Collingwood council will soon decide whether or not to conduct a review and update of one of the town’s major planning policies, despite a recommendation from the province to put a hold on major planning decisions.
Before the days of regional government reviews and a new provincial government with aims to overhaul planning policies to make way for growth, Collingwood was due to update its official plan.
The plan is the town’s overall guide to land-use planning. It’s a document required by law, and it establishes what parts of Collingwood are to be used for what purposes. Everything from housing, industry, commercial buildings, streets, parks, transit, schools, and community amenities are designated in the Official Plan. Essentially, it’s a framework for what the town will look like in the near and long-term future. The plan is reviewed every five years. The last review took place in 2014.
While the town is due for a review, staff is recommending a cautious, phased approach to this year’s review. It’s a slower approach than normal due to changes at the provincial level in various states of approval and implementation.
The thing that could bring about the most impactful change for Collingwood is the regional government review of Simcoe County’s governance currently being done by the province.
Adam Farr, director of planning and building services for Collingwood, delivered a report to the development and operations standing committee on June 17, explaining the governance review is “the most significant and challenging issue” weighing on the decision to conduct an official plan review.
“The currently unknown outcomes of that review could be far-reaching and have fundamental impacts on the nature of municipalities’ scope of authority,” said Farr in his report, adding the town doesn’t know if the province will suggest something like amalgamation at the conclusion of its review. “The scope of the possible outcomes of the regional government review can be dramatic.”
On top of the regional review, there are changes in the planning act for the whole province passed by the Ontario government.
Earlier this month, the province passed Bill 108, called the More Homes, More Choice Act, which brings changes to land-use planning appeals, development charges policy, and the planning act among others. All of which will have an impact on the town’s official plan.
While the bill is law, the regulations to implement that law for municipalities have not yet been worked out by the province. The town’s official plan will have to conform to those new regulations as they are approved, according to Farr’s staff report.
The province also passed A Place To Grow act, which forecasts population and allocates growth to various municipalities in the province. Collingwood has to take those forecasts and, through land-use planning, prepare for that growth. The town’s official plan will have to conform to the Place to Grow Act, incorporating the 2041 forecasts not yet released into its own plan by July 1, 2023.
In light of these changes, the province sent a letter to municipalities in February suggesting an interim pause on planning decisions or reviews of major planning documents such as official plans.
However, change and growth in Collingwood have not paused.
According to Farr’s report, one of the biggest impacts on future planning and development is from two demographic trends - the population growth in Southern Ontario and the number of people over the age of 65 in the province - both of which are increasing significantly.
The town has also completed other plans in the past three years, including the Parks, Recreation, and Culture Master Plan, the Waterfront Master Plan, the Active Transportation Plan, and the Fire Protection Services Master Plan.
More work is being done on plans for forest management, water and wastewater service, traffic, energy conservation and demand management, economic development, and a strategic plan.
These will all need to be incorporated into an Official Plan in order to have any enforceable impact on land-use planning.
While the final decision on whether to undertake the comprehensive review of the town’s official plan rests with council at their meeting on June 24, staff have recommended a “conservative” approach allowing the town to move forward with background work.
“We’re launching an update in spite of the recommendations the province stated it be put on hold,” said Chief Administrative Officer Fareed Amin. “I’ve been around the council table long enough to know council is eager to move ahead … we’re advancing this but we’re doing it cautiously.”
Built into the draft terms of reference proposed by staff is an exit strategy, in the event the province makes a change drastic enough to derail the official plan review.
“If we ended up with a different form of government [through the regional governance review], then I think the official plan process will have to be revisited,” said Amin. “We have to have an exit strategy in the event the government changes are so significant it doesn’t allow us to advance an official plan review.”
Staff is recommending council approve a request for proposal for a consultant to lead the official plan review process, and take a phased approach to the review while matters affecting the scope of the review are still unresolved.
There is $100,000 set aside in the town’s 2019 budget to advance the project, and a 2020 budget will be built based on what bids are received for the consulting work.
According to Farr’s report, if council approves the launch of this process, the first activity will be a council workshop, open to the public, where council can discuss expectations and ideas for the official plan. The session could take place this fall.
The official plan review is on the agenda for the June 24 council meeting, having been approved by the development and operations services standing committee on June 17.
