220 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



means to an end; it is only part of an instrument to guide develop- 

 ment and it is of no value unless it guides it aright."* 



It is important that the emphasis should be placed on the char- 

 acter of the development to be achieved under a scheme and not on 

 the preparation of a plan; hence the use of the term "planning and 

 development" throughout this report, instead of "town planning," 

 and the reason for the choice of the title of the draft Act of the Com- 

 mission of Conservation, namely "Planning and Development Act." 

 The change in terminology is not, however, solely due to ambiguity 

 of previous terms; it also arises from the fact that the same prin- 

 ciples which are proving successful in regard to the organization of 

 town life are necessary to be applied to rural life. In other words, 

 the scope of planning and development cannot in practice be limited 

 to urban development if it is to achieve its general object of securing 

 health, efficiency, convenience and amenity. 



NEED OF LEGISLATION 



Before proper development schemes can be made it is neces- 

 sary to have legislation passed in each province, firstly, for the purpose 

 of enabling municipal authorities to prepare schemes for their areas 

 and, secondly, for setting up the provincial machinery necessary to 

 control development in unorganized territory. Such an Act has to 

 make provision for securing effective co-operation between the pro- 

 vince, the municipality and the owners of land, and for determining 

 the procedure necessary in connection with the preparation and 

 making of schemes. 



In considering any description or text of land planning legisla- 

 tion it has, therefore, to be borne in mind that the measures proposed 

 by the Commission of Conservation, and passed in some of the pro- 

 vinces of Canada, do not give power to the Provincial governments 

 to plan municipal areas, but merely determine the procedure under 

 which municipalities can plan their own areas. There are one or 

 two compulsory elements in the proposed legislation which are 

 necessary to secure uniformity and effective execution, but they 

 do not touch the power of the municipality to control its own expendi- 

 ture nor to prepare a scheme in accordance with its own ideas so long 

 as it adheres to certain minimum standards which it is desirable to 

 fix for general application. 



Among the reasons why new legislation is necessary is the fact 

 that proper development cannot be carried out without some more 



*" Report of Town Planning Adviser." Eighth Annual Report of the Commission 

 of Conservation. 



