Unlocking Economic Opportunity

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The focus was to examine ways in which the framework could be used to help incent economic growth across Ontario and, in particular, leverage land-use planning in a way that better reflects the disparity between communities inside the Greenbelt, part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and those outside of it in the so-called Outer Ring. The paper identifies a number of barriers and accelerators contained within the current framework and makes recommendations on changes that could serve to strengthen the framework, create opportunities for local municipalities to work in partnership with the province to create jobs and achieve a better balance between economic and environmental drivers associated with growth management. The paper puts forward a cogent set of recommendations for policy changes that better reflect the disparity between Outer and Inner rings within the Greater Golden Horseshoe and suggests a complementary approach to planning that draws on the economic principles espoused by the revised Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) for those areas suffering from economic decline. The paper places these recommendations in the context of the wider agricultural and environmental objectives of Places to Grow and seeks to achieve a balance between growth management where it is needed and the promotion of growth where it has been lacking.

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