You Did It! Motions for No Urban Boundary Expansion in Halton Pass by Majority 15-9 Vote
After a nine hour meeting on Feb. 16, Regional Council voted 15-9 in favour of a motion from Oakville Mayor Rob Burton and myself, as well as amendments from Halton Hills Counc. Jane Fogal and Milton Counc. Colin Best to prepare our next official plan with no urban boundary expansion.The vote protects against urban boundary expansion onto farmland to 2041, and provides a plan to report back when we have better information on how to accommodate population and job growth from 2041 to 2051, including within existing boundaries. No new growth is assigned to Burlington -- that was important to our residents. Each municipality will have to accommodate their share of growth within their own boundaries.The amendments provided greater clarity around what information would be sought as part of the plan for 2041 to 2051, including consideration of findings of the Ontario Affordable Housing Task Force Report, Natural Heritage and Water Resources Impact Assessment and Agricultural Impact Assessment. The amendments were a welcome addition.During our meeting, we heard from 58 delegations, all in support of the motions. The speakers were eloquent and varied, and came from every municipality in Halton, as well as a few people from the broader Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) region.We heard from young people worried about their future food security and the climate impact of building on farmland, as well as grandparents wanting to leave a sustainable future for their grandchildren.We heard from doctors, mental health workers, religious communities, women's advocates, farmers, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, and union representatives supporting buy local and appealing to us to maintain local food production.We heard from environmental advocates, including musician Sarah Harmer, whose family farms in Burlington; Roger Goulet from Burlington-based Protecting Escarpment Rural Land; Phil Pothen, a land-use planning and environmental lawyer from Environmental Defense; and representatives from BurlingtonGreen, Oakville Green and Halton Action on Climate Emergency Now (HACEN).We heard from residents who raised concerns about climate change, and residents speaking about our obligations under Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples to protect the land and be good stewards. We heard from former elected representatives, including a former Halton Regional Councillor and former Mayor of Toronto David Crombie.You helped make these motions pass, with your participation at the meeting, and in the weeks leading up to it sharing your views with all of Halton Regional Council.Regional Council also heard from residents and farmers who support the urban boundary expansion and I know all of us also seriously considered that input. For my part, protecting farmland and not expanding boundaries outweighed the reasons given to expand the boundaries.The full text of the motions is below and you can watch the recording of the meeting, hear the delegations and view the minutes, including vote count on the agenda page here: Regional Council, Feb. 16, 10:30 a.m.The results of the recorded vote (same for both the motion and amendment) are as follows:Yeas: Carr, Adams, Bentivegna, Best, Burton, Duddeck, Elgar, Fogal, Gittings, Knoll, Meed Ward, Nisan, O’Meara, Parmar, Stolte (15).Nays: Bonnette, Cluett, Galbraith, Hamid, Kearns, Krantz, Malboeuf, Sharman, Somerville (9).
My Take:
We saved farmland today, on our watch. This is a significant achievement for community members concerned with urban boundary expansion onto prime agricultural land. But our task is not done. It isn't enough to save farmland -- we have to save farming. Our farms are under constant pressure from urbanization in this region and those pressures will only get stronger the more growth comes. Regional Council will review our agricultural policies in 2023 and that's the time to strengthen our tools to support farming.Additionally, the Region is required to review our Official Plan (OP) every five years as part of a Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR). The pressure to expand urban boundaries won't go away. There will be many more times in the next 30 years where we will be tasked to save farmland again. So please, stay involved in these critically important matters!
Background:
We are required by the Province to plan for population growth to 2051. The motion from myself and Mayor Burton asks staff to prepare a Regional Official Plan Amendment (ROPA) that directs population and employment growth to the existing approved urban boundary to 2041, with no urban boundary expansion (Resolution #1). The motion also directs staff to come back with a framework for distributing growth from 2041 to 2051 "minimizing land consumption" (Resolution #2). We will take all of the growth we are assigned to 2051 (1.1 million people and 500,000 jobs) but assign it to each municipality in two phases: now to 2041, and 2041-2051.The amendments by Councs. Fogal and Best provide additional clarity on items to be considered as part of the 2041-2051 framework.
Analysis/Opinion:
Read my earlier Analysis/Opinion piece on the Preferred Growth Concept here:
- Motion Directing Growth to Existing Urban Boundary to Regional Council Feb. 16
- Our choices aren't just "tall" or "sprawl" - how we can find ways to accommodate population growth in Halton.
Text of Motions:
Visit: Motion for Modified Preferred Growth Concept (Full text below)
HALTON REGIONNOTICE OF MOTION
DATE: February 16, 2022
ITEM: Modified Preferred Growth Concept
DATE OF MEETING NOTICE OF MOTION TO BE CONSIDERED: Council Meeting – February 16, 2022
MOVED BY: Mayor Rob Burton
SECONDED BY: Mayor Marianne Meed Ward
WHEREAS the Region of Halton is in the process of updating the Regional Official Plan to conform with the 2019 Growth Plan, as amended, in accordance with the Places to Grow Act, 2005, and to plan to accommodate a total population of 1.1 million and total jobs of 500,000 to 2051; and
WHEREAS the Region is committed to meeting the Provincial conformity deadline of July 1, 2022; and
WHEREAS by letter dated November 12, 2019, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing clarified that municipalities may choose to take a phased approach to their municipal comprehensive review through multiple official plan amendments; and
WHEREAS the Region is completing its municipal comprehensive review using a phased approach, including updating the Regional Urban Structure, considering a Draft Preferred Growth Concept arising from the Integrated Growth Management Strategy that has explored issues and opportunities related to growth management, and considering a Policy Directions Report to guide the development of updated official plan policies; and
WHEREAS the market for housing and employment is constantly evolving due to the COVID-19 pandemic, shifts in demographics, work from home opportunities, housing affordability, and other factors that are anticipated to significantly change the way people live, work and play in Halton; and
WHEREAS on February 8, 2022, Ontario published a report from the Housing Affordability Task Force that may have significant implications on the supply of market housing to address the housing crisis and which implications are unclear;
WHEREAS the Draft Land Needs Assessment provided in support of the Draft Preferred Growth Concept indicates that the majority of pre-2041 population and employment growth can be accommodated without expansions to the existing approved urban boundary; and
WHEREAS it would be prudent for the Region consider all relevant information that is available to it during its municipal comprehensive review exercise to make a determination on land requirements and other fundamental planning decisions that will dictate growth in Halton to 2051;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
THAT Halton Regional Council directs Staff to prepare a Regional Official Plan Amendment (ROPA 49) that advances a modified Preferred Growth Concept in two phases to accommodate growth pre-2041 and from 2041 to 2051:
- For accommodating growth pre-2041, directing population and employment growth to the existing approved urban boundary;
- For accommodating growth from 2041 to 2051, providing a clear framework for when, and how planned growth should be distributed based on principles of minimizing land consumption, making the most efficient use of land and infrastructure, and achieving other principles of the Growth Plan;
AND FURTHER THAT Staff be directed to schedule a Statutory Public Meeting and Open House to obtain comments on an updated draft ROPA 49 no later than April 30, 2022;AND FURTHER THAT Staff be directed to prepare its recommendation report and bring it forward to Regional Council such that ROPA 49 could be adopted and forwarded to the Province for approval to meet the July 1, 2022 conformity deadline, subject to being directed by the Minister to meet an alternative date, as requested the Region and other municipalities;AND FURTHER THAT this resolution be circulated to the City of Burlington, Town of Halton Hills, Town of Milton and Town of Oakville.
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MOTION TO AMEND
Moved by: Jane FogalSeconded by: Colin BestTHAT the Motion re: Modified Preferred Growth Concept be amended by adding the following as clauses 2 (a) and (b):2. (a) AND THAT the findings of the Affordable Housing Task Force, Natural Heritage and Water Resources Impact Assessment and Agricultural Impact Assessment be considered in the preparation of the policy framework for growth post-2041;2. (b) AND THAT the specific distribution of growth post-2041 be defined in an ROPA prior to or in parallel with the next statutory 5 year OP review.RELATED LINK: