Provincial Changes to Employment Areas

On October 20, 2024, a new definition for "area of employment" under subsection 1 (1) and a related transition provision under subsections 1 (1.1) and (1.2) of the Planning Act came into effect.

Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.13 update

On October 20, 2024, a new Provincial Planning Statement, 2024, came into effect. It replaces the previous Provincial Policy Statement (2020) and A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2020).

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing: Provincial Planning Statement, 2024

What are employment areas?

Employment areas are lands set aside for employment uses, as provided for in official plan policies and regulated through zoning by-laws, so that the number of jobs grows as the community grows.

Lands for employment uses are specifically designated in the town’s official plans as Employment Areas in the Livable Oakville Plan and Employment Districts in the North Oakville East and West Secondary Plans.

Prior to October 20, 2024, all of Oakville’s employment lands are protected, meaning three things:

The employment areas designations in the town’s official plans meet the provincial definitions of “area of employment” in the Planning Act and “employment areas” in the Provincial Policy Statement 2020
Any requests to change an employment area designation to a different land use designation must meet rigorous tests
Those requests can only take place during a municipal comprehensive review, and
The decision by council on such requests may not be appealed. Council’s decision is final.

With a new, different definition coming into effect on October 20, 2024, some lands within the town’s employment areas will no longer meet the definition and this could impact the status of the town’s employment areas as protected.

If employment areas are not protected, it makes it much more difficult to ensure that the town will meet its long term employment needs as the town grows, which will challenge the development of Oakville as a complete community.

Urban Structure Map Showing Employment Areas

Statutory public meeting: October 15, 2024

The Town of Oakville brought forward Official Plan Amendments (OPA) to implement the provincial transition provision in the Planning Act for changes to employment areas. There was a statutory public meeting and recommendation meeting at the Town of Oakville Planning and Development Council on October 15, 2024, and the OPAs were adopted.

The OPAs will not go into effect until the last date for filing a notice of appeal has passed and no appeals were received or after all appeals have been resolved.

Official Plan Amendments (OPAs)

On Tuesday, October 15, 2024, Town Council passed by-laws 2024-143, 2024-244 and 2024-145, which adopted Official Plan Amendments 068, 332 as modified, and 333, respectively. The purpose of the OPAs is to preserve the town’s protected employment areas pending completion of an employment area review. The review will inform how the town will implement the new provincial direction regarding employment areas.

Without the OPAs as proposed, the town’s employment areas could be reduced, impacting the town’s long-term employment land needs.

Draft OPAs

The OPAs, as adopted, will do the following:

Restrict uses in the official plan policies that do not meet the new provincial definition for “area of employment”;
Allow all lands in the town’s employment areas to continue as an “area of employment” even if there are uses that are not included in the new provincial definition, so long as those uses were established before October 20, 2024;
Allow the town to continue to review requests to convert lands within employment areas to a different land use designation through a comprehensive process that applies the tests under Section 2.8.2.5 of the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024;
Make sure that Council’s decision on requests to convert lands within employment areas to a different land use designation continue to be final, meaning they may not be appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal;
Preserve the town’s employment areas as protected so that the town has time to complete an employment area review to determine the best location for the town’s employment areas and only allow the reduction of the town’s employment areas through a comprehensive process;
Allow the town to have regard in its long- and short-term planning decisions to provincial interests related to employment, economic development and growth management; and
Ensure that the town’s employment areas that connect to employment areas within neighbouring municipalities (Burlington, Mississauga and Milton) remain protected and any changes in land use are based on a review that is comprehensive and coordinated with those municipalities.

The proposed policies will apply to the town’s employment areas within:

Lands in the Employment Area designations of Office Employment, Business Employment, Industrial and Business Commercial in the Livable Oakville Plan
Lands designated as Employment District in the North Oakville East and West Secondary Plans

These employment areas include land:

South of Highway 407
West and east of Highway 403
North and south of the Queen Elizabeth Way
North and south of Royal Windsor Drive
Review the Urban Structure Map (pdf). Employment Areas are identified in blue.

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