Hamburger Menu Button
Link to Search Page
Collapse Expand Button
September 21 and 22
2 days, 2 disciplines, 2 ways to participate – defining our professional roles and uniting to build more equitable, accessible and inspired communities.
#2GETHER2022
A typical municipal process seeks to gain the support of city staff, councilors, stakeholders, and the general public. Final approvals are subject to a vote by council, which requires political support. From municipality to municipality, these same processes can unfold in very different ways. The instrument of a MZO gives power to the Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs (MMAH) to directly zone land, pursuant to section 47(1) of the Planning Act. An Enhanced Minister’s Zoning Order (EMZO) as per section 47(4.3) provides additional power to the Minister through the site plan process. The MZO circumvents typical municipal processes and, in doing so, can “ruffle feathers” locally. However, in the context of the pandemic era, there is increasing public support for quick action on health care, which may make the politics of a more top-down approach for health-care infrastructure less objectionable than usual. In a provincial environment that is increasingly comfortable with proceeding via these top-down processes, understanding key considerations and the impacts on the public perception of a health-care project (as well as on our profession) is important. This presentation explores the unique planning approaches to three recent significant hospital expansion projects in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) – one through a “typical” municipal approvals process and two through comparable (but unique) municipal/provincial processes that involved Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZO). Through our professional responsibilities as lead land use planners, DIALOG will draw upon its experience to discuss comparative assessments of the following major health-care projects and their respective approvals processes regarding community perspectives, alignment with municipal zoning requirements, risks to project schedules and associated costs, political support, among others: