Official Plan meeting rescheduled to February 24

The special Council meeting to consider adopting a new Official Plan has been moved to Wednesday February 24 at 6 pm.

"Unfortunately, a council member is unable to attend the meeting on February 10 due to a serious personal family issue. Due to the importance of this subject matter, I have decided to reschedule this meeting so that all members of Council have the opportunity to participate," Mayor Steve Ferguson says. "I want to thank the public for their understanding and apologize for any inconvenience."

The consultation period has closed after the public was given the opportunity over the past several months to offer feedback through a variety of means including a statutory public meeting. The latest version of the draft Official Plan with changes displayed and updated maps and schedules are posted for review.

A staff report included on the special meeting agenda summarizes the comments received during the most recent round of public consultation.

The upcoming special meeting will be conducted virtually due to COVID-19 protocols. The County will stream the meeting live on its YouTube channel. Members of the public who wish to provide comments during the virtual meeting can do so by contacting clerks@pecounty.on.ca by noon on Tuesday, February 23 to register.

The Official Plan guides how The County will grow and develop over the next 25 years. The Official Plan is a living document in that it is typically reviewed every five years to ensure that its vision and policy direction are still relevant.

If approved by Council, the draft Official Plan will be sent to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) for final approval. Transition policies allow for planning applications deemed complete in advance of ministry approval of the new Official Plan to be reviewed under the current plan.

Planning staff is recommending to Council that the municipality institute a two-year moratorium on any Official Plan amendments once MMAH approves the new Official Plan.

If you have questions, please contact Michael Michaud, Manager of Planning, by email or call 613.476.2148 extension 2025.