Norfolk weighs in on Ford planning policies

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Norfolk County is concerned that the Ford government’s pro-growth, pro-development policies could curtail the ability of local residents to provide input on developments that affect their communities.

Norfolk council expressed these concerns in a letter this week to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

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Council was responding to Bill 66 – the Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act.

Queen’s Park released a draft copy of the bill Dec. 6. Municipalities have till Sunday to respond.

“This is a very quick turnaround,” principal planner Mat Vaughan told council Tuesday. “We have to have our reply back to the province by Jan. 20 if we want our voice heard.”

The goal of the new legislation is to fast-track projects that will create a significant number of jobs.

To accomplish this, the Ford government proposes giving municipalities the power to consider development applications within the parameters of an “open for business bylaw.”

With the province’s permission, municipalities could waive official plan and zoning requirements, eliminate site-plan control, suspend circulation and public notice requirements, limit or eliminate the public-consultation process, restrict appeals to the Land Planning Appeals Tribunal, and provide wiggle room for investors and developers when it comes to provincial regulations.

Norfolk’s planning staff analyzed the proposed legislation and its potential impact on council’s behalf. Staff say the new rules could be helpful but identified potential pitfalls as well. The latter include:

• The legislation could put Norfolk in a jam if the province insists on approving new industrial and commercial development without regard for the county’s ability to provide adequate water and sewer service.
• Several years ago, Norfolk County identified several well fields as “source-water protection areas.” These are off-limits to certain developments and commercial activity. Local water sources could be at risk, staff say, if the province over-rides these designations.
• Staff say prime agricultural land should remain off-limits to commercial and industrial development regardless of the province’s economic and job-creation priorities.
• Staff say the province should remain firm on the requirement for impact studies for proposals involving environmentally-sensitive areas.
• Staff say the province should tread carefully when it comes to public consultation. Restricting residents’ ability to provide input, the county letter says, “violates the democratic process.”

Norfolk’s tourism and economic development department also weighed in on the legislation.

Local development officials note that the proposed legislation would apply to projects that will create 50 or more jobs. Norfolk’s tourism and economic development department recommends flexibility on this threshold. It also wants the new rules applied to food processing, value-added undertakings in the agricultural zone and other tourism and hospitality-related enterprises.

County letters to Queen’s Park are often over the signature of the mayor. However, this letter was sent in the name of Norfolk council.

Council felt it necessary to put its collective weight behind the analysis of something that could have serious implications for the future of Norfolk County.

MSonnenberg@postmedia.com