Environmental policy creation : examining the Ontario municipal approach

This thesis examines the environmental content of municipal official plans in Ontario, Canada. It is an exploration of how environmental policy can be measured, categorized and compared at the municipal level. The legislative and societal framework from which municipal environmental policy emerges is examined before a method for measuring the level of the policy is proposed. The results of the policy measurement are then analyzed quantitatively for relationships with demographic characteristics and qualitatively for strength of language and level of policy as well as for spatial patterns in policy levels. From these analyses conclusions are drawn regarding the presence of significant variation in the environmental content found in municipal official plans. Conclusions are also made regarding the attention given to individual components of municipal environmental content. Finally, recommendations for future environmental policy integration into municipal official plans are suggested as are recommendations for future research.