Policy reports provide policies for each land use area. Policy reports are in a standard format and contain the following information:
- Area ID
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The Area Identification Number (Area ID) is assigned by the Natural Heritage and Land Use Planning Section of the Ministry of Natural Resources. An example of an Area ID and a description of its components is show below.
The first letter in the Area ID indicates the primary land use designation (in this example E = Enhanced Management Area). The Area ID also includes a unique numeric identifier and a suffix, used to provide additional information.
More detailed information on Area IDs is found in Understanding Area IDs.
- Area Name
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The name assigned to the land use area.
- Designation
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The seven primary land use designations are: General Use Area; Enhanced Management Area; Provincial Park; Conservation Reserve; Forest Reserve; Wilderness Area; and Provincial Wildlife Area. Dedicated Protected Area is an additional primary land use designation used in the Far North.
- Category
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Only applicable to Enhanced Management Areas - reflects the category and associated policy within the land use designation.
- Class
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Only applicable to Provincial Parks - reflects the park classification and associated policy within the land use designation.
- District
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The Ministry of Natural Resources administrative district(s) the area is located in.
- Area
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The area is listed in hectares. Areas for Provincial Parks, Conservation Reserves and Wilderness Areas are taken from the applicable regulations. The areas for other land use designations (e.g., General Use Areas, Enhanced Management Areas) are generally based on geographic information system calculations.
- Park Zone
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The Ontario Park's Zone in which the land use area is located (Note: applies only to Provincial Parks, Conservation Reserves and Forest Reserves).
- Date Policy Report Last Updated
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Policy reports are updated through the approval of a land use amendment.
- Description
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This section describes the geographic area and highlights the natural resource values that contributed to the designation of the area or that may affect management activities. These descriptions have been primarily derived from planning sources including: District Land Use Guidelines (1983 as revised); local land use area plans; and Ontario's Living Legacy Land Use Strategy (1999).
- Land Use Intent
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This section presents the broad land use policy for the area. In general, this is information from the District Land Use Guidelines (1983 as revised); local land use area plans; and Ontario's Living Legacy Land Use Strategy (1999). (Note: where land use intent in the Land Use Strategy clearly replaced direction from the District Land Use Guidelines, the land use intent from the Strategy was carried forward in the policy report. Where direction was limited, land use intent was derived from provincial level policies for the applicable designation (e.g., General Use Areas, Enhanced Management Areas).
- Management Direction
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This section presents land use policies for a variety of activities in a table. Guidelines for some activities are also included. Whether uses and activities are permitted is indicated by Yes, Maybe or No.
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Yes: A particular use is permitted subject to the normal controls that are applied to the activity. For example, if sport fishing is a permitted use (i.e., in the table portion of the policy report, Yes appears in the permitted use column beside the activity of sport fishing), it means that it is permitted subject to the normal licensing requirements, seasons, limits, etc. Guidelines detailing conditions of approval may also be included.
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Maybe: There are specific requirements that apply to the activity or use. For example, if Maybe appears in the policy report table beside motor boat use in a provincial park, this would normally mean that the activity may be permitted if it is approved as part of a management planning process. There may be restrictions to this activity in certain areas or during certain times of the year. Guidelines will normally be included which summarize requirements, conditions or future review of an activity.
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No: In most cases, No means that an activity is not permitted and that there are no exceptions to this policy.
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- Additional Information
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Information to clarify, support or add to what is in the policy report.
- Source of Direction
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The sources of policy direction used in the preparation of the policy report are identified. This section also identifies the source of more detailed direction and links directly to any amendments to area-specific land use policy that are related to the report.
