Official Plan and Provincial Land Use Planning Policies
An Official Plan provides an overarching policy direction on how land in the community should be used by upper-tier, lower-tier, and single tier municipalities.
As an upper-tier municipality, Dufferin County is responsible for managing growth and providing guidance on land use planning for the County’s eight lower-tier municipalities.
Interested in learning more about Official Plans and want to know how you can get involved? Refer to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing's Citizen’s Guide to Official Plans for more information!
County Official Plan
On March 19, 2013 the Province of Ontario amended Regulation 352/02 of the Planning Act, requiring Dufferin County to adopt an Official Plan. The County’s Official Plan was approved by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) on March 27th, 2015. It outlines a 20-year plan focusing on:
- Managing and promoting orderly growth and development
- Accommodating anticipated population and employment forecast
- Encouraging economic development
- Providing guidance for private investment
- Providing policy direction to improve people’s quality of life
- Implementing provincial policies.
Dufferin County's Official Plan can be reviewed below.
Local Municipal Official Plans
Each of Dufferin County's local municipalities also has an official plan outlining more detailed land use and development policies. Visit your local municipality's website for a copy of their official plan.
Municipal Comprehensive Review
Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) is defined in the Growth Plan, 2017 as:
“A new official plan amendment, initiated by an upper or single-tier municipality under section 26 of the Planning Act that comprehensively applies the policies and schedules of this Plan.” The purpose of the MCR is to bring the upper-tier official plan into full conformity with the Growth Plan through various processes and supporting studies.
The County is required to submit an official plan or official plan amendment implementing the MCR that has been adopted by Council for approval by the Minister under the Planning Act, by 2022.
Lower-tier municipalities are required to bring their official plans into conformity with the applicable upper-tier official plan and the Growth Plan, 2017 within one year of the County MCR being approved and in effect.
For more information on the current update of the County’s Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) process, please refer to the report to council found here.