At the same time as Ontario energy agencies are establishing new systems for regional electricity planning, other government agencies responsible for land use planning are adapting their systems to take account of the need to provide for energy infrastructure. “The potential certainly exists for a significant improvement in the level of co-ordination between public sector agencies responsible for managing approvals and facilitating energy projects in Ontario,” said Dave Butters, President of APPrO.
Decision-makers working in municipal planning, regional planning and land use planning in Ontario were given added responsibility for considering energy infrastructure requirements as a result of a new policy announced in 2014 and outlined in documents released by the government of Ontario on March 23, 2015. The Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) is the declaration of the government’s official policies on land use planning. It applies province-wide and “provides clear policy direction on land use planning to promote strong communities, a strong economy, and a clean and healthy environment,” the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing notes. Municipalities use the PPS to develop their official plans and to “guide and inform decisions on other planning matters.” The PPS is issued under section 3 of the Planning Act, which stipulates that all decisions affecting land use planning matters “shall be consistent with” the Provincial Policy Statement. It includes policies on issues such as:
• The efficient use and management of land and infrastructure
• Protection of the environment and resources
• Ensuring appropriate opportunities for employment and residential development, including support for a mix of uses.
The PPS was updated in 2014 and implementation of the resulting changes has been underway in various forms since that time. Part of the roll-out of the revised PPS was the release of an updated publication on “Energy Conservation, Efficiency and Supply,” that identifies activities and opportunities for municipalities to promote energy conservation, efficiency, and alternative and renewable energy systems. The publication, along with a related “Infosheet” on electricity infrastructure planning, were made available on March 23, 2015 as part of the Ontario Energy quarterly report, and have been posted on the websites of the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
The Ministry of Energy stresses that it is “committed to strengthening linkages between electricity and land use planning.” In 2013, it asked the former OPA and the IESO to make recommendations for an enhanced integrated regional planning process with a focus on improving how large infrastructure projects are sited in Ontario. Their joint report, “Engaging Local Communities in Ontario’s Electricity Planning Continuum,” made a number of recommendations, including recommendations to link municipal and regional electricity planning, and to bring communities to the table. The Ministry notes that the report was “adopted by government in full, and has been implemented. ... Reflecting Ministry policies more explicitly in the PPS 2014 also provides increased clarity for municipal planners, and supports the inclusion of energy infrastructure in municipal planning in the short and the long term.”
The revised PPS includes revisions and enhancements that support the application of Ministry of Energy policies at the municipal level of government, such as regional planning and municipal energy planning, including:
• Enhancing the link between energy and land use planning by explicitly referencing electricity infrastructure – including electricity generation facilities and generation systems – instead of including this solely within the definition of infrastructure;
• Enhancing the profile of renewable energy systems and addressing alternative energy systems, including district energy and geothermal systems that were not referenced in the previous PPS from 2005;
• Creating a separate energy supply section that changes the emphasis from promoting increased energy supply to having planning authorities provide opportunities for the development of energy supply; and
• Separating out promoting the use of renewable and alternative energy systems to meet the broader conservation, air quality and climate change goals of the PPS.
Looking to the future, the Ministry of Energy notes that it is “working to ensure that its policies and priorities are reflected in provincial land use planning documents, including through the Coordinated Review of Provincial Plans and the forthcoming Far North Land Use Planning Strategy, which help guide land use planning in the province.”
See also the related story, “"Premier Wynne promises change in siting practices,” IPPSO FACTO, October 2013.