The provincial government has made significant progress in its efforts to contain urban sprawl over the past 18 months, but these achievements will be undermined if the Province continues to pursue the major highway projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe initiated by the previous government. That is the main conclusion of a provincial progress report on smart growth and urban sustainability, Building Sustainable Urban Communities in Ontario: A Provincial Progress Report, released today by the Pembina Institute.
"The Province's achievements since the fall of 2003 are substantial. They include the adoption of major amendments to the Planning Act, new provincial planning policies, the establishment of the Greater Golden Horseshoe Greenbelt and dedication of a portion of provincial gasoline tax revenues to public transit." said Dr. Mark Winfield, Director of the Pembina Institute's Environmental Governance Program, and author of the report.
"However, many other initiatives, including the Golden Horseshoe Growth Plan, the reform of the Ontario Municipal Board and source water protection planning, remain works in progress. At the same time, the continuing failure to effectively integrate major highway expansion initiatives such as the 407 east extension, the 404 north extension and Niagara to GTA Highway with the efforts to contain automobile-dependent sprawl threatens to undo much of the progress made so far," added Dr. Winfield.
The Pembina Institute's report identifies six key areas for further action by the provincial government over the coming year:
- The completion of the Ontario Municipal Board reform initiative launched in June 2004.
- The improvement of the integration of highway system expansions with the Province's overall goals of reducing sprawl and improving air quality.
- The reform of the development charges, land transfer tax rebate and property tax systems to support more sustainable urban development patterns.
- The provision of financial, policy and technical support to municipalities for the implementation of the new provincial planning legislation and policies.
- The integration of source water protection with land-use planning.
- The implementation of a mineral aggregates conservation strategy to reduce the need for new gravel pits and quarries.
The Pembina Institute's report Building Sustainable Urban Communities: A Provincial Progress Report is available here.
The Pembina Institute is an independent, not-for-profit environmental policy research and education organization with offices in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Drayton Valley, Alberta.
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For more information contact
Mark Winfield, Director, Environmental Governance
Tel: 416-978-5656
Cell: 416-434-8130
e-mail: markw@pembina.org