Introduced under the Places to Grow Act in 2005, the Plan was approved by the Lieutenant Governor in Council and enacted on June 16, 2006.
Administered by the Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure (MOI), the plan identifies density and intensification targets, urban growth centres, strategic employment areas, and settlement area restrictions designed to mitigate negative environmental, economic, and human health impacts associated with sprawling, uncoordinated growth in the region.
This period was initially characterized by governance reforms aimed at reducing provincial involvement in land use planning and funding of urban infrastructure such as public transit in Ontario.
[3] A combination of business and municipal concerns over the negative economic impacts of traffic congestion, rising costs of suburban infrastructure maintenance, and increased citizen opposition to development on the Oak Ridges Moraine pushed the Harris government to re-engage in land use planning.
The Strong Communities platform of the Liberal Party of Ontario was formulated in "direct response to both public and expert pressures to combat the economic, social, and environmental problems associated with suburban expansion.
"[5] (Eidelman 2010, p. 1214) It promised the introduction of policies and legislation that would: create a 600,000 acre Greenbelt in the GGH; direct infrastructure investments to support compact growth in existing city centres and urban nodes; and articulate a long-term growth management strategy for the GGH taking into account population and employment projections while protecting areas of agriculture, ecological, and recreational significance.
[3] The Liberal Party won the 2003 provincial election and Eidelman argues this may be due in large part to their addressing growing anti-sprawl sentiment among critical suburban voters at the time.
The complementary Greenbelt Plan restricts development in more than 700,000 hectares of "protected countryside" surrounding the "inner ring" of built up area in the GGH.
The plan sets out a vision for the GGH to be a great place to live in 2031, have a clean and healthy environment, strong economy and social equity, and easy travel through an integrated transportation network.
The Plan stresses the importance of building Complete Communities, whether urban or rural, which offer housing and services to meet the needs of people at all stages of life.
The policies establish intensification and density targets for areas throughout the GGH, and expectations for conformity to the Plan and accommodation of growth forecasts.
The sections on "Natural Systems", "Prime Agricultural Areas", and "Mineral Aggregate Resources" all include policies for coordination between the MOI and other CM, municipalities and other relevant stakeholders.
Added as an amendment in 2012, the policies in this section direct a significant portion of growth within the Simcoe Sub-area to communities where development can be most effectively serviced.
Municipalities that fall under jurisdiction of the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe were subsequently designated in Ontario Regulation 416/05.
From this, it can be observed that there is a wide variation in the level of municipal compliance and commitment to the policies and goals outlined in the Growth Plan.
It is also worth noting that OPA 39 contains provisions for potentially meeting the Growth Plan intensification target of 40% of new residential development taking place within the 2006 built-up area, prior to the deadline of 2015 (s.2.4.5.1).
Sustainable Vaughan argued that the proposed development outside the Growth Plan settlement area did not meet the prescribed provincial criteria for urban boundary expansion.
These criticisms have generally centred on the topics of density, the urban growth boundary, transportation, and more recently, the Simcoe Sub-area Amendment.
Because this trend is already occurring in many parts of the GTA, many argue that this target does little to challenge existing growth patterns and is likely too low to result in an effective reduction in sprawl.
[16][17][18] Similar criticisms have been directed towards the Plan's minimum density target of 50 residents plus jobs per hectare for greenfield development areas.
Pembina argues that this provision is too generous and runs contrary to the overarching urban containment goals of the Growth Plan.
A report published by the Federation of Rental-Housing Providers of Ontario suggested that the Growth Plan must do more to facilitate intensification in built up areas, as well as allow increased densities, to mitigate impacts on housing affordability.
The Pembina Institute's analysis of the Growth Plan has suggested that the minimum greenfield development density target of 50 residents plus jobs per hectare is barely sufficient to justify provincial investment in public transit infrastructure in these areas.
[22] In the meantime, the Greenbelt Alliance has made recommendations for rural communities to engage in forms of "social transportation", such as corporate vanpooling and fixed route taxis in order to encourage growth toward densities that could later support more substantial provincial investment in public transit systems.
[21] Given the sensitive ecology of the Lake Simcoe watershed, proximity of the greenbelt, and the region's predilection for uncoordinated urban sprawl, concerns around the amendment have largely been related to increased environmental impacts.
A report from the Greenbelt Alliance states that this will undermine the Growth Plan's intention to curb sprawl and create complete communities, because it encourages greenfield development in isolation from existing settlement areas and infrastructure.
This could lead to more roadways traversing the greenbelt to connect commuters from low-density urban settlements in the County of Simcoe to employment centres in "inner ring" municipalities like Toronto.
[22] Interest groups, such as the STORM Coalition, are concerned that the proposed Highway 400 employment corridor is counterintuitive to the "complete communities" concept of the Places to Grow Act and Growth Plan.
An EIA is needed to determine what effects development of the Highway 400 employment corridor might have on the fragile ecology of the Lake Simcoe watershed, given the scale of new infrastructure required to support this project.
Studies have shown that development targets in the amended Growth Plan could result in an additional 14,328 kg of phosphorus entering Lake Simcoe every year.