried out in late 2015 and early 2016.  The Statutory Open House was held on December 1, 2015.  The proposed Official Plan Amendment is appended to this report as Attachment 1.   Attachment 2 illustrates how the Official Plan would read if the amendments proposed in Attachment 1 are adopted.

The amendment brings the Official Plan into conformity with the 2005 Greenbelt Plan by identifying the Greenbelt Protected Countryside on Map 2 and by amending SASP 141 to reflect Greenbelt Plan policies, including providing detailed direction about how natural and hydrologic features and functions should be protected; clarifying requirements for new or expanding infrastructure and protecting existing agricultural buildings and uses.  Site and Area Specific Policy 141 is also being amended to reflect key policy goals of the 1994 Rouge Park Plan with respect to protecting the area adjacent to the top of bank which helps to protect the ecological integrity of the Rouge Valley and provides for compatible park functions.  Amendments to Site and Area Specific Policy 141 also describe how the City will work with Parks Canada on the Rouge National Urban Park.   Chapter 2 is being amended to identify Greenbelt River Valley Connections on Map 2 and to  recognize their important role in connecting the Greenbelt Area to Lake Ontario and identify how the City and others can work together to help residents of Toronto understand the importance of these connections. Site and Area Specific Policy 135 is being amended by removing publicly owned lands that fall within the Greenbelt Protected Countryside to ensure there is no conflict with SASP 141.

The recommended changes are consistent with the Greenbelt Plan and support the Official Plan's goals to protect and enhance natural features and functions and work with neighbouring municipalities and others to create a framework which protects and enhances the region's system of greenspaces and natural corridors.  The changes also support the Site and Area Specific 141 policy goal of protecting, restoring and enhancing the natural ecosystem and cultural heritage resources of the Rouge Valley.  Pursuant to Section 26 of the Planning Act, and in accordance with Council's direction at its September 30, 2015 meeting, this report and the recommended Official Plan amendment is to be tabled at the May 11, 2016 meeting of the Planning and Growth Management Committee and considered at a statutory public meeting at the Planning and Growth Management Committee's June 15, 2016 meeting.