Places to Grow Act, 2005

Places to Grow Act, 2005
Name	Places to Grow Act, 2005
Enacted by	Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Date assented	2005
Status	in force

Places to Grow Act, 2005 is a provincial statute enacted by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to establish a framework for regional growth planning within Ontario. The Act empowered the Government of Ontario to set mandatory growth plans for designated regions, aiming to coordinate land use, transportation, infrastructure and public investment across the Greater Golden Horseshoe, including municipalities such as Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, and Hamilton. The legislation intersected with provincial planning instruments like the Planning Act and influenced debates involving stakeholders including the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Conservation Authorities, and private developers such as Brookfield Asset Management.

Background and Legislative History

The Act emerged after policy discussions involving figures and institutions such as David Peterson-era planning initiatives, the Royal Commission-style reviews, and provincial strategies promoted by successive premiers including Ernie Eves and Dalton McGuinty. It followed demographic projections from agencies like Statistics Canada and academic studies at University of Toronto and University of Western Ontario projecting rapid population growth in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The legislative process involved committee hearings of the Standing Committee on General Government and consultations with municipal leaders from Oakville, Richmond Hill, and Vaughan, as well as input from business groups including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and environmental NGOs such as the David Suzuki Foundation.

Key Provisions and Objectives

The Act authorized the Lieutenant Governor in Council, acting on advice of the Executive Council of Ontario, to issue provincial growth plans with binding effect on ministries and municipalities, aligning with instruments like the Official Plans of Toronto and Peel Region. Objectives included managing urban expansion in areas such as Durham Region and Niagara Region, protecting agricultural lands like those in Waterloo Region, and directing infrastructure investment related to projects by agencies such as Metrolinx and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. Provisions required coordination with conservation bodies like the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and addressed matters involving heritage bodies like Ontario Heritage Trust.

Implementation and Governance

Implementation relied on provincial ministries including the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and inter-agency coordination with entities such as Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx. The Act established mechanisms for plan-making, amendments, and municipal conformity assessments, drawing on technical input from planning schools at Ryerson University and policy units within the Treasury Board of Ontario. Municipalities including Halton Region and York Region adopted conformity amendments to their official plans, while stakeholders including Ontario Real Estate Association and labour organizations such as the Canadian Union of Public Employees engaged in hearings and appeals before tribunals like the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal.

Impact and Outcomes

The Act shaped land use and transit investments influencing projects such as the Toronto Transit Commission expansions, GO Transit regional services, and development patterns in municipalities like Mississauga and Brampton. Outcomes included preservation efforts on prime farmland in Niagara-on-the-Lake and shifts toward intensification in nodes promoted by agencies like Infrastructure Ontario. Academic evaluations from scholars at McMaster University and policy institutes such as the Fraser Institute and Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance documented changes in housing supply, commuting patterns involving Pearson International Airport, and fiscal pressures for upper-tier municipalities including Durham Region.

Criticisms and Legal Challenges

Critics ranged from municipal politicians in Simcoe County to developers represented by firms like Mattamy Homes', and advocacy groups including Environmental Defence, which raised concerns about provincial overreach and effects on property rights litigated within Ontario courts such as the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Legal challenges and appeals to bodies like the Ontario Land Tribunal addressed disputes over conformity, density targets, and servicing capacity in municipalities like King Township and Clarington. Commentators from institutions like the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy questioned the Act’s balance between growth management and municipal autonomy.

Amendments and Subsequent Developments

Subsequent policy changes and amendments interacted with later provincial initiatives under premiers such as Kathleen Wynne and Doug Ford, and revisions to related statutes including the Planning Act. The growth planning framework was updated through instruments like the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe and implementation through agencies such as Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario, while municipal reactions continued in councils across Toronto, Ottawa, and Hamilton. Ongoing debates involve academic centres including Queen's University and policy organizations such as the Canadian Urban Institute about future reform, regional governance models, and integration with climate objectives endorsed by bodies like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Category:Ontario provincial legislation