Bill 161 2001

An Act to restore
local control over planning by
involving citizens and ensuring
decisions are made by
democratically elected officials

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

Duty to strengthen planning

1. (1) The Government of Ontario has the duty to strengthen planning in the Province.

Local control over planning decisions

(2) In exercising its duty, the Province shall ensure that ratepayers, tenants and citizens regain local control over planning decisions that affect their neighbourhood, town or city.

Implementation

(3) In performing its duty under subsection (1), the Province shall consider abolishing the Ontario Municipal Board in order to,

(a) prevent developers from driving planning decisions, including decisions concerning the demolition of rental housing, the conversion of rental housing to condominiums, the abrogation of official plans and land use re-zonings that are opposed by elected municipal governments;

(b) halt a planning process that is driven by developers, that ignores local residents and their elected representatives and that is destructive to neighbourhoods and to the general environment; and

(c) prevent unelected, appointed and unaccountable individuals from making planning decisions, which process is contrary to democratic principles.

Commencement

2. This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short title

3. The short title of this Act is the Abolition of the Ontario Municipal Board Act, 2001.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Bill provides that the Government of Ontario has a duty to strengthen planning in the Province and should exercise that duty by ensuring that there is local control over planning decisions and by considering abolishing the Ontario Municipal Board.