[getsmart-l] Growing the Greenbelt - Consultation Workshops Sched + Req. for Comments by Apr.30/08

[John O'Gorman]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: bmw-ontarionature 
To: bmw-ontarionature 
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 9:17 AM
Subject: Growing the Greenbelt - your voice is needed 



In February 2007, the Greenbelt Council recommended that the government develop criteria to determine areas of the countryside where the Greenbelt could be extended. The Ministry has drafted criteria with which to consider requests from municipalities to expand the Greenbelt. The government is looking for feedback on the draft criteria. 

http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page5340.aspx

Growing the Greenbelt - Consultation Workshops



A series of consultation workshops will provide the opportunity for municipalities, organizations and the public to discuss and provide feedback on the draft criteria that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing will use, once they are finalized, to consider municipal requests to expand the Greenbelt. 

Growing the Greenbelt - draft Criteria



MAH staff will be present at the workshops, which will be led by an independent facilitator. Registration for the workshops will begin at 5:00 p.m. The workshops will start at 5:30 pm and conclude by 9:30 pm. 


The schedule for the workshops is as follows: 


      Date City/Town Venue Location
     
      April 3 Walkerton Walkerton Community Centre
      240 Durham Street West
      Map to Community Centre 

     
      April 10 Guelph Ramada Hotel
      716 Gordon Street
      Map to Hotel 

     
      April 17 Niagara Falls Royal Canadian Legion
      5603 Spring Street
      Map to Legion 

     
      April 22 Peterborough Lions Club Community Centre
      347 Burnham St.
      Map to Community Centre 

     
      April 24 Barrie Ferndale Banquet Hall
      24 Ferndale Industrial Drive
      Map to Banquet Hall 

     
      April 30 Markham Markham Fair Grounds
      10801 McCowan Road
      Map to Fair Grounds 
































Please indicate on the registration form which workshop(s) your organization wishes to attend.  Your organization may attend more than one workshop, but it is not necessary to attend all workshops.

Growing the Greenbelt - Consultation Workshop Registration Form

Please fax the completed registration form to (416) 585-4245 no later than one week prior to the selected workshop.  Should you prefer, you may also respond via e-mail to greenbelt at ontario.ca.  If you have any questions, please call 1-866-733-7578 to speak to a planner.

We look forward to seeng you at the workshops.

http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page5275.aspx

Draft Expansion Criteria

Introduction to Draft Criteria

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, working in partnership with other provincial ministries, has developed draft criteria to consider municipal requests to grow the Greenbelt. The ministry is looking for feedback on the following six criteria.

1. Municipal Request

Requests for growing the Greenbelt from regional, county and single-tier municipal governments will be considered.

A municipality requesting to expand the Greenbelt should address the following questions:

· Is the request supported by regional, county or single-tier municipal council?

· Does the request identify the geographic area within the municipality to be considered for addition to the Greenbelt?

· What specific measures has council taken to engage the public and key stakeholder organizations about growing the Greenbelt in its municipality?

· What specific measures has council taken to engage Aboriginal communities about growing the Greenbelt in its municipality?

· Is there consensus among a region or county and its lower-tiers affected by the proposal? Is the request supported by council resolutions? 

· Has the municipality provided a supporting rationale as to how the criteria have been met? 

2. Embraces Greenbelt Purpose

The Greenbelt establishes its main purpose through the vision and goals outlined previously. Proposed expansions to the Greenbelt must recognize its key role in guiding land use planning in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and seek to maintain this purpose.

· Does the proposed expansion protect environmentally sensitive and agricultural lands while meeting the needs of growing communities?

· Is it consistent with the vision and goals of the Greenbelt Plan?

3. Additions to the Greenbelt

Greenbelt additions should be logical extensions to its existing area. New lands to be added should be easily connected and not create isolated patches. Further, the Greenbelt Act, 2005 provides that the Greenbelt's area cannot be reduced through an amendment.

· Is the proposed expansion next to the existing Greenbelt?

· Does the proposed expansion consist only of additions to the Greenbelt and not include deletions?

4. Connections to Greenbelt Systems

The Protected Countryside was built using a provincial-scale 'systems approach'. Requests to grow the Greenbelt should connect to and build upon this framework that established the original Greenbelt.

· Is the proposed expansion based on a provincial-scale systems approach that formed the original Greenbelt (as opposed to local or regional scales)?

· Does the proposed expansion build upon the Greenbelt's natural heritage system?

· Does the proposed expansion build upon the Greenbelt's agricultural system?

· Does the proposed expansion build upon the Greenbelt's water resource system?

5. Complement Greater Golden Horseshoe Growth Plan

The Growth Plan sets a framework for managing growth and revitalizing existing urban communities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. It also steers growth away from  environmentally sensitive and prime agricultural areas. The Greenbelt Plan identifies where major urban growth cannot take place. To implement the Growth Plan's policies, municipalities are required to update their official plans by 2009.

· Does the proposed expansion complement the Greater Golden Horseshoe Growth Plan?

· Will affected municipalities be able to bring their official plans into conformity with the Growth Plan if the proposed Greenbelt expansion occurs?

6. Timing and Relationship to Other Provincial Initiatives

There are a number of provincial initiatives affecting the Greater Golden Horseshoe including broader transportation/transit planning, protection of water resources and planning for future growth.

· Does the request for growing the Greenbelt complement and support these ongoing provincial initiatives? (E.g. Does it allow for the completion of Source Protection Plans under the Clean Water Act, 2006?)

Building the Greenbelt by Layers

The process of building the Greenbelt in 2004/05 involved extensive consultation and collaboration. It was led by the Greenbelt Task Force, an advisory group that conducted public meetings and reported back to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing in August 2004. The Greenbelt Plan was drafted based on the Task Force's recommendations and advice. For more information on those recommendations, please review the Task Force's report Toward a Golden Horseshoe Greenbelt at www.mah.gov.on.ca/GreenbeltTaskForce.

The provincial Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe was developed at the same time as the Greenbelt Plan in order to consider the amount of land required to meet the needs of growing communities.

The Greenbelt Plan:

The Oak Ridges Moraine Plan and Niagara Escarpment Plan form the backbone of the Greenbelt. The Greenbelt's natural heritage system includes and builds on the natural heritage systems in the moraine and the escarpment.

The final Greenbelt boundary was determined by identifying a natural heritage system and defining an agricultural system. The government also considered the amount of land required to accommodate anticipated growth. Together, these components form the Protected Countryside of the Greenbelt.

The natural heritage system identified major core areas containing high concentrations of natural features and linking areas that ecologically connect the core areas. Major valley corridors of rivers flowing from the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Niagara Escarpment also provide links from the Greenbelt to Lake Ontario.

The agricultural system was identified based on a number of factors including the Greenbelt Land Evaluation Area Review (LEAR) study, the existing pattern of agriculturally protected lands set out in municipal official plans, and a consideration of projected future growth patterns. The LEAR method uses a scoring system and considers a number of potential factors such as soils, climate, productivity and land fragmentation. Studies were also done to identify two Specialty Crop Areas: the Niagara Peninsula tender fruit and grape area, and the Holland Marsh.

Comments and Feedback

We want to hear from you on the proposed criteria for considering Greenbelt expansions. Your input will help build a clear approach for considering expansions to the Greenbelt.

Send your comments to:
Growing the Greenbelt
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
14th floor, 777 Bay Street
Toronto, ON M5G 2E5
Phone: 416-585-6014
Fax: 416-585-4245
Email: greenbelt at ontario.ca
Comments must be received by April 30, 2008.
 

Other Resources

For more information on the Greenbelt, how it was built and other supporting and complementary programs and initiatives, visit:

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing: www.mah.gov.on.ca 
Greenbelt: www.greenbelt.ontario.ca 
Greenbelt Council: www.mah.gov.on.ca/greenbeltcouncil
Ministry of Natural Resources: www.mnr.gov.on.ca 
Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal - Places to Grow: www.placestogrow.ca 
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs: www.omafra.gov.on.ca
Ministry of the Environment: www.ene.gov.on.ca 
Ministry of Tourism: www.tourism.gov.on.ca 
Ministry of Culture: www.culture.gov.on.ca 
Ministry of Transportation: www.mto.gov.on.ca
Metrolinx: www.metrolinx.com
 


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