In May 1996, the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) was issued under the Planning Act. This document identified matters of provincial interest to be considered as part of the land use planning process in the province of Ontario. Section 3 of the Planning Act requires that planning authorities shall “have regard to” the PPS when exercising any authority that affects municipal planning matters. The Natural Heritage Reference Manual–June 1999 (OMNR 1999) and this document the Significant Wildlife Habitat Technical Guide were prepared by the Ministry of Natural Resources to assist planning authorities and other participants in the land use planning system.
This technical guide is intended for use in the municipal policy and development process under the Planning Act. However, this document may also be useful in considering applications that must fulfil other approval processes (e.g. Class Environmental Assessments). In cases where matters are subject to other legislation (e.g. Endangered Species Act), appropriate references are noted in the text.