The Long Range Planning and Strategic Design Section is responsible for the maintenance, review and update of the Official Plan , the development of Secondary Plans, the evaluation and formulation of planning policy, including undertaking planning research, data collection and analysis and special studies, the evaluation of both Whitby and Durham Regional Official Plan amendment applications, the preparation of monitoring reports, the review of legislative changes and Provincial and Regional policy directives which impact the Town, and providing planning information to the public regarding any of the Long Range Division functions.

Highway 407 East Environmental Assessment (EA)top

March, 2008: The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is undertaking an environmental assessment regarding the extension of Highway 407 east of Brock Road in Pickering to Highway 115, as well as two freeway links from Highway 401 to Highway 407, in east and west Durham. The area of study spans the Region of Durham's waterfront area municipalities, including the Corporation of the Town of Whitby.

The next step in the Province's EA study is preliminary design and development of a Community Value Plan (CVP) .

Should you wish more information on this Provincial initiative, or the opportunity to provide your comments to the province's project team, please contact the Ministry of Transportation's website. www.407eastea.com

Source Water Protection and the Clean Water Acttop

The Province has recently introduced legislation and regulations that seek to protect drinking water at its source. In 2007, the CTC Source Protection Committee was established to oversee development of policies for a Source Protection Plan to achieve the goal of protecting drinking water at its source within the Credit Valley, Toronto Region, and Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authorities, for the watersheds within their jurisdictions (Whitby is located within CLOCA's jurisdicition). The CTC's and MOE's websites are invaluable resources for background information.

• CTC Source Protection Committee
• Ministry of Environment's (MOE) website regarding Clean Water Act
• MOE Fact sheets