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March 22, 2000
(Municipal and Provincial Affairs)


New Urban and Rural Planning Act

Joan Marie Aylward, Minister of Municipal and Provincial Affairs, announced today that a new Urban and Rural Planning Act will be introduced in the House of Assembly during the current session.

The new legislation represents the second instalment on the department�s major review of municipal legislation and follows the recent proclamation of the new Municipalities Act. "We believe it is important to provide municipalities with the tools they need to govern effectively, including progressive legislation," said the minister.

Among other things, the new Urban and Rural Planning Act will provide for the development of provincial land use policies, the undertaking of regional planning at the local level, and greater autonomy to municipalities for the development and approval of their own planning policies.

Local decision-making will be enhanced, as municipalities will be required to carry out a public consultation process as part of the development of planning strategies and implementing development regulations. This will provide more opportunity for public input and more information to help councils make final decisions.

The expropriation provisions available to municipalities will be streamlined by consolidating the current provisions, which are found both in the Municipalities Act and the Urban and Rural Planning Act, to one provision in the new legislation.

The minister said the new legislation will be more user friendly and was developed after a comprehensive review process by the department and a consultation with the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Municipalities and the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Municipal Administrators. "The new act will allow more autonomy for municipalities which will empower them to make decisions on a local level to better meet the future challenges in their communities. In addition, I am committed to consulting with stakeholders and to introducing a new Municipal Elections Act in time for the municipal general elections in 2001," said the minister.

Media contact: Glenn Bruce, Communications, (709) 729-1983.

2000 03 22 


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