Elgin County Official Plan Review
The purpose of an Official Plan Review is to ensure it reflects the changing needs, opportunities and aspirations of the County, and that any changes to community vision/values, directions, policies and actions are reflected in the Official Plan.
To get this done, the County needs to know what’s important to Elgin County residents, employers and visitors, and how they want to see the County grow.
Please subscribe to this page to receive updates and register to participate in a variety of engagement tools listed below.
Please note that all comments and feedback received through the consultation process will become part of the public record.
The purpose of an Official Plan Review is to ensure it reflects the changing needs, opportunities and aspirations of the County, and that any changes to community vision/values, directions, policies and actions are reflected in the Official Plan.
To get this done, the County needs to know what’s important to Elgin County residents, employers and visitors, and how they want to see the County grow.
Please subscribe to this page to receive updates and register to participate in a variety of engagement tools listed below.
Please note that all comments and feedback received through the consultation process will become part of the public record.
-
Discussion Paper #3 - Elgin Natural Heritage Systems Study, Source Water Protection, and Environmental Policy Amendments
Share Discussion Paper #3 - Elgin Natural Heritage Systems Study, Source Water Protection, and Environmental Policy Amendments on Facebook Share Discussion Paper #3 - Elgin Natural Heritage Systems Study, Source Water Protection, and Environmental Policy Amendments on Twitter Share Discussion Paper #3 - Elgin Natural Heritage Systems Study, Source Water Protection, and Environmental Policy Amendments on Linkedin Email Discussion Paper #3 - Elgin Natural Heritage Systems Study, Source Water Protection, and Environmental Policy Amendments linkA discussion paper on the Elgin Natural Heritage Systems Study, Source Water Protection, and Environmental Policy Amendments has been prepared for your review.
Appendix A - Excerpts from County Official Plan
Appendix B - DRAFT Elgin Natural Heritage Systems Study
Appendix C - DRAFT Source Protection Plan
Please click heading to open the full post. From there you will be able to click the button to view the Elgin Natural Heritage Interactive Map. Use this map to review the proposed changes to the Natural Heritage System. Use address search or find my location tool to find the desired property. Once zoomed on the subject site, use the swipe tool to compare the changes between 2018 and 2013 Natural Heritage.
As part of the adoption of the 2013 Official Plan for the County of Elgin, a policy was added (D1.2.4) which states…”It is a policy of this Plan that the establishment of a natural heritage system be considered at the time of the next Official Plan Review.” There was a commitment to completing a Natural Heritage Systems Study at the time of the next Official Plan Review. The Elgin Natural Heritage Systems Study (ENHSS) was commissioned in 2016, and is a terrestrial science-based study that provides a landscape level assessment of existing natural heritage features and functions. The draft 2019 study provides analysis and maps showing the existing vegetation patches that meet criteria for ecological importance.
The Clean Water Act, 2006 was approved by the province as a result of the contaminated water tragedy in Walkerton Ontario in 2000. Source Protection Plans were developed across the province and include policies to protect municipal drinking water supplies from land uses that may be a risk to them. A firm was retained to assist the County in the implementation of Source Protection Plan (SPP) policies through the preparation of new policy text that would form the basis of future amendments to the County Official Plan and to the Official Plans and Zoning By-laws of local municipalities that have municipal drinking water systems that are regulated by a Source Protection Plan.
As per Council’s direction, the public will have an opportunity to review the draft Elgin Natural Heritage Systems Strategy (2019), and the Source Water Protection Implementation Plan (2017), and provide their feedback and input on the recommendations from these reports.
Review the documents linked above and tell us what you think in the comments!
When reviewing this document, questions to ask include:
• Why did the County of Elgin do a Natural Heritage Study when the Official Plan already has Natural Heritage policies?
• What Natural Heritage features and areas are included?
• How does this affect my property?
• Was my property affected before this update?
• What can be done with this new information? -
Discussion Paper #2 - Provincial Policy Statement
Share Discussion Paper #2 - Provincial Policy Statement on Facebook Share Discussion Paper #2 - Provincial Policy Statement on Twitter Share Discussion Paper #2 - Provincial Policy Statement on Linkedin Email Discussion Paper #2 - Provincial Policy Statement linkThe following Discussion Paper #2 on Provincial Policy Statement reviews the recent changes (2020) made to the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) and its impact on the County's Official Plan. The PPS is a consolidated statement of the government’s policies on land use planning. It gives provincial policy direction on key land use planning issues that affect communities. Broad areas that will be reviewed include: climate change, Indigenous consultation, agriculture and on farm diversification, amongst others.
Watch the following video to learn more about the PPS changes and how it affects the County's Official Plan and provide your comments below. -
Discussion Paper #1 - Servicing and Development
Share Discussion Paper #1 - Servicing and Development on Facebook Share Discussion Paper #1 - Servicing and Development on Twitter Share Discussion Paper #1 - Servicing and Development on Linkedin Email Discussion Paper #1 - Servicing and Development linkAs part of the County’s Official Plan 5-Year Review process, several key topics were identified. These identified topics warrant a larger review, including servicing and development within the County of Elgin.
The following Discussion Paper #1 on Servicing and Development reviews the current Provincial policy framework, the current policies of the County of Elgin Official Plan, current policy within neighbouring municipalities, and provides policy options for development in Elgin County.
Watch the following video to learn more about servicing (water and sewer) and development in Elgin County and provide your comments below.
Follow Project
Signup Banner
Who's Listening
-
Phone (519) 631-1460 x170 Email pclarke@elgin.ca
Lifecycle
-
Phase 1 - Engagement
Elgin County Official Plan Review has finished this stageWinter 2021 to Spring (April/May) 2021
During this phase, the County will conduct meetings with local municipalities, the public and other stakeholders to assist in determining the scope of the review, assess issues of importance to the public, and to identify a series of strategic topics that will then be used help shape the of the official plan review through the development of a series of background discussion papers.
-
Phase 2 - Background Analysis
Elgin County Official Plan Review has finished this stageSpring 2021 - Fall 2022
This phase will see the preparation of a series of background discussion papers based on the issues identified during Phase 1 of the project. These papers will constitute the background analysis for the review and will include the completion of population projections, employment projects, and a land needs assessment to determine how and where Elgin County will grow. They will also include policy recommendations and considerations that will be used to shape the policies of the draft official plan.
-
Phase 3 - Draft Official Plan
Elgin County Official Plan Review has finished this stageFall 2022 to Winter 2023
Following completion of the discussion papers and analyses, the draft official plan (or amendment) will be prepared based on the findings contained in the discussion papers and the input received to date. The draft plan will then be presented to the County’s Rural Initiatives & Planning Advisory Committee for endorsement before being posted for public commenting and commencing the statutory approvals process.
-
Phase 4 - Review & Adoption
Elgin County Official Plan Review is currently at this stageWinter 2023 to Spring 2024
Following endorsement by the Rural Initiatives & Planning Advisory Committee, the draft official plan will be posted for the public and distributed to public authorities and agencies for commenting. At the end of the commenting period, input on the draft official plan will be summarized for Council’s consideration, and changes to the draft document will be incorporated into the document before being brought forward at a statutory public meeting. Subsequently, the finalized plan will be presented to County Council for adoption and submitted to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for final approval.
Important Documents
- Agenda Package - Elgin County Official Plan Open House - March 19, 2024 (2.86 MB) (pdf)
- 2024 Draft Elgin County Official Plan (12.6 MB) (pdf)
- Hemson Consulting Growth Forecasts Addendum (332 KB) (pdf)
- Open House and Public Meeting Notice (36.3 KB) (pdf)
- 2023 Draft Elgin County Official Plan (12.1 MB) (pdf)
- Proposed changes and policies of the new Draft Elgin County Official Plan (21.3 KB) (docx)
- 2015 Official Plan & Supporting Documents
What We Heard Reports
Key Dates
-
March 26 2024
-
March 19 2024
-
November 04 2021
-
November 03 2021
-
October 26 2021
Discussion Papers
- NEW - Discussion Paper #1 - Servicing and Development.pdf (577 KB) (pdf)
- NEW - Discussion Paper #2 - Provincial Policy Statement and combined Policy Changes.pdf (525 KB) (pdf)
- Discussion Paper #3 - Elgin Natural Heritage Systems Study
- Discussion Paper #4 - Housing and Affordability
- Discussion Paper 5 - Population, Housing and Employment Forecasts and Associated Land Needs Analysis.pdf (160 MB) (pdf)