Official Plan Review

On October 25, 2022, the Province tabled Bill 23 which introduced fundamental changes to the land use planning system in Ontario through legislative amendments to the Planning Act, the Conservation Authorities Act, the Development Charges Act and other pieces of legislation. One of the significant changes was to remove planning authority from upper-tier municipalities, including the Region of Durham.

The majority of Bill 23 received Royal Assent on November 28, 2022. However, the parts of Bill 23 that proposed to make changes to the upper tier planning responsibilities did not come into effect at the time.

On November 5, 2024, the province announced that on January 1, 2025, the Regional Municipality of Durham would be deemed an upper-tier municipality without planning responsibilities. All the Region’s land use planning functions and responsibilities have been downloaded to the local municipalities effective January 1, 2025. This includes making the recently approved Region of Durham Official Plan, “Envision Durham”, a local Official Plan for all lower tier municipalities in the Region, including Pickering.

Essentially, the City of Pickering now has two Official Plans, until Pickering revokes Envision Durham, or integrates it with the Pickering Official Plan. Envision Durham was recently approved by the Province, who is now also the approval authority for the Pickering Official Plan. Simply revoking Envision Durham is not seen as a viable option for many reasons.

Through the City’s Official Plan Review process, known as Pickering Forward, Staff will be working to create a plan that incorporates the required parts of Envision Durham into a single Official Plan for Pickering.

Learn more about the planning functions and responsibilities that have been downloaded to Pickering as a result of the Region of Durham losing its planning authority by reading staff report PLN 32-24.

It is important to note that until Pickering Forward is completed, if there is a conflict between the Pickering Official Plan and Envision Durham, the policies in Envision Durham will prevail over the Pickering Official Plan.

Public Information Centres on Growth Management and Urban Structure were held on November 27 and 28.

• Discussion Paper
• Discussion Highlights
• Presentation
• What We Heard summary report - Coming soon

Public Information Centres were held on September 24 and 25.

• Meeting presentation
• Display panels
• "What we heard" summary report
  
  • Appendix A - Comments from in-person PIC
  • Appendix B - Comments from virtual PIC
  • Appendix C - Comments from online survey
• Discussion Paper

The Official Plan Review, known as Pickering Forward, was launched at a statutory public meeting on May 27, 2024. Stay tuned for community engagement that is expected to begin in the Fall of 2024.

• Public Meeting Report PLN 14-24
• Presentation at the meeting
• Video Recording of the meeting
• Summary of Comments at the meeting

• PLN 05-24 Initiating Pickering’s Official Plan Review

An Official Plan is a City’s long range document, that provides the framework for land use decision-making in the City. It represents the vision for growth and change within the City. The policies within the Official Plan ensure that growth occurs responsibly, and that resources are used efficiently and sustainably. An Official Plan deals with issues such as:

• where new housing, industry, offices and shops will be located;
• what services will be needed to support growth, such as roads, watermains, sewers, parks, and schools;
• creating opportunities for residents to connect socially, culturally, as well as preserve and enjoy the natural environment;
• when, and in what order, parts of the community will grow; and
• where, and how, the City will invest in community improvement initiatives.

The Planning Act of Ontario requires that Official Plans be reviewed every five years to ensure they conform to Provincial legislation, policy, and plans, as well as the Region of Durham's Official Plan. Although Council has amended the Plan on an as-needed basis, a comprehensive review, as required by the Planning Act, has not been undertaken since 2007.

Council and staff have been diligent to maintain conformity with Provincial and Regional planning documents through amendments to the Plan. However, the number of recent proposed, and approved, changes to Provincial legislation, policy, and plans, and a new Regional Official Plan, make continuing with this approach not viable. A comprehensive review is now required.

In addition, the City of Pickering is projected to experience significant growth in the coming decades. This growth in population will require an increase in infrastructure and amenities to meet the needs of residents. Council has already approved a number of corporate and master plans in recent years to reflect the changing needs of the community.

Following Council approval, staff will launch the Official Plan Review. This phase includes setting the work plan and hiring consultants to assist with key parts of the project – growth management and public engagement.
 
The City will host a number of public engagement sessions to provide education to the public as well as hear their comments and suggestions. A number of these sessions will be preceded by the release of a discussion paper which will include research on a variety of topics.

Based on all the research and the comments received, a draft Official Plan document will be prepared. Further engagement will take place for the public to review and provide further feedback on the draft maps and policies.

Further revisions will be made and a final Official Plan document will be presented to Pickering Council for adoption.

Once adopted by Pickering Council, the new Official Plan will be sent to the Province for final approval.