The Acadian Peninsula District Planning Commission is a public organism created in 1975 by the Municipal Affairs Department and the municipalities of the Acadian Peninsula to provide development and planning services to the region.
By policies created by the Commission, advice provided to the municipalities, to the Minister or the provincial government, the Commission tries to create a better way of live for the population. It also creates a well balanced development of the territory the Peninsula to acquire its own development tools.
The Commission has three main responsibilities.
First of all, we are advisors for the municipalities. In other words, we give, in cooperation with the province and the municipalities , the tools necessary for the planning and the development of the district. It is then matter of developing and update municipal and rural plans and the different by-laws (zoning, building and subdivision).
Secondly, once the tools are in place, we have to modify or adjust them as required and see to their implementation and to the implementation of other provincial by-laws which apply mainly in non incorporated areas (for example : provincial building, subdivision and set-back by-laws concerned by the Planning Act.)
Finally, the Commission issues building permits and
performs inspections to insure that all developments comply with the
National Building Code -1995 and by-laws and regulations.
The area covered by the Commission is formed of thirteen municipalities and forty-seven L.S.D.
In order to give the means to the CAPA to fill out its responsibilities in planning and controlling, the province, through the Planning Act, transferred certain powers to the Commission. More specifically, the Commission can, among others,
- Prohibit the erection of any building based on criteria well established in the Act.
- Authorize for a temporary period (not exceeding one year) a development otherwise prohibited by a by-law
- Issue conditions to an authorized use based on well established criteria on the Act.
- Authorize variances related to zoning and subdivisions.
- Concerning certain acquired rights, authorize the extension of a right and give its consent on certain provisions as mentioned in the Act.