Dear Hon. Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, Hon. Rick Bartolucci, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Victor Severino, Housing and Assistant Deputy Minister (Growth Secretariat)

After documenting in great detail where, we believe, the Vaughan Official Plan is in conflict with the Places to Grow Act and does not meet the criteria for an urban boundary expansion under Provincially prescribed guidelines, Sustainable Vaughan and concerned citizens in the City of Vaughan are extremely disappointed that the Minister would approve York Region’s urban boundary expansion in Vaughan.

Our findings have been shared with Doug Brodhead, Policy Advisor – Planning from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Through our analysis of the City of Vaughan’s Official Plan, Sustainable Vaughan believes The Vaughan  Official Plan does not meet your own rules for an urban boundary expansion.

What is even more disheartening is the fact that there is no mechanism for reviewing the Official Plans of Municipalities by the Ministry. Instead the Ministry approves the Region’s Official Plans. Regional Official Plans do not contain the detail of how urban boundary expansions are meeting or not meeting the Places to Grow Act.

It is unfortunate that hardworking citizens are left to fight on behalf of Provincial legislation using their own time and resources when there was ample opportunity for the Province to act on its own legislation.