Manitoba Local Government
Strengthening Manitoba's Capital Region
General Principles and Policy Directions
— A Public Discussion Paper —
1. Introduction
Over the years, numerous studies and reports dealing with Winnipeg and its region have been completed. The most recent one is the Capital Region Review Panel's Final Report released in December of 1999. The provincial government responded to the Panel's report in January 2001, with the release of a position paper entitled: Planning Manitoba's Capital Region: Next Steps. Copies are available by mail or from the Capital Region Web Site. Both addresses are on the back cover of this document.
In Next Steps, the provincial government outlined a number of issues related to the Capital Region and identified a provincial ten-point action plan to address them. Among these actions, the government stated it would 'take the lead in developing planning policies that better address the growth management issues facing the Capital Region', and that it would 'appoint a Regional Planning Advisory Committee to assist in stimulating public discussion and to provide advice on regional planning policies'. On September 20, 2001, the provincial government announced the appointment of the Regional Planning Advisory Committee (RPAC).
As stated in RPAC's Guiding Principles (see Section 2.1), the provincial government is the only government with a direct legal and political mandate to ensure the economic, physical and social health of the region. The provincial government should, therefore, provide policy direction and coordination over significant aspects of development within the Region. The real issue is the nature of provincial involvement, its timing and its consequences. Consultation and collaboration among governments is desirable, as is the assignment, in the clearest possible terms, of responsibility and accountability for actions and results.
1.2 Who Are The Regional Planning Advisory Committee (RPAC) Members?
Paul Thomas, Chair
Mayor R. S. "Bud" Oliver
Mayor Bob Stefaniuk
Deputy Mayor Lillian Thomas
Cathy Auld
Nick Carter
Eleanor Thompson
For background on RPAC members, see Appendix B.
The Regional Planning Advisory Committee's (RPAC's) task is to undertake community consultations in order to gain public and stakeholder input into potential planning policies which better address growth management issues facing the Capital Region.
The RPAC will prepare a report on its findings for the Minister of Manitoba Local Government by the summer of 2002. The report will be considered by the Province in developing a policy plan for the Capital Region.
In accordance with the issues identified in the Province's Next Steps document and its terms of reference, the RPAC is outlining in this discussion paper a potential framework of principles and policy directions for public and stakeholder consideration.
1.4 What is the Current Capital Region?
Manitoba's Capital Region is a geographical area, which includes Manitoba's capital city and the municipalities in the Winnipeg region. The Capital Region is not a legal entity, it is not a government, and it does not have any governmental or administrative responsibilities or capabilities.
The provincial government initially defined the Capital Region in the early 1990s to include the following 16 municipalities (see Map C1 in Appendix C). The boundaries have remained the same since then:
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The provincial government has indicated it will consider altering the outer boundaries of the Capital Region based on public and stakeholder consultations, and on the advice of the RPAC (see Section 2.6 for further discussion of this topic).
1.5 RPAC's Consultation Process
One of the principal mandates of the RPAC is to consult with the public and a wide variety of groups with interests in the Capital Region.
The RPAC began its deliberations in late September of 2001. Since that time the committee has met individually with 15 of the Capital Region municipalities including the City of Winnipeg. In addition, it has met with a number of non-government and government experts in related fields. These consultations were intended to provide background and context for the preparation of this discussion paper. The dialogue on the future of the Capital Region is now being widened. The RPAC will now hold a series of public meetings (see Public Participation).
1.6 Other Reports Being Reviewed
A number of reports and studies have been completed in past years. Some are directly related to the Capital Region, others are only indirectly related and others apply to regional planning in general.
Among the reports reviewed by the RPAC are: Applying Manitoba's Capital Region Policies (1996), The Consultation on Sustainable Development Initiative (COSDI) Report (1999), The Capital Region Review Panel Final Report (1999), The Finding Common Ground Report from the Livestock Stewardship Panel (2001), The Drinking Water Report (2001) and the Manitoba and Climate Change Report (2001). These reports are all available on the Capital Region Web Site.
Numerous other reports, documents and studies related to regional planning have also been identified and reviewed including a number of regional planning models in locations such as: Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Oregon, Minnesota, Colorado, Maryland, Wisconsin, Ohio, New York, and others.
In further support of this initiative, the provincial government is also undertaking other research and preparing background material as part of this Capital Region planning process and will publish these reports both in hard copy and on the Capital Region Web Site as they become available.
Other related documents, reports and studies, both current and historic, are also available on the Capital Region Web Site.
When the provincial government announced the Capital Region initiative in January 2001, it outlined a process that would be followed to develop and adopt a policy plan for the Capital Region.
The provincial government has indicated it will take into account the background research and material it has gathered, public and stakeholder input and the report and advice of the RPAC in drafting a regional policy plan. A draft plan is expected to be released by the provincial government to the public in the Fall/Winter 2002/03. Subsequently, the draft plan is expected to go through a final round of public review before being formally adopted by the provincial government.
When adopted by the provincial government, the new regional policy plan may be applied to the region in a manner similar to the current Provincial Land Use Policies which are a regulation under The Planning Act. That is, the plan could provide a set of guidelines for the Province, municipalities, planning districts, developers, the public and other stakeholders, to use in the preparation and review of development plan by-laws in the region. It should reflect a coherent regional approach to planning and development and should express the provincial land and resource interests in the region. Eventually, municipal and planning district development plans should be consistent with this new regional planning framework.
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For more information contact capitalregion@gov.mb.ca |
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