LANDS SECTION 



The primary function of the Section is to provide the means 

 whereby individuals, corporations, provincial government 

 commissions and agencies, and the Government of Canada 

 may obtain the public lands they require for various pur- 

 poses. The usual requirements are for living space for full 

 time or occasional occupancy and for commercial or in- 

 dustrial uses. Public land may be transferred to private 

 ownership for any purpose except the propagation of the 

 renewable, natural resources administered by the Depart- 

 ment. This excludes uses such as tree farming, fish farming 

 and game farming, and disposal of large areas for private 

 recreational use. 



To carry out this operation, the Section must study land 

 values, answer enquiries, and plan for the orderly and 

 efficient disposal of lands as nearly as possible in tune with 

 the requirements of the population and the economy. Plans 

 for disposal must also ensure that adequate areas of land 

 are reserved for the use of the public and for government 

 purposes. 



Public lands are transferred to private control by sale or 

 rental. The use to be made of the land is always a prime 

 consideration. Except for rental under Land Use Permit, the 

 applicant is required to spend, in most cases, two to ten 

 times the established land value on improvements within a 

 limited time before title passes to him. In some situations, 

 such as where sale is by public auction, the reverse is true. 

 Thus, the actual price of the land is normally considered as 

 secondary to the economic advantages accruing from the 

 new development. 



Ij^ND TRANSACTIONS in years ending March 31 



Land Use Other 



Permits Transactions Total 



1970 4,494 3,334 7,828 



1969 4,930 3,140 8,070 



1968 4,747 2,693 7,440 



1967 4,555 2,756 7,311 



1966 4,382 2,481 6,863 



It is noted that there was a decrease in the numbers of 

 Land Use Permits issued during the past year. The increase 

 in land transactions, other than Land Use Permits, was due 

 to the increase in the sale of cottage lots. Considerable 

 public concern has been expressed regarding the sale of 

 cottage lots to residents of other countries. In this connec- 

 tion, a careful review has been made of the patents issued 



for cottage properties during the past six years ending 

 March 31, 1970. This review shows that 5,830 patents were 

 issued; 79 per cent of these lots were patents to residents 

 of Ontario, five per cent to residents of other provinces, and 

 16 per cent to residents of other countries. 



During the year, a new policy was approved with respect 

 to the disposal to municipalities of the lands which they 

 require for municipal purposes. Such lands are now trans- 

 ferred to municipal control for a fee of $100 regardless of 

 area or land values. 



The program for the development and operation of gar- 

 bage disposal sites, serving the unorganized areas of the 

 province, was continued and expanded. At the year's end, 

 254 disposal sites were being maintained. In co-operation 

 with the local health units, a number of unsatisfactory sites 

 have been closed. Strategically located and well main- 

 tained garbage dumps help to alleviate littering on public 

 lands. 



Three new restricted areas were set up to control and 

 regulate improvements on land. One of these in the She- 

 bandowan area, west of Thunder Bay, was set up to control 

 residential development in connection with a new mine in 

 the area. The other two areas are adjacent to Timmins and 

 Cochrane. They were set up to control to better advantage 

 the fringe development in unorganized townships adjacent 

 to these communities. There are now 15 restricted areas in 

 the province having a combined area of more than 3,000 

 square miles. 



LAND ACQUISITION 



AND PLANNING 

 SECTION 



This Section was formed in 1963 to implement the program 

 announced in the Speech from the Throne in the Fall Ses- 

 sion of 1962. This program anticipated the expenditure of 

 $200 million over a twenty-year period for the purchase of 

 land for recreation, wildlife management, parks, reforesta- 

 tion and other resource management uses. 



Since the inception of the program, 435,647 acres had 

 been acquired by March 31, 1970. During the 1969-70 fiscal 

 year. Treasury Board approved 27 projects involving the 

 purchase of 40,802 acres of land. The Ontario Parks Integra- 

 tion Board approved 24 projects involving the purchase of 

 3,826 acres of land. A total of seven leases were acquired 

 in Algonquin and Rondeau Provincial Parks, in keeping with 



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