Provincial government intends to introduce legislation on local land use planning this fall
This fall, the Manitoba government intends to introduce new legislation that will allow municipalities to decide whether they wish to participate in the capital planning region process, Premier Wab Kinew and Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Ian Bushie recently announced.
Plan 20-50 was developed under the previous provincial government's Planning Amendment and City of Winnipeg Charter Amendment Act (Bill 37). The plan was designed to serve as a long-term strategy for Winnipeg and 18 surrounding municipalities.
Since then, the current provincial government has heard from representatives from municipalities and has chosen to proceed with legislation making membership in Plan 20-50 voluntary, Kinew said in a news release of the Manitoba government.
The current government is collaborating with communities such as Selkirk, Niverville, and Stonewall with the objective of advancing economic growth and housing development suiting the specific needs of communities, Kinew added.
“This is about giving municipalities the freedom to make their own planning decisions, rather than force them into a planning region that isn’t working,” said Kinew in the news release.
Bushie also criticized the former administration for pushing Bill 37 without working together with the affected municipalities. He emphasized the importance of hearing out and respecting local government and leaders, who could make their own decisions on behalf of their communities.
“We know the best way to build up communities across the province is to partner with them to help build up infrastructure, create more good jobs and invest in services like health care,” said Bushie in the news release. “Manitoba families want to see us work together to deliver for them and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Bushie added that the provincial government would share more information on the planned legislation upon its introduction before the house this fall.
Background of Bill 37
Bill 37 was part of the third session of the 42nd Manitoba Legislature. The bill sought to establish a capital planning region covering the Winnipeg metropolitan area, with other planning regions potentially being implemented through regulation.
According to the bill, a planning region should establish a regional planning by-law, which would guide land use planning for that region. More generally, the regional planning by-law would inform development plans, secondary plans, and zoning by-laws of the region’s planning districts and municipalities.
Regulation would establish the composition of the planning region’s municipal board, which should include at least one representative of each of the region’s municipalities, pursuant to the bill.
Under the bill, the municipal board would have the authority to consider appeals of land use decisions made by either a planning district, a municipality, or a planning commission. The municipal board would also have jurisdiction over claims that a planning district or a municipality failed to deal with an application in a timely manner.
