Responding Record from the City of Vaughan
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OMB File No.: PL111184 ONTARIO MUNICIPAL BOARD IN THE MATTER OF section 43 of the Ontario Municipal Board Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.28 Requestors: Alpa Roof Trusses Inc. and Argo Lumber Inc. Subject: Request for Review Municipality: City of Vaughan OMB Case No.: PL111184 OMB File No.: PL111184 RESPONDING RECORD OF THE CITY OF VAUGHAN TO SECTION 43 REQUEST FOR REVIEW July 14, 2016 BORDEN LADNER GERVAIS LLP Scotia Plaza 40 King Street West Toronto, Ontario M5H 3Y4 Rick F. Coburn Tel.: 416-367-6038 Fax: 416-361-2437 Email: [email protected] Isaac Tang Tel.: 416-367-6143 Fax: 416-361-2740 Email: [email protected] Counsel for the City of Vaughan TO: ONTARIO MUNICIPAL BOARD 655 Bay Street, Suite 1500 Toronto, Ontario M5G 1E5 Mary Ann Hunwicks, Board Secretary Tel: 416-326- 5378 Fax: 416-326-5370 Email: [email protected] AND TO: FASKEN MARTINEAU DuMOULIN LLP 333 Bay Street, Suite 2400 Bay Adelaide Centre Toronto, Ontario M5H 2T6 W. Thomas Barlow/Sarah J. Turney Tel.: 416-868-3403 Fax: 416-364-7813 Email: [email protected] [email protected] Counsel for Argo Lumber Inc. and Alpa Roof Trusses Inc. AND TO: BORDEN LADNER GERVAIS LLP Scotia Plaza 40 King Street West Toronto, Ontario M5H 3Y4 Pitman Patterson Tel.: 416-367-6109 Fax: 416-361-2459 Email: [email protected] THE REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF YORK Legal Services Branch 17250 Yonge Street Newmarket, Ontario L3Y 6Z1 Frank Santaguida Tel: 905-830-4444 Fax: 905-895-3768 Email: [email protected] Counsel for the Regional Municipality of York AND TO: LOOPSTRA NIXON LLP 135 Queens Plate Drive, Suite 600 Toronto, Ontario M9W 6V7 Quinto M. Annibale and Steven Ferri Tel.: 416-746-4710 Fax: 416-746-8319 Email: [email protected] [email protected] Counsel for CRH Canada Group Inc., 2203012 Ontario Limited and Blair Building Materials Inc. OMB File No.: PL111184 ONTARIO MUNICIPAL BOARD IN THE MATTER OF section 43 of the Ontario Municipal Board Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.28 Requestors: Alpa Roof Trusses Inc. and Argo Lumber Inc. Subject: Request for Review Municipality: City of Vaughan OMB Case No.: PL111184 OMB File No.: PL111184 INDEX TAB DESCRIPTION 1. Responding Submissions of the City of Vaughan 2. Affidavit of Steven Dixon, sworn April 21, 2016 TOR01: 6403817: v1 TAB 1 PL111184 ONTARIO MUNICIPAL BOARD IN THE MATTER OF section 43 of the Ontario Municipal Board Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.28 Requestors: Alpa Roof Trusses Inc. and Argo Lumber Inc. Subject: Request for Review Municipality: City of Vaughan OMB Case No.: PL111184 OMB File No.: PL111184 RESPONDING SUBMISSIONS OF THE CITY OF VAUGHAN FOR REQUEST FOR REVIEW UNDER SECTION 43 OVERVIEW OF THE CITY’S RESPONSE 1. Argo Lumber Inc. and Alpa Roof Trusses Inc. (collectively, the “Requestor”) have requested as primary relief that the Chair, pursuant to Section 43 of the Ontario Municipal Board Act, rescind that part of the Decision and Order of the Board dated August 8, 2013 in Case No. PL111184 (the “Partial Approval Order”) that reads as follows: AND THE BOARD FURTHER ORDERS that in respect of Appeals 118, 129, 130 and 131, no land budget argument including, without limitation, s. 2.1.3.2(b), will be raised by any current or future appellant, party or participant, the City or the Region to preclude a change in the proposed residential designation of the lands that are the subject of those appeals (the “Scoping Provision”). 2. The Requestor seeks, in the alternative, an Order of the Board directing that a motion be heard to review the Board’s decision with respect to the Scoping Provision. 3. The Requestor has not requested that the Board order a rehearing with respect to the Board’s decision (although presumably such an order may be requested if the request for a motion to review is granted). 4. The City of Vaughan (the “City”) respectfully requests that the Board deny the relief sought by the Requestor as set out above. 5. The City submits that the Requestor has failed to meet the relevant tests under Rules 115 and 115.01 of the Board’s Rules of Practice and Procedure for obtaining an order granting a motion for review of the Board’s decision respecting the Scoping Provision. Accordingly, the request must be dismissed. 6. The City further submits that the primary relief requested by the Requestor cannot be granted under Rule 115 and 115.01. Such relief may only be granted under Rule 118, if and when a rehearing is granted, and if the Board Member or panel conducting the rehearing deems such relief appropriate. 7. In sum, the City requests that the Chair refuse to exercise his discretion to grant the relief sought and dismiss the Request for Review. BACKGROUND Background of the VOP 2010 and the Appeals 8. The Vaughan Official Plan, 2010 (“VOP 2010”) was adopted by City Council on September 7, 2010. It contains policies that direct when, where and how land use changes can occur to 2031. The VOP 2010 is the result of an extensive three-year public consultation and review process in respect of the City’s Growth Management Strategy that began in 2008. The VOP 2010 also represents the City’s response to the five year official plan review and provincial plan conformity exercise under the Planning Act (the “Act”). Affidavit of Steven Dixon sworn April 21, 2016 (“Dixon Affidavit”) at para 4, Responding Record of the City of Vaughan (“City’s Responding Record”), Tab 2. 9. Over 157 appeals to date have been filed against the VOP 2010. Given the large number of appeals, the City has expended significant public resources to manage and address the appeals, in accordance with the Board’s Rules of Practice and Procedure and directions. The steps taken by the City include: (a) reviewing the appeal letters to understand the concerns raised by the appellants; (b) organizing the appeals by common interests; (c) meeting with appellants to try to resolve and/or scope their issues without a hearing; (d) attending six mediation sessions; (e) attending over 19 pre-hearing conferences; and (f) responding to or attending numerous motions and hearings at the Board. Dixon Affidavit at paras 6-7, City’s Responding Record, Tab 2. Note that certain numbers have been updated since the Dixon Affidavit was sworn (April 28, 2016) as a matter of public record. 10. The above efforts have been made increasingly difficult by the growing number of appeals filed to the VOP 2010, the most recent appeal having been filed on June 16, 2016. Dixon Affidavit at para 8, City’s Responding Record, Tab 2. Note that the date of the latest appeal filed has been updated since the Dixon Affidavit was sworn (April 28, 2016) as a matter of public record. 2 11. Holcim (Canada) Inc. (now CRH Canada Group Inc.), 2203012 Ontario Limited and Blair Building Materials Inc. (collectively, the “Appellants”) own lands in a triangular- shaped area located north of McNaughton Road, east of Keele Street, south of Teston Road, and west of the former Keele Valley Landfill Site in the City of Vaughan (the “Triangle Lands”). The Requestor’s lands are located immediately south of the lands owned by the Appellants and are also within the Triangle Lands. Affidavit of Debra Kakaria, sworn November 17, 2015 (“Kakaria Affidavit”) at para 7 and Exhibit ‘D’, Appellants’ Responding Record. 12. The VOP 2010, as adopted by City Council, proposed to convert the Triangle Lands from employment to residential uses. The Appellants appealed the VOP 2010 to retain the employment designation of the Triangle Lands. The Appellants’ appeals are identified as Appeal Nos. 129, 130 and 131 (the “Appeals”). The Appeals were filed by the Appellants on or about July 19, 2013. The Appeals challenged, among other things, the City’s growth management policies and key land use schedules on a City-wide basis. Dixon Affidavit at paras 12-14, City’s Responding Record, Tab 2. 13. The Requestor did not appeal the VOP 2010. Approximately 7 weeks after the filing of the Appeals (and after the issuance of the Partial Approval Order containing the Scoping Provision), on or about September 10, 2013 (Order issued October 3, 2013), the Requestor requested and obtained party status in connection with the Appeals. Dixon Affidavit at para 6, City’s Responding Record, Tab 2. The City’s Process of Scoping Appeals Leading to the Partial Approval Order Containing the Scoping Provision 14. The VOP 2010 hearing is a Growth Plan hearing. These hearings typically involve multiple parties, numerous issues and changes to official plan policies that may affect pending planning applications. The Board has issued practice directions for such hearings, recognizing that the nature of these hearings demands a fair, cost-effective and efficient process to ensure that appeals are resolved in a timely manner. Ontario Municipal Board Practice Directions for Growth Plan Hearings, Joint Brief of Authorities of the Region and the City (“Joint Brief of Authorities”), Tab 5. 15. The first pre-hearing conference was held with respect to the VOP 2010 in November 2012. Since that date, the City has continued to meet, discuss and correspond with parties in an attempt to scope the appeals to specific policies and/or to specific sites in the City. This ongoing process allowed the City to identify parts of the VOP 2010 that were no longer being challenged on a City-wide basis. Dixon Affidavit at paras 9-10, City’s Responding Record, Tab 2. 16. After lengthy consultations with numerous parties to identify parts of the VOP 2010 that were no longer at issue, the City brought a motion for partial approval returnable on July 23, 2013.