MANDATE

LORAPON is composed of senior planning policy staff of major municipalities in Ontario. LORAPON meets quarterly and reports through the Regional Planning Commissioners of Ontario. The broad mandate of LORAPON is threefold:

1. To monitor and respond to emerging planning policy issues in Ontario and beyond.
2. To exchange and share ideas, approaches and initiatives, and to look for opportunities to co-ordinate efforts.
3. To jointly undertake practical workplan initiatives that will advance understanding and action on planning issues.

The scope of LORAPON'S work is broad incorporating rural, environmental, city building, economic and growth management issues across the Province. LORAPON actively seeks to work with the Province of Ontario, other jurisdictions and non-profit agencies and interest groups.

Adopted January 22, 2002

PRODUCTS

LORAPON has prepared a number of documents on behalf of RPCO dealing with key planning issues.
         Centres and Corridors
         Oak Ridges Moraine
         Agriculture

CURRENT TOPICS

LORAPON is currently working on a number of planning issues. It is anticipated that this research will result in position papers in the near future.

Population and Employment Forecast
Every 5 years for the last 15 years LORAPON has worked with the Province of Ontario to produce common forecasts that can be used for planning purposes across the GTA. An updated set of population and employment forecasts is anticipated to be completed in late 2004.

Centres and Corridors Monitoring
Measuring success in developing Centres and Corridors is essential in determining the success of policy. LORAPON is investigating ways to measure intensified in levels and geographic concentration.

Land Budgeting
York Region presented an analysis of vacant residential land supply to LORAPON on Feb 17, 2006, available for download below.

Download:  York Region Vacant Residential Unit Supply.pdf  (3,154 kb)

Employment Lands
LORAPON together with the GTA Economic Development Partnership is investigating ways to better document the amount and location of vacant employment land. An investigation of this sort is valuable in formulating economic policy and preparing for forecasted employment growth.

Natural Heritage System Policy
The City of Hamilton's Targeted Natural Heritage System Study Presentation, presented to LORAPON on February 17, 2006, is available by request from Cathy Plosz, cplosz@hamilton.ca , 905-546-2424 x.1231

Other topics LORAPON has recently dealt with are nodes in the GTA, and the implementation of the Oak Ridges Moraine legislation.