November 24, 2005

Statement to the Legislature
by David Caplan, Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal

Check Against Delivery.

Speaker, I rise today to inform the Honourable Members that my ministry is releasing the government’s Proposed Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

This marks the first time in a generation that the province is re-engaged in long-term planning.

As members may be aware, the Greater Golden Horseshoe contributes more than two-thirds of our province’s gross domestic product – and almost one-third of the gross domestic product of Canada.

We recognize that the Greater Golden Horseshoe needs a plan for growth – a plan that looks beyond the boundaries of any one municipality and covers the entire region, while still giving individual municipalities the flexibility they need to meet their own priorities.

You will recall, in June, we passed the Places to Grow Act – ground-breaking legislation that enables the province to designate growth plan areas and develop growth plans.  The Greater Golden Horseshoe is the first designated growth area under the Act.

We are beginning the growth planning process first in the Greater Golden Horseshoe because of the tremendous growth pressures that are expected there over the next 25 years. By 2031, some 3.7 million more people are expected in Ontario, and the vast majority of these people will choose to live in this area.

Speaker, this population increase is roughly equal to the combined populations of Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg. And make no mistake: this growth is very much needed – to strengthen and diversify our society, to help us grow our economy, and to enable us to sustain both our quality of life and our cherished social programs.

Much of our population growth in the Greater Golden Horseshoe will be from immigration. This growth will ensure that we have the range of skilled workers necessary to continue to attract new investments and provide new opportunities for our communities.

But although growth is important to the provincial economy, we need to be strategic about it. And that’s what the Proposed Growth Plan is all about: ensuring we have places to grow business; places to grow food; places to grow trees; places to grow families. It’s about informed, strategic decision making.

Our government has developed a Proposed Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe to ensure that the region continues to attract new business and support an exceptional quality of life for residents in the future.

The Proposed Growth Plan is a coordinated strategy that would:

• create more livable communities where people are close to shops, parks and jobs
• revitalize downtown neighbourhoods
• provide greater choice in housing types
• curb urban sprawl and preserve valuable greenspaces and agricultural lands
• reduce traffic gridlock by improving access to a range of transportation choices
• get better use from public infrastructure investments in schools, hospitals and water and sewage systems.

The Proposed Growth Plan is designed to ensure that better planning goes hand in hand with strategic investment.  It supports the development of more compact and complete communities, with the right mix of housing, a good range of jobs, convenient transit and easy access to stores and services to meet people’s daily needs. The plan also complements the Golden Horseshoe Greenbelt that protects natural and agricultural lands.

Speaker, the Proposed Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe supports greater intensification of our urban areas. But this does not mean, as some have suggested, that the plan favours high-rise development over other types of housing.

Indeed, intensification can take many forms, including modest increases in building heights along major streets, denser industrial parks and employment areas, and a greater variety of housing options, such as stacked townhouses and medium-rise apartments.

Members should also be aware that my ministry’s research indicates the Greater Golden Horseshoe area currently has a sufficient land supply available to accommodate the future growth we are expecting. As the population of the Greater Golden Horseshoe continues to grow, people will continue to have access to a wide range of housing options, at competitive prices.

My ministry will continue to monitor the land supply issue in the future, and to consult with individual municipalities on the need for additional urban lands that may be needed to accommodate forecasted growth.

For many years, Speaker, municipal leaders and other stakeholders have been calling for provincial leadership in planning.

Our government is doing something about it.  We are committed to providing strong, effective leadership on planning issues – the kind of leadership that ensures our future development occurs in a more compact and transit-friendly way, creating more vibrant communities, providing better protection for our environment, and promoting healthier lifestyles for residents.

By developing a growth plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, we are taking a significant step to ensure the strength of the province and of the entire nation.

As members may recall, my ministry released a Draft Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe last February for comment and input from key stakeholders. That document received strong support, and our general direction has not changed.

However, based on the feedback we received, the Proposed Growth Plan is more focused and strategic. We have also clarified some policies to ensure the successful implementation of the final plan.

Speaker, I am pleased to say that there is a growing consensus around not only the need to plan effectively for growth – but also around the specific provisions in our Proposed Growth Plan. And in releasing the Proposed Growth Plan today, we are seeking input and feedback from the public, as the final step before releasing the final Growth Plan early next year.

My ministry is placing public notices in selected newspapers across the Greater Golden Horseshoe and a notice on the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry, to inform the public how they can obtain a copy of the document and provide their input. The Proposed Growth Plan is also being posted on my ministry’s website.

Speaker, our government is working to ensure that growth planning and development within the Greater Golden Horseshoe complements the very significant investments we are making in public infrastructure.

Through ReNew Ontario, our five-year infrastructure investment plan, we have earmarked some $7.5 billion in investments to improve infrastructure in the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

Our efforts to plan proactively for the future growth that we know is coming to this part of the province will ensure that vital facilities and services are in place when and where they are needed.

Speaker, the Proposed Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe represents a key step towards our objectives in planning for a successful future.

In short, a Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe will ensure that residents of this area and throughout Ontario enjoy continued economic prosperity, a high standard of living and an exceptional quality of life.

Thank you, Speaker.