2026 Proposal to revoke the Parkway Belt West Plan, 1978

The government is seeking public feedback on proposed legislative changes under the proposed Building Homes and Improving Transportation Infrastructure Act, 2026 and related regulatory changes to further support housing, economic, and infrastructure development, and advance key transportation and transit priorities.

To support the government’s initiative to streamline, reduce and eliminate municipal and provincial burden, and while providing continued, modernized protection for key infrastructure corridors across a growing region, the government is proposing to revoke the Parkway Belt West Plan (the “Plan” or “PBWP”) and the remaining portions of its 5 associated Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs). 

The PBWP is Ontario’s first provincial land use plan. Originally created in 1978, its goals were to reserve land for multi-purpose utility corridors, to act as an urban separator and provide a linked open space system across the Greater Toronto Area. It stretches 120 km from the City of Hamilton to the City of Markham.

The Plan has been successful in protecting infrastructure corridors for transportation and electricity transmission and open space systems, many of which have now been built (e.g., Highways 403, 407 and an inter-urban transitway) and  included throughout municipal planning. Regional growth in the GTA and Greater Golden Horseshoe is now managed by various provincially and municipally led policy and plan initiatives (e.g., the Provincial Planning Statement (PPS), 2024 and municipal Official Plans).  

With these updates and changes, the PBWP has become increasingly outdated, or is overlapping other jurisdictional planning work, and does not reflect Ontario’s current land use planning policy framework.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is seeking further feedback on its proposal to revoke the PBWP, to support the government’s commitment to streamline, reduce, and eliminate burdens.

Current and additional provincial initiatives will also allow for a seamless transition away from the PBWP, while maintaining important land use protections (see below).

Under subsection 4(8) of the Ontario Planning and Development Act, 1994, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing may, with the approval of the Lieutenant Governor in Council, by order, revoke the plan.

Context 

The PBWP was originally created by Order-in-Council under the authority of the Parkway Belt Planning and Development Act, 1978. The Plan is now under the jurisdiction of the Ontario Planning and Development Act, 1994.  

The Plan is located within the Parkway Belt West Planning Area which was originally established under Ontario Regulation 472/73 and is generally shown on Map 1 of the Plan (see supporting materials).

In 1973, fourteen MZOs were put in place to identify and protect lands by specifying permitted uses and standards to support the implementation of the Plan. Currently, portions of five MZOs remain, as municipalities have brought their local zoning by-laws into conformity with the Plan over time.

In 2022, the government consulted on a proposal to revoke the Plan (ERO 019-6167), because it had become outdated relative to more up-to-date provincial plans that support the same goals with more current policy. It had increasingly become a burden due to the amendment process and the hundreds of amendments that have been made to it, and to the MZOs, to-date. 

Since significant time has passed since 2022, the government is re-launching a consultation on the proposal to revoke the PBWP and its five associated MZOs, to ensure that the most current and relevant feedback is being considered. To be responsive to the previous consultation the 2022 feedback has been integrated into this posting with more clarity around the impacts of the proposal.

Implementation of the Plan

Municipalities’ Official Plans and local zoning by-laws reflect the policies and mapping of the Plan and MZOs in most cases. The Ministry supports municipalities with the implementation of the Plan and its associated MZOs through interpretation of Plan policies and mapping, and MZOs, given the complexity that has resulted from the number of amendments made over the last forty years. 

Anyone with land in the PBWP can apply to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to amend or revoke areas of the Plan and MZOs. Plan amendments can include policy and/or land use changes, re-designations or removals of land. MZO amendments are often made for the removal of land or to change development standards (i.e., setbacks, re-building and lot coverage). The application process has created additional burden with the layer of provincial approvals required for amendments to an outdated plan, resulting in confusion and added time and costs at all levels.

Current Policy Context 

Over the years, provincial legislation, land use policies, like the PPS 2024 and other provincial plans, set out up-to-date policy frameworks, resulting in the PBWP becoming outdated and redundant.  Policies in the PPS 2024 establish long term protection for infrastructure corridors, planning for future growth needs, long-term protection of natural heritage and natural features, long-term protection of agriculture, and encouraging designations of parks and open space. 

As a result, most municipalities in the PBWP have updated their Official Plans to conform with PBWP policies, meaning the Plan’s policies are being implemented at the local level and unnecessarily repeated at the Provincial level. Because of the overlap, the more current provincial land use plans and local level planning mitigate the risk of having planning gaps if the PBWP and MZOs are to be revoked.

Meeting the Plan Goals into the Future

Since it was implemented, the Plan has been successful in protecting transportation and utility corridors for important projects (e.g., Hwy 403, Hwy 407, transitway corridors, electricity infrastructure corridors), many of which were completed in past decades. Because of Ontario’s recent exceptional population increase, the government is continuing to prioritize land needs for potential infrastructure to support growth. Policy 3.3.1 of the PPS 2024 protects transportation and infrastructure corridors by requiring that planning authorities plan for and protect corridors and rights-of-way for infrastructure, including transportation, transit, and electricity generation facilities and transmission systems to meet current and projected needs.

Meeting Transportation Needs and the Movement of Goods

The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) will continue to plan for transportation projects to support the movement of goods and people across the province. With the revocation of the PBWP, MTO will rely on policies in the PPS 2024 requiring municipalities to protect for planned transportation corridors (e.g., active or completed study, or through a provincial transportation plan such as Connecting the GGH: A Transportation Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe). Projects which have undergone a completed Environmental Assessment process will be further protected through designation under MTO’s Public Transportation and Highways Improvement Act.

Meeting Electricity Needs Cost-Effectively 

The Ministry of Energy and Mines is also protecting lands for critical electricity transmission infrastructure by proposing the Parkway Belt Transmission Corridor Study together with the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO). This study was recommended by the IESO, the Provincial power system planner and operator, and signalled in Energy for Generations, the Government’s first integrated energy plan, published in June 2025. 

The objective of the study is to identify a corridor of land to be preserved in the long term to ensure timely and cost-effective development of transmission infrastructure that will be needed to enhance the flow of electricity into and through the Greater Toronto Area, where rapid urban growth is increasing electricity demand and limiting opportunities for new transmission infrastructure. 

Launching a consultation on the Parkway Belt Transmission Corridor triggers land protection policies in the PPS 2024, preventing land within the corridor study area from being developed in a way that would preclude future transmission infrastructure.

Once a corridor has been identified for preservation, infrastructure projects will be recommended by the IESO through its planning processes and implemented by utility companies to meet growing electricity needs.

Meeting Environmental and Open Space Protection Needs 

The Plan has also provided protection for open space, which is now protected by other, more current provincial land use plans in overlapping geographies, including the PPS 2024, the Greenbelt Plan, and the Niagara Escarpment Plan. Locally, municipalities also provide protection through their Official Plan policies and Zoning By-laws.

In tandem, to eliminate planning gaps, the Ministry of Natural Resources will initiate a consultation to amend Regulation 826 (Designation of the Area of Development Control) under the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act. The amendment would include the lands in the municipality of Burlington that are part of a MZO associated with the PBWP and are within the Niagara Escarpment Plan Area. The Area of Development Control would be amended to include these lands to ensure development continues to be assessed against Niagara Escarpment Plan policies. This change may require a permit from the Niagara Escarpment Commission for development, change of use, or site alteration within the area of the Burlington MZO.

Maintaining Provincial Land for Government Priorities and Revenue Opportunities

The Ministry of Infrastructure (MOI) owns and manages 33% of the PBWP lands with Infrastructure Ontario. The Ministry plans to conduct research and analysis on MOI-controlled PBWP lands to ensure that they are being leveraged efficiently while uses remain consistent with land use planning policy and legislation. 

Parkway Belt West Plan’s Goals and Land Use Designations 

The Plan is comprised of both policies and maps and is supported by associated MZOs in some cases.

The Plan was originally created with four goals: 

1. Provide separation and definition of urban area boundaries;
2. Create links between urban areas by providing space for movement of people, goods, energy, and information (e.g., Hwy 407, inter-urban transit);
3. Provide a land reserve for future linear facilities (e.g., transmission corridors); and,
4. Provide a system of open space and recreational facilities (e.g., public open space, golf driving ranges).

There are two general land use designations in the Plan:

1. Public Use Areas:
   • Mainly for infrastructure (Utility, Electric Power Facility, Roads, Inter-Urban Transit) and open space;
   • Generally, reflects areas where infrastructure has been built.
2. Complementary Use Areas:
   • Mainly for uses that help preserve open spaces and encourage agricultural, recreational, and institutional land uses.

Other related information

Should the PBWP be revoked, the remaining associated MZOs would also need to be revoked at the same time. A parallel consultation is taking place on this part of the proposal. The ERO can be found here.

The proposal is in coordination with a related regulatory amendment by the Ministry of Natural Resources to include specific lands in Burlington within the Area of Development Control (Regulation 826 under the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act).

Additionally, the proposal is in coordination with the proposed Parkway Belt Transmission Study corridor, which will protect corridors for critical electricity infrastructure through the GTA, including lands currently designated through the PBWP.

The government welcomes your feedback on the proposed revocation of the PBWP, associated MZOs, and related partner-ministry initiatives.  The following questions may assist in your feedback on the proposal:

1. What are your thoughts on the proposal to revoke the PBWP and five associated MZOs?
2. What potential municipal concerns and impacts (e.g., on local zoning) are there with respect to revoking the remaining MZOs?