Newmarket Mayor John Taylor is expressing concern as the province prepares to end the planning authority of the Regional Municipality of York.
Under the Ontario government's Bill 185, that authority will be removed as of July 1. Although the legislation has yet to pass, the Ford government has indicated for some time that this is its direction, with 2022's Bill 23 also indicating York and other regional municipalities would lose planning authority.
But Taylor said the change could cause issues in terms of co-ordination across York Region’s borders.
“There will be a great deal of risk that decisions made in one town or city will be ignored or not co-ordinated with decisions in neighbouring communities,” Taylor said.
Under the new legislation, while York Region would still provide comment on development applications, it would have no authority to approve developments as it has in the past — that would become the sole responsibility of lower-tier municipalities.
Regional staff said they are preparing for the transition.
“The region has long recognized the value of land use planning decision-making at the local level by delegating approval authority for most application types,” a staff report received at regional council May 9 said. “Regional staff will continue to work closely with local partners to closely co-ordinate planning and implementation of growth-related infrastructure and services to support building more homes faster.”
That preparation is happening on the municipal end, as well. Newmarket’s director of planning and building services Jason Unger said they are working to ensure a smooth transition, and the town will have the chance to include York Region’s interests as part of an ongoing town official plan update.
“The town expects that York Region will continue to comment on planning applications that are on regional roads or that have other regional interests,” Unger said.
Asked about staffing, Unger said the town has not determined the impact of the change in that regards.
York Region director of corporate communications Patrick Casey said they would wait to provide further comment on the matter following the approval of Bill 185.
Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas issued a statement April 30 saying the town is ready for the change and that the aim is to remove barriers to the approval and housing construction process by avoiding duplication.
“Town of Aurora staff have known about these changes and have taken pro-active steps since 2022 to fully prepare and be ready to move forward without regional planning responsibilities,” Mrakas said. “It is recognized that the region will still have a role to play in the delivery of infrastructure and other key services, but ultimately, when it comes to planning, the Town of Aurora is fully capable of managing its responsibilities independent of the region.”
Regardless of legislative changes, Taylor said the region should still play a part and help in the planning process.
“it is critical that it continues to play a role in long-range planning, data analytics, and infrastructure planning,” Taylor said.
