Provincial Planning Matters

October 7, 2021: The Province of Ontario introduced Bill 13, the proposed Supporting People and Businesses Act, 2021. Bill 13 received Royal Assent on December 2, 2021 and amended the Planning Act to allow councils to delegate the authority to pass by-laws that are of a minor nature to a committee of council or staff. This could include decisions for temporary use by-laws, the lifting of holding provisions and other minor zoning by-law amendments.

November 24, 2021: Staff Report PED21220 - Containing staff-level responses to the Bill 13. Staff supported proposed changes as they would provide flexibility and reduce application processing timeframes for by-laws considered minor in nature.

July 5, 2022: Staff Report PED22112(b) - Draft Amendments to the Urban Hamilton Official Plan and Rural Hamilton Official Plan to Implement Bill 13 and Bill 109

Do you have comments on Bill 13 and the City of Hamilton’s response to these changes? Send your comments to [email protected]

February 8, 2022: The Province received and released a report from the Housing Affordability Task Force, which included 58 recommendations intended to increase the supply of market housing.

March 22, 2022: Staff Report PED22071 - Containing staff-level responses to the Housing Affordability Task Force recommendations, identifying where clarity was needed, potential implications, and gaps of information.

March 30, 2022: The Province announced the More Homes for Everyone Plan, and introduced Bill 109, More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022. Bill 109, the More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022 received Royal Assent on April 14, 2022. Subsection 41(4.0.1) of the Planning Act, as amended, requires that municipal councils appoint an officer, employee or agent of the municipality to make decisions on site plan control applications for all site plan control applications received on or after July 1, 2022.

April 8, 2022: Staff Report PED22112 - City of Hamilton's Response to the Provincial Bill 109, More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022

June 14, 2022: Staff Report PED22112(a) - City of Hamilton's Response to Provincial Bill 109 - Implementation of Legislative Changes to Site Plan Approval

July 5, 2022: Staff Report PED22112(b) - Draft Amendments to the Urban Hamilton Official Plan and Rural Hamilton Official Plan to Implement Bill 13 and Bill 109

Do you have comments on Bill 109 and the City of Hamilton’s response to these changes? Send your comments to [email protected]

November 2019: The Provincial Growth Plan, 2019 introduced a new policy (2.2.8.5) which permits an urban boundary expansion to occur outside of the Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) process, subject to satisfying certain criteria. These urban boundary expansion requests can be initiated by private applicants, but they cannot exceed an area of 40 ha. 

• To assist in the review of urban boundary expansion requests outside of the MCR process, an evaluation tool has been created which will assist staff with evaluating requests as they are received. The evaluation tool is based on the criteria identified in the Growth Plan.

October 1, 2019: At Planning Committee, the City considered proposed changes to the Provincial Policy Statement(PPS):

• Staff Report PED19188 - Provincial Policy Statement Review – City of Hamilton Comments
  • Appendix A - Summary of Proposed PPS Policy Changes
  • Appendix B - Additional Policy Changes Proposed by Staff
• Staff Presentation

February 19, 2019: At Planning Committee, the City considered Proposed Changes to the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (Amendment No. 1 and Provincially Significant Employment Zones)

• Staff Report PED19033 - Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe – Amendment No. 1 and Provincially Significant Employment Zones
  • Appendix A - Employment Areas policy changes
  • Appendix B - Settlement Area Boundary Expansion policy changes
  • Appendix C - Built-up Area policy changes
  • Appendix D - Designated Greenfield Area policy changes
  • Appendix E - Transit Corridors and Station Areas policy changes
  • Appendix F - Housing policy changes
  • Appendix G - Rural Areas policy changes
  • Appendix H - Infrastructure, Protecting what is Valuable and Implementation policy changes
  • Appendix I - Definitions changes
  • Appendix J - Summary of comments made previously by City of Hamilton regarding provincial plans
• Staff Presentation

February 5, 2019: At Planning Committee, the City considered Bill 66 - Restoring Ontario's Competitiveness Act, 2018 (Schedule 10).

• Staff Report PED19027 - Restoring Ontario's Competitiveness Act, 2018 (Schedule 10)
  • Appendix A - Comments on ERO Posting #013-4293 "Bill 66, Restoring Ontario's Competitiveness Act, 2018"
  • Appendix B - Comments on ERO Posting #013-4125 "Proposed open-for-business planning tool" and ERO Posting #013-4239 "New Regulation under the Planning Act for open-for-business tool"
• Staff Presentation

January 31, 2017: The Province released, for public comment, proposed minor changes to the Greenbelt Plan boundaries only.

• These modifications do not affect the City of Hamilton, as noted in the Staff Report PED15078(c).

May 2016: The Province released proposed changes to the Growth Plan, the Greenbelt Plan and the Niagara Escarpment Plan (NEP) as part of its Co-ordinated Provincial Plan Review.
 

September 2016: The City of Hamilton provided comments on the proposed changes through Staff Report PED15078(b).

February 27, 2015: The Province of Ontario initiated the coordinated review of the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, Greenbelt Plan, Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and the Niagara Escarpment Plan.
 

• June 2015: Following public consultation, the City of Hamilton provided comments to the Province through Staff Report PED15078
   
• December 2015: The City of Hamilton provided additional comments on Greenbelt Boundary revisions, following additional public consultation, through Staff Report PED15078(a).