A Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) is meant for situations of extraordinary urgency. It overrides local planning authority to approve development without expert analysis, public input, or any chance of appeal. Since taking office, the current Ontario government has been issuing MZOs at an extraordinary rate to impose low-density sprawl and other risky development on wetlands and other protected lands. The present government has issued more MZOs than all the governments from 1995 to 2018 combined! While they are being issued under the cover of the present pandemic, and often hint at some thematic connection, almost none of the development authorized by these MZOs makes any plausible contribution to the fight against COVID-19.
It is very difficult to find information about MZOs on the Ontario government’s website. That’s why we created this map – to show MZOs that have been approved since the pandemic began, as well as MZOs that have been requested by municipalities or developers but not yet issued.
Click on a dot to learn more about each MZO. Please note this map is work in progress and only lists MZOs from 2019 and beyond. We will add to it as more information becomes available.
If you have information about a requested MZO that is threatening your community, please contact us.
Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) Map
Under Consideration, 
Approved