A Backdoor to Sprawl: How Quiet Motions Could Undermine the Oak Ridges Moraine
- Robert Brown
- May 23
- 6 min read
A call for “minor changes” could set off a major shift in land use protections.
The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville recently endorsed a resolution passed by the Township of Adjala-Tosorontio requesting a review of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (ORMCP) to allow for the creation of additional residential units within the Settlement Area designation of the Oak Ridges Moraine.
In that request lies a perplexing catch: there is nothing in the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act (ORMCA) or the ORMCP that prevents additional residential units within the moraine’s Settlement Areas. The motion passed by Adjala-Tosorontio—and now supported by Whitchurch-Stouffville—asks for provisions that are already allowed under existing land use planning law.
That leaves us with several troubling questions. Why is Adjala-Tosorontio asking for a review of activities that are already permitted? What does Whitchurch-Stouffville hope to achieve by endorsing this motion? What are the broader consequences? And perhaps most importantly, what do these municipalities stand to gain from requesting a review of the ORMCP?
The Situation in Adjala-Tosorontio
Brought to the floor by Councilor Anub Simson, the original resolution was contextualized as an attempt to bolster provincial housing starts by (1) supporting the creation of additional housing units on existing lots within settlement areas and (2) by providing equal access to the Canadian Secondary Suite Loan program launched by the Federal government.
The resolution by Adjala argues that residents living on the ORM are not permitted to build additional housing units and are therefore excluded from access to the Federal loan program. As the motion reads, residents on the ORM “are unable to take advantage of the Federal and Provincial incentives to build even a single ARU within their lots, either a basement suite or an ancillary garden suite on their properties, due to the current prohibition within the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act (1)."
This interpretation of the ORMCP is not only factually inaccurate but dangerously misleading. Technically and legally speaking, outside of the Natural Core and Linkage areas that comprise the natural heritage system of the moraine, the ORMCP’s definition of a single dwelling unit already includes both a primary residence and a secondary unit. These are the very forms of housing that Councilor Simson claims are disallowed.
These provisions were written into the plan to support things like multigenerational families and aging in place. Furthermore, the ORMCP does not prohibit the expansion of an existing building or structure, as long as the use is legal, the expansion reflects a preexisting use, and the work does not damage the ecological or hydrological integrity of the area.
Either Councilor Simson and his supporters on council do not fully understand the scope and application of the ORMCP, or they are attempting—under the guise of a housing motion—to open a backdoor that would allow urban sprawl to spill beyond Settlement Area boundaries and into some of the most ecologically and hydrologically sensitive areas of the ORM.
Why is Whitchurch-Stouville Endorsing this Motion?
If the ORMCP already permits the types of development that Adjala-Tosorontio is requesting, then it’s reasonable to suspect deeper motivations behind Whitchurch-Stouffville’s support.
Whitchurch-Stouffville is a municipality surrounded by the ORM and whose Council has spent much of the last decade trying to circumvent the plan's core protections. Between 2018 and 2021, Mayor Iain Lovatt pursued aggressive expansion along the Highway 404 corridor. In November 2023, the Town made an attempt to reclassify libraries, fire halls, and health care centres as infrastructure in order to develop them on prime agricultural land protected by the ORMCP. More recently, Whitchurch-Stouffville requested that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) approve a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) to permit the subdivision of a 2.4-hectare lot in the Countryside Area—an area where development fragmentation is explicitly restricted.
It’s this latter request that seems to be motivating Whitchurch-Stouffville’s endorsement of the Adjala resolution. If Adjala-Tosorontio can successfully lobby the province to allow for additional residential units, and if Whitchurch-Stouffville’s micro-MZO is approved, then one lot becomes two, and those two lots can each be developed to include three dwelling units. This opens the door to significant urban sprawl in areas where this style of development ought to be strictly controlled.
Why Now?
The obvious answer is probably the correct answer. In September 2023, at the height of the Greenbelt scandal, then-Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra announced the start of the mandated 10-year review of Ontario’s environmental land use protection plans: the Greenbelt Plan, the Niagara Escarpment Plan, and the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan.
It’s during this provincial review period that these protection plans can be opened, edited, and changed to meet emerging needs and threats.
Since then, the file has changed hands and is now under Minister Rob Flack. No further details have been shared about the scope, timeline, or process of the review.
At the same time, we are seeing signs that negotiations are already happening behind closed doors. Land use planning consultants have made public delegations referencing active talks with the province. Meanwhile, motions like those submitted by Adjala-Tosorontio and endorsed by Whitchurch-Stouffville are creating political pressure for policy changes—all without proper public consultation or transparent review.
What’s at Stake?
There are good economic, environmental, and cultural reasons to protect our rural communities from urban sprawl, especially on the Oak Ridges Moraine. From an economic standpoint, rural communities and agricultural lands are the backbone of Ontario’s local food systems. Sprawl increases demands on infrastructure—such as roads, sewer systems, and emergency services—that are both expensive to install and costly to maintain in low-density areas. These costs are passed on to rural taxpayers. At the same time, preserving farmland and rural economies helps maintain viable farming operations, supports local tourism, and sustains jobs without relying on urban-style development patterns.
From an environmental perspective, the Oak Ridges Moraine is one of the most ecologically significant features in southern Ontario. It filters and replenishes groundwater, moderates climate conditions, and provides critical habitat to hundreds of species. Residential sprawl disrupts these functions by replacing forests and farmlands with pavement, fragmenting habitats, and introducing pollutants into sensitive ecosystems. Once damaged, these natural systems are incredibly difficult—and often impossible—to restore. Protecting the Moraine from overdevelopment is essential to safeguarding drinking water, mitigating flooding, and ensuring climate resilience.
And culturally, it’s often forgotten that rural Southern Ontario is home to ways of life deeply rooted in stewardship, community, and land-based knowledge. The Oak Ridges Moraine’s landscapes are intertwined with Indigenous knowledge systems, settler histories, and multi-generational families. Urban sprawl erodes this identity, replacing rich cultural diversity with anonymous, homogeneous sprawl. Preserving our rural communities allows Ontario to retain its cultural heritage and ensures that future generations have the chance to connect with land, history, and place in meaningful ways.
Given the handling of the Greenbelt scandal, we at STORM are deeply concerned that the upcoming 10-year review is being—or will be—co-opted by developers, development lobbyists, their consultants, and the municipal officials who have aligned themselves with those interests.
The ORMCP is not red tape. It’s a land use plan designed to protect the region’s natural, social and cultural assets. The Oak Ridges Moraine is not a land bank waiting to be exploited, it’s a living, working landscape, a natural water system, and a cultural wellspring. What’s being presented as a modest, procedural request could quietly become a backdoor to exurban sprawl and irreversible environmental damage.
If you're a resident of Adjala-Tosorontio or Whitchurch-Stouffville, it's time to contact your MPP, your Mayor, and your Regional councillor (contacts below).
(1) Robin Reid, letter to Premier Doug Ford, March 20, 2025, Township of Adjala-Tosorontio, https://pub-townofws.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=11043.
Township of Adjala-Tosorontio Contact Directory
Name | Title | Contact Info | |
Scott W. Anderson | Mayor | 705-434-5055 ext. 260 |
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Julius Lachs | Deputy Mayor | 705-241-9140 |
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Anub Simson | Councillor, Ward 1 | 705-716-6714 |
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Bob Meadows | Councillor, Ward 2 | 705-984-9712 |
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Ronald O'Leary | Councillor, Ward 3 | 705-220-7264 |
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Miklos Borsos | Councillor, Ward 4 | 705-220-9584 |
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Adam Cox | Councillor, Ward 5 | 705-716-7923 |
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Brian Saunderson | MPP (Simcoe–Grey) |
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For a ward map, please click here
Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville Contact Directory
Name | Title | Contact Info |
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Iain Lovatt | Mayor |
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Hugo T. Kroon | Councillor, Ward 1 |
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Maurice Smith | Councillor, Ward 2 | (905) 640-1900 ex. 2102 |
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Keith Acton | Councillor, Ward 3 |
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Rick Upton | Councillor, Ward 4 |
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Richard Bartley | Councillor, Ward 5 | (905) 640-1900 ex. 2105 |
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Sue Sherban | Councillor, Ward 6 | (905) 640-1900 ex. 2106 |
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Paul Calandra | MPP (Markham–Stouffville) | 905-642-2588 |
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For a ward map, please click here
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