April 7, 1998
(Municipal and Provincial Affairs)

The following statement was issued today by Art Reid, Minister of Municipal and Provincial Affairs. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Decision on St. John's municipal plan amendment for Mount Cashel property

I rise today to inform the House that I have decided to reject the report of my commissioner on the Plan Amendment adopted by the St. John's City Council for the Mount Cashel property and to approve the amendment as requested by the City Council.

The city amendment to its municipal plan went through the normal public hearing process. The commissioner appointed to report on the hearing recommended the amendment not be approved. However, City Council voted to request me to reject that recommendation and approve the amendment. I have acceded to that request. It is my responsibility under the Urban and Rural Planning Act to take a decision on municipal councils' requests for approval of their plan amendments.

Several times in the past few years I have taken similar action to reject reports from my hearing commissioners on municipal plan amendments. Although this doesn't happen in the typical case of a municipal plan amendment, from time to time, the circumstances are such that the commissioner and the council involved do not, in the end, agree on the wisdom of a particular amendment. Examples of situations where I have acceded to council requests and approved plan amendments against the recommendations of the commissioners involved include an amendment for Deer Lake [bars in Town Centre] in September 1996; one for St.John's [commercial site on Hunt's Lane] in July 1995; and one for Mount Pearl [art gallery] in June 1996.

It is not appropriate for me to hold in abeyance the St. John's amendment or others in process while the amendment to the Urban and Rural Planning Act recently initiated by government proceeds through consideration by the House. That amendment would enable municipalities to approve changes in their municipal plans without provincial approval.