Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To provide municipal, land use and resource management planning, environmental assessment and Environmental Bill of Rights support, advice and input.
To monitor and participate in the maintenance of the sustainability of ecosystems within an assigned district of the province through participation in resource management and land use planning processes.
To provide customer service to internal and external clients.

Duties / Responsibilities :

1. Leading the input and review of municipal planning documents, development proposals, local resource management plans, site specific Crown Land Use Atlas Policy report amendments (e.g. minor), and site specific environmental assessment activities within the district related to proposals from municipalities, industry, non-government organizations and individuals by obtaining and assessing input from specialists; identifying potential conflicts with provincial land use planning policy and ministry resource program objectives.
2. Providing and delivering municipal land use planning, local resource management plans, site specific Crown Land Use Atlas Policy report amendments (minor) and site specific environmental assessment advice, leadership where appropriate and training to project teams, staff within the district and to external agencies and clients.
3. Consulting with external agencies, groups and individuals on municipal land use, local resource management, site specific Crown Land Use Policy Atlas policy report amendments and environmental assessment plans, projects or amendments to explain ministry program interests/position on provincial policy and ministry resource management objectives within the district. Providing expert testimony before hearings and tribunals (e.g. Ontario Municipal Board, Environmental Assessment Boards, Comprehensive Hearings) on ministry's position related to proposed district land use plans or projects.
4. Providing local knowledge, information and advice about local natural resources and stakeholder interests to support the region on broad scale land use planning (e.g. provincial, regional or multi-district initiatives), Crown land use planning, resource management planning, Conservation Reserve planning and natural heritage systems planning initiatives. Preparing draft briefing notes and Minister's letters on district planning issues.
5. Updating resource value information and supporting the acquisition, maintenance and use of planning data relevant to MNR's mandate and making recommendations where warranted regarding the maintenance of data and information.
6. Supporting the region in the development of revised or new planning policies and procedures by participating as a team member of inter-district and regional projects; monitoring the implementation of program and policy changes and reporting their effect on land use planning and resource management within the assigned district.
7. Other duties: Management has the right to assign additional duties.

Staffing and Licencing :

Valid Ontario Class G driver's licence to travel throughout the district and to other locations outside the district to attend meetings.

Knowledge :

Knowledge of public and municipal land use planning, resource management planning policies, principles and practices, environmental assessments, relevant legislation (e.g. Public Lands Act, Planning Act, Environmental Assessment Act, Environmental Bill of Rights) and ministry planning decisions to provide advice to regions on broad scale land use plans/project proposals that impact on values within the district and/or to ensure district planning decisions are in accordance with provincial land use planning policies and ministry resource management objectives (e.g. Official Plans, Environmental Assessments, development proposals, Crown Land Use Policy Atlas policy reports), to analyse and prepare technical reports (e.g. analyse consultant reports, professional advice received, environmental impact studies from fisheries, wildlife, planning reports); advise municipal planning authorities and/or proponents of ministry position, recommend processes and actions (e.g. conditions of development) to avoid or mitigate negative impact of proposals and assist clients in developing plans or municipal planning policies that conform to and/or are consistent with provincial policies and ministry objectives.
Knowledge of ministry programs (e.g. fish, wildlife, Species at Risk, water) to assess impacts of municipal plans and land use proposals on these programs and determine appropriate action.
Knowledge of computer and relevant software applications, including word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, and database maintenance packages in order to access information, conduct analysis of data and prepare reports and presentations.
Knowledge of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and those Regulations made under the Act that apply to the workplace and the work being performed.

Skills :

Analytical and problem solving skills to analyze and interpret municipal policies, review and assess local or site specific municipal plans, development applications and other land use or resource management plans or projects within the district to determine conformity and/or consistency to provincial policies and ministry program objectives; identify issues of non-compliance or inconsistency, potential land use conflicts, and impacts on natural heritage, non-renewable resources and public safety in hazardous areas (e.g. flood plains, clay slopes); synthesize and assess data and expert reports (e.g. biological, engineering) related to land use planning approvals (e.g. Planning Act, Environmental Assessment Act) to identify and facilitate resolution of impacts on ministry programs (e.g. fish, wildlife, Species at Risk, water); and to gather, synthesize, analyze and consolidate input from appropriate technical/professional staff in own and other ministries to develop/recommend options or provide advice to the region on proposals (e.g. accept, reject, approve with modifications, mitigate negative impacts).
Analytical and organizational skills to identify data and information requirements such as base/land use/zoning maps, resources information (e.g. forests, fish, wildlife, flora, special features) for district planning purposes and organizing ministry technical/professional staff for the collection, preparation, storage and analysis of required resource and planning data/information for availability to interested stakeholders (e.g. ministry staff, project teams, other ministries, agencies, municipalities and private sector proponents).
Oral communication skills to present and/or provide training on ministry planning and environmental assessment issues/directions; discuss technical information; to provide explanations and advice regarding ministry planning legislation, policy and procedures to client groups and municipal and local resource management planning advice, guidance and ideas to external stakeholders and agencies; and to provide background information documents and expert testimony before hearings and tribunals (e.g. Ontario Municipal Board, Environmental Assessment Boards, Comprehensive Hearings).
Written communication skills to prepare ministry planning documents and evaluations, prepare comments and reports (e.g. background planning reports); make recommendations, amendments, modifications on external planning documents; and draft briefing notes and Minister's letters on district planning issues.
Consultation, negotiations and conflict resolution skills to resolve local or site specific land use related planning policy and operational issues; to interpret and clarify provincial policy direction; and to negotiate and persuade parties with divergent points of view to reach consensus on complicated and sensitive issues (e.g. request for resource extraction in a remote tourism zone, building a recycling depot within a municipality on a large sensitive wetland).
Interpersonal skills to persuade, influence and reconcile diverse interests of agencies, non-government organizations, proponents and the public who often having conflicting points of view to gain support for ministry positions on planning issues (e.g. identification of provincially significant natural heritage areas and features versus non- renewable resource areas within municipal official plans); and to liaise with a network of ministry, agency and municipal planners.
Planning and coordinating skills to organize and implement district planning processes/projects by preparing terms of reference in conjunction with head office or regional staff, ensuring involvement of stakeholder and proponents (e.g. own and other ministry staff, municipal staff, private sector proponents), including contacting and gathering input, organizing and conducting meetings and field investigations, bringing information and affected parties together to ensure issues and implications are addressed when developing conclusions and/or implementing plans.
Project management and organizational skills to lead and organize district planning projects with district staff (e.g. classified and unclassified staff); coordinate the work of contract/consultant agreements by preparing terms of reference in conjunction with head office or regional staff; schedule and organize meetings and assign tasks among project team members and participating stakeholders with respect to arriving at conclusions/options/recommendations for the district or as advice to the region on land use, resource management and environmental assessments planning projects.

Freedom of Action :

Job requires working within legislation, regulations, policies and procedures governing land use planning, resource management, and environmental assessment (e.g. Planning Act, Provincial Policy Statements, Environmental Bill of Rights) and recognized ministry planning guidelines and processes (e.g. Field Environmental Planning Procedure).
Job requires making decisions to determine the type of data/information necessary (e.g. resource information, flood damage reduction plans, aggregate).