Regulations under this Act:
O. Reg. 1/02 Designation of the Oak Ridges Moraine area
O. Reg. 369/06 Hearings conducted by a hearing officer
O. Reg. 141/02 Municipalities that are required to prepare and adopt official plan amendments under subsection 9 (2) of the act
O. Reg. 140/02 Oak Ridges Moraine conservation plan
The Oak Ridges Moraine, a land mass extending 160 km from the Niagara Escarpment to Rice Lake and covering a geographic area of 1,900 square kilometres, is more than 90 percent privately owned, with a population of more than 100,000. It crosses 32 municipalities, supplies drinking water to more than 250,000 people, and supports related agricultural, industrial, commercial and recreational uses. The Act establishes the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, which recognizes the need for provincial regulation of the many complex land use issues on the moraine, in order to preserve the health and diversity of its green spaces.
The Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan is a broad planning framework that sets firm boundaries around settled areas, identifies and protects “natural core areas” and “natural linkage areas”, and sets aside agricultural land and other land uses in rural areas. The Plan focuses on protecting watersheds, forests, wetlands and farmland, and is the catalyst for what has come to be termed "smart growth" across Ontario.
The main difference between the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and other similar legislation is in how this Plan is to be implemented. Unlike, for example, the Niagara Escarpment Plan, which is overseen by a provincially-funded and administered agency (the Niagara Escarpment Commission), the moraine legislation establishes municipalities as the primary implementers and sets out a timetable for municipalities to bring their official plans and zoning by-laws into conformity with the Plan's policies. After this 12- to 18-month period, all planning decisions and approvals are the responsibility of the municipality and must comply with the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan.
The objectives of the Plan are,
(a) protecting the ecological and hydrological integrity of the Oak Ridges Moraine Area;
(b) ensuring that only land and resource uses that maintain, improve or restore the ecological and hydrological functions of the Oak Ridges Moraine Area are permitted;
(c) maintaining, improving or restoring all the elements that contribute to the ecological and hydrological functions of the Oak Ridges Moraine Area, including the quality and quantity of its water and its other resources;
(d) ensuring that the Oak Ridges Moraine Area is maintained as a continuous natural landform and environment for the benefit of present and future generations;
(e) providing for land and resource uses and development that are compatible with the other objectives of the Plan;
(f) providing for continued development within existing urban settlement areas and recognizing existing rural settlements;
(g) providing for a continuous recreational trail through the Oak Ridges Moraine Area that is accessible to all including persons with disabilities;
(h) providing for other public recreational access to the Oak Ridges Moraine Area.