Master Plans and Other Studies Applications

Municipalities and private land developers undertake master planning for new Community or Secondary Plans consisting of residential and/or employment area land uses (e.g., commercial, industrial, institutional, etc.). Infrastructure planning for these areas is typically part of a Master Environmental Servicing Plan (MESP) that supports a municipal Official Plan Amendment for servicing these multiple land uses on a large block of privately-owned lands.

TRCA’s review of this type of master planning/Secondary Planning, and associated MESPs, is coordinated by the municipality through Development Planning and Permits.

For projects involving Indigenous lands or rights, First Nations or Indigenous organizations may co-develop plans or lead infrastructure planning on their lands. Consultation is legally required for major infrastructure. For further information on TRCA’s role, please reach out to our Government and Community Relations staff.

Click on the links below for additional information:

• Environmental Assessment Applications
• Learn More About:
• TRCA Planning and Permits
• Development Planning and Permits
• Infrastructure Planning and Permits
• Who is Responsible for Infrastructure Project Review at TRCA
• How TRCA Defines Environmental Assessment Review
• Municipal Infrastructure Project Review
• Provincial and Federal Infrastructure Project Review
• Institutional, Private, and Partially Private Infrastructure Project Review
• Oil, Gas and Utility Infrastructure Project Review at TRCA
• Telecommunication Tower Project Review at TRCA
• How TRCA Coordinates with Other Agencies

1. In advance of your formal submission, TRCA recommends you request a pre-application consultation meeting with TRCA staff to confirm our requirements.
2. All public sector master plans or other studies applications must be submitted to TRCA through the TRCA Application Portal.
3. If you have not yet created an account, you can learn more about the portal and follow the instructions provided HERE.
4. Once you have created your account, follow the instructions to APPLY ONLINE.
5. If your application is currently under review by TRCA staff, it is already available online. Once you have created your account (above), log in to the portal. You will be able to view the status of your application on your personal dashboard. Note: If you cannot see your application, reach out to your planner and they can assist.
6. Required documents must be uploaded at the time of application and TRCA’s Approved Document Names and File Conventions for all TRCA Online Application submissions must be followed.
7. Administrative review fee: Once your application is received, your TRCA planner will review its complexity, determine the fee, and send you an invoice.

Master plan and other studies requiring TRCA review
are to be submitted as follows:

Type	Includes	TRCA Online Application Link
Public Sector Master Plan or Other Study	Master plans and other studies related to local, regional and provincial infrastructure	APPLY NOW
	Applications should be made directly to TRCA
Private Sector Master Plan or Other Study	Master plans and other studies related to large development, including infrastructure for initiatives related to new communities, commercial, industrial or employment areas.	Additional information regarding TRCA’s role in reviewing these applications is provided in Planning Act Applications
	Applications should be submitted through the local municipality
Indigenous-led Master Plan or Other Study	Inquiries related to Indigenous-led Master Plans and Other Studies should be directed to TRCA’s Government and Community Relations staff	Please email your inquiry to TRCA Government and Community Relations
All Other Master Plans or Studies	All other inquiries, including those associated with the Rouge National Urban Park Master Plan, should be directed to TRCA’s Government and Community Relations staff	Please email your inquiry to TRCA Government and Community Relations

1. As your project progresses, the following should be included as part of the review process:
1. Context map (Required)
2. Notice of Commencement
3. Technical advisory committee meeting agendas, as well as draft and final meeting minutes
4. TRCA technical meeting agendas, as well as draft and final meeting minutes
5. Draft public information boards, prior to public review
6. Notices of public meetings, including final display material and handouts
7. Draft Phase 1 and 2 Report, if applicable, and a covering letter that outlines the project purpose and lists the reports enclosed for review
8. Draft technical reports and associated materials, including a covering letter that outlines the project purpose and lists the reports enclosed for review
9. Draft evaluation criteria and matrices, including a covering letter and summary that details how the criteria and weighting (if applicable) were established
10. Draft master plan or study document, including a covering letter that outlines how previous TRCA comments have been addressed
11. Final master plan or study document, including a covering letter that outlines how previous TRCA comments have been addressed
12. Notice of Completion
2. Prior to submitting your master plan or other study application, we recommend you request a pre-application consultation meeting with TRCA staff to review requirements and ensure submission materials are scoped to the TRCA areas of interest. If you have already conducted this review and meeting, please include the TRCA File Reference Numbers, together with all identified plans or studies following the Resources for Applicants: Policies, Guidelines and Checklists.
3. TRCA has select digital data available through its Open Data Portal that can be used to supplement the existing conditions analysis in the development of the environmental assessment.
4. Upon request, TRCA can provide additional data for areas of interest not available on the web. Email your request to infrastructureplanningpermits@trca.ca. TRCA may charge an administration fee for the compilation of this additional data.
5. If you need extra time to prepare information, you can save your application as draft at any time in the process. When you are ready to complete the application, re-open your draft application and complete the final steps.
6. The required TRCA administrative review fee will be confirmed by your planner once the application is submitted and an invoice will be sent.
7. Resubmission requirements: If TRCA advises that additional information is required, materials must be submitted online:
1. The Applicant (or Lead Contact) should be responsible for managing the application.
2. All resubmission materials must be uploaded at the same time.
3. Once a submission is made, the system will change the application status to “awaiting review” and no additional information can be uploaded.
4. Additional instructions are provided HERE.
8. Additional information is available at: TRCA Application Portal: Frequently Asked Questions.

1. Once the application is submitted, a TRCA planner will be assigned to your project.
2. Your planner will:
1. Guide you through the review process.
2. Be responsible for all communications with applicants and consultants, including the coordination of meetings and site visits, and obtaining information from TRCA technical staff.
3. Ensure that legislation, regulation, and policy obligations are implemented.
4. Ensure technical review comments are cohesive and integrated.
3. You should expect confirmation from your planner within two (2) business days of application receipt.

1. The TRCA planner will review the complexity of the application, determine the administrative review fee, and send an invoice.
2. The TRCA planner will circulate the application to TRCA technical staff for review.
3. TRCA will work directly with the applicant to clarify submitted information and comments.
4. The TRCA planner will identify if a meeting or site visit is required to clarify comments or responses:
1. An agenda is required for these meetings.
2. Meetings are generally held between the proponent or consultant and the TRCA planner only:
• At their discretion, the TRCA planner may also invite TRCA technical review staff to the meeting. The agenda is used by the planner to inform this decision.
• The TRCA planner will then advise the applicant if they should also bring their technical team to the meeting.
3. Meetings are generally 30 minutes in length but may be extended depending on the scope of the agenda.
4. Meetings generally occur between 2 and 15 business days of receipt of request, depending on the scope of the agenda.
5. All meetings are generally conducted in a virtual environment.
5. The TRCA planner will ensure timelines are met in accordance with prescribed standards. Application review status is tracked in real time in the TRCA Application Portal.

1. Application Status is visible on the TRCA Application Portal to the registered contacts for a particular application. It can be found on the application dashboard, located on the menu bar of your homepage.
2. On the dashboard, applicants will be able to see the name of the planner working on your file (“Assigned to”), all documents submitted for review, file status, fee balance and payment link, the project description, and a Client Access tab.
3. All TRCA communications will be available in the Client Access tab. The client will be notified via email when there is new information available for download.

• Learn More About:
• The Role of a TRCA Planner
• TRCA’s Service Level Agreements with Infrastructure Partners
• Permission to Enter TRCA-Owned Land and Request for TRCA Archaeological Review
• Resources for Applicants: Policies, Guidelines, and Checklists
• TRCA Administrative Review Fees
• TRCA Application Portal: Frequently Asked Questions