Toronto City Hall
100 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
Attention: Nancy Martins
RE: PH14.1 – Employment Area Land Use Permissions – Decision Report – Approval (OPA 680)
Dear Chair, Councillor Gord Perks, and Members, Planning and Housing Committee,
This is to indicate our support for the staff report and the recommendation for City Council to adopt Official Plan Amendment 680 which amends various Employment Area related policies to bring the Official Plan into alignment with the provincial definition of “area of employment” in the Planning Act, as amended by Bill 97 – Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act.
The Leaside Business Park is the employment area closest to Toronto’s downtown and it is in Toronto’s best interests to preserve the employment area policies, and the businesses and jobs that these maintain.
Bill 97 amends the definition of “area of employment” in the Planning Act by narrowing the scope of uses from what is currently permitted in an “area of employment”. In particular, it would expressly exclude from the definition all types of institutional uses and commercial uses, except for retail and office uses that are associated with manufacturing, warehousing, and research and development in connection with manufacturing.
City Council previously adopted OPA 668 to authorize the continuation of institutional and commercial uses expressly excluded by the amended definition of “area of employment” but which allowed uses to be transitioned by provisions introduced in the Planning Act by Bill 97.
The purpose and intent of the recommended OPA 680 (together with OPA 668) is to maintain the integrity and viability of the City’s finite Employment Areas. The current employment area conversion policies will continue to apply, protecting the City’s vital supply of employment areas which would be at risk of destabilization should the City take no action.
Geoff Kettel
Co-President, LRA
Annissa Rodriguez
President, LBPA
c.c. Office of Ward 15
Kyle Knoeck, Interim Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning
Jeffrey Cantos, Acting Director, Strategic Initiatives, Policy & Analysis, City Planning
Kyle Pakeman, Project Coordinator, Strategic Initiatives, Policy & Analysis, City Planning
Romas Juknevicius, Project Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Policy & Analysis, City Planning
Leaside Business Park Association
