Greenbelt Plan (2017).

The Greenbelt Plan 2017 (firstly introduced in 2005) is the cornerstone of Ontario's Greater Golden Horseshoe Growth Plan (Growth Plan) which is the Ontario government’s overarching strategy for growth that provides guidance on where and how future growth should be accommodated and what must be protected for current and future generations. The Greenbelt Plan, together with the Niagara Escarpment Plan (NEP) and the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (ORMCP) identifies where urbanization should not occur in the region to provide permanent protection to the agricultural land base and the ecological and hydrological features, areas and functions occurring on this landscape. Section 2 describes the lands governed by the Greenbelt Plan, which include the NEP Area, the Oak Ridges Moraine Area, the Parkway Belt West Plan Area, lands designated as Urban River Valley and lands designated as Protected Countryside in this Plan. It describes how lands in the three other provincial plans and lands designated as Urban River Valley are affected by this Plan, and that lands designated as Protected Countryside within the Greenbelt Area are subject to the entire Greenbelt Plan except section 6.
The Greenbelt Plan’s goals are distinguished into 1) Protected Countryside goals, and 2) Urban River Valley goals. Under Protected Countryside goals the Greenbelt Plan identifies the specific matters protected by the Plan: protection of the specialty crop area land base while allowing agriculture-supportive infrastructure and value-added uses necessary for sustainable agricultural uses and activities; maintenance and enhancement of natural heritage, hydrologic and landform features; protection and restoration of natural and open space connections; protection of the quality and quantity of ground and surface water and the hydrological integrity of watersheds; supporting infrastructure which achieves the social and economic aims of the Greenbelt Plan and the Growth Plan and improves integration with land use planning while seeking to minimize environmental impacts; integrating climate change considerations into planning.
Make agriculture more productive and sustainable is embedded in the protection countryside goals of the Greenbelt Plan. As example, the document aims at: allowing agriculture-supportive infrastructure and value-added uses necessary for sustainable agricultural uses and activities; protecting prime agricultural areas by preventing further fragmentation and loss of the agricultural land base caused; Increasing certainty for the agricultural sector to foster long-term investment in the agri-food network and improvement to and management of the agricultural land base; enhancing the strengths of the Agricultural System, including through consideration for the impacts of development on agriculture and planning for local food and near-urban agriculture.
The Greenbelt Plan contains as well provisions aimed at making agriculture more inclusive and efficient; e.g. flexibility to allow for agricultural, agriculture-related and on-farm diversified uses, normal farm practices and an evolving agricultural and rural economy.
Climate change resilience is a key objective of the Greenbelt Plan; Integrating climate change considerations into planning and managing growth that includes incorporating techniques to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the resilience of settlement areas and infrastructure within the Greenbelt.