Urban Boundary Expansion Proposals

The process for considering an expansion to a municipality’s urban boundary has changed under the Provincial Planning Statement (PPS) 2024. The PPS 2024 now enables the expansion of an urban area boundary to be considered at any time, including through applications submitted by private landowners.This webpage provides information on current urban boundary expansion proposals, applicable provincial policy, and the Town’s evaluation process.

Background

In October 2024, the new Provincial Planning Statement (PPS) 2024 came into effect, which integrated the former Provincial Policy Statement 2020 and Growth Plan 2020 into a singular province-wide policy document.  The new PPS 2024 provides overall policy directions on matters of provincial interest related to land use planning and development in Ontario.  As per the Ontario Planning Act, all municipal planning decisions must be consistent with the PPS 2024.

Previously, Provincial legislation set out that the expansion of a municipality’s urban boundary was to be considered through a municipally-led exercise every 5 years to 10 years (referred to as a municipal comprehensive review process).  However, the new PPS 2024 now identifies that the expansion of an urban area boundary may be considered at any time and allows private landowners to file an Official Plan Amendment application seeking to include their lands within the municipal urban boundary.

When evaluating urban boundary expansion proposals, Section 2.3.2.1 of the PPS 2024 sets out seven criteria that municipalities shall consider:

1. The need to designate and plan for additional land to accommodate an appropriate range and mix of land uses;

2. If there is sufficient capacity in existing or planned infrastructure and public service facilities;

3. Whether the applicable lands comprise specialty crop areas;

4. The evaluation of alternative locations which avoid prime agricultural areas and, where avoidance is not possible, consider reasonable alternatives on lower priority agricultural lands in prime agricultural areas;

5. Whether the new or expanded settlement area complies with the minimum distance separation formulae;

6. Whether impacts on the agricultural system are avoided, or where avoidance is not possible, minimized and mitigated to the extent feasible as determined through an agricultural impact assessment or equivalent analysis, based on provincial guidance; and

7. The new or expanded settlement area provides for the phased progression of urban development.