Ontario Parcel

What is the Ontario Parcel agreement?

The Ontario Parcel is produced through a business agreement between the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and Teranet. The goal of the agreement is to produce, maintain and make available standardized digital parcel mapping for Ontario: the Ontario Parcel database. The database will contain assessment and either ownership or Crown parcel land data, depending on the area of the province.

The Ontario Parcel product eliminates duplication in the collection and maintenance of information about land holdings in Ontario, dramatically improving the ability to exchange this vital information.

What data does Ontario Parcel Contain?

The Ontario Parcel database contains boundaries and identifiers such as Assessment Roll Number (ARN) or property identification number (PIN), which can be linked to ownership, and assessed value information for each individual property or “parcel” of land in Ontario.

Supporting data varies depending on the geographic location in question and may include the geographic township fabric, plan boundaries and text, road and railway names, major easements, major water bodies and First Nations boundaries.

How can it be used?

Ontario municipalities and high-tech firms are the primary beneficiaries of the Ontario Parcel mapping. Among other things, the Ontario Parcel data can be applied to property assessment and taxation, land registration, land use planning, land management and business planning. Both public and private organizations will find that the Ontario Parcel mapping is an excellent resource that can work with other data to improve corporate planning, reduce costs, conserve resources, plan for sustainable growth and identify new business opportunities.

For organizations that currently use Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the Ontario Parcel data set has the potential to reduce costs by expanding the benefits of land information. Municipalities for example, will be able to shift their focus from maintaining parcel data (either internally or by contractor) to using it in support of municipal business (land development, planning, taxation, public works, etc.).

For those organizations that presently do not have a GIS capability, the Ontario Parcel mapping will provide the foundation data they need to move toward adoption of new land-information technologies. Municipalities for example, will be able to use the Ontario Parcel data to enhance planning activities, make better decisions, use resources more wisely and attract new business opportunities and jobs.

For more information about Ontario Parcel, please visit www.ontarioparcel.ca.