The Town is pleased to invite residents to have their say on the new Official Plan during the upcoming Open House and Public Meeting.

The Town has released Draft 2 of a New Official Plan for the Town of Collingwood for public review and consultation, following a significant amount of public input and Ontario-wide legislative and policy changes. The new Official Plan is intended to modernize land use planning policies to responsibly and sustainably guide our community’s growth for the next several decades, and will replace the current Official Plan. The New Official Plan also impacts what you can do with your property, so we encourage you to learn more and share your insights on this important initiative.

We invite you to participate in these consultations and provide your feedback either in person, or in writing, e-mail, or on the Town’s Official Plan Update Engage Page.

Open House
Wednesday October 4, 2023
1:00 – 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
3rd Floor Meeting Room, Collingwood Library
55 Ste Marie Street, Collingwood
In-person
Please pre-register at https://bit.ly/45OZ7A7

Public Meeting
Tuesday October 17, 2023
5:00 p.m.
Council Chambers, Collingwood Townhall
97 Hurontario Street, Collingwood
In-person and Virtual by Zoom Webinar*

* The public meeting will take place during a Special meeting of Council. For those attending virtually, a link to the webinar will be included on the October 17, 2023 Council agenda. Meeting agendas are located here: collingwood.civicweb.net/portal/ or subscribe to receive an automatic email to meeting agendas here: collingwood.civicweb.net/portal/subscribe.aspx

The new Official Plan Draft 2 and associated schedules can also be reviewed on the Town’s Engage Page at https://engage.collingwood.ca/official-plan.

Please be advised that the content and any personal information in comment submissions will become part of the public record and may be provided to Council in an agenda package available to the public.  If you have concerns regarding the public release of your Official Plan comments, please contact Clerk Services at clerk@collingwood.ca.

What Happens Next?

The Town will compile the feedback received through the statutory consultation events and revise Draft 2 prior to returning to Council with a recommended Final New Official Plan and associated schedules for consideration of adoption. Formal notices of Council’s decision will be sent to those who have requested to be notified, noting that approval of the Final New Official Plan rests with the County of Simcoe and the document will not come into full force and effect until the County’s decision is made and any appeals are resolved.

You may request to be notified of future consultation opportunities and decisions on the new Collingwood Official Plan by e-mail to officialplanupdate@collingwood.ca or subscribe to the new Official Plan Updates e-Newsletter on the Engage Page.

Background

The Town began the Official Plan Update project in 2019, with most of the background work occurring in 2020 including community visioning and a public survey. Discussion Papers were prepared and public consultations were held on a variety of key topics, which are available on the Town’s Engage Page for review. An Options and Recommendations Report was prepared to capture feedback and guide the next steps in preparing policies. All feedback received to that point was considered in the preparation of the new Official Plan Draft 1.  Draft 1 was released on July 11, 2022, and was followed by two community information and feedback sessions with over 150 participants.  Approximately 200+ written comments were also submitted. This body of feedback, along with Provincial changes in policy and legislation to boost housing supply were considered in the preparation of Draft 2.

The Town welcomes feedback on the Official Plan Draft 2 policies and schedules and looks forward to continued conversation with the community on this important project.

What is an Official Plan?

An official plan is the overall policy framework that guides growth and land use decisions within a municipality. It is a statutory document, with legal effect, required by the province and provides high-level direction on land use planning and built form to a specified time horizon, typically 20 years or beyond. Official plans address the principles of sustainable development and cover considerations related to environmental protection, economic vitality, and social wellbeing, all within the context of complete and healthy communities. The plan is the guide for the Town’s growth and directs where, when, and how growth should occur. It also impacts the permissions for development on individual properties.

The Planning Act requires municipalities to review and revise official plans every five to ten years to ensure they are consistent with or conform to applicable Provincial interests, policies, and plans.

For more information and to stay up to date on the Official Plan Update project activities please visit the project webpage at https://engage.collingwood.ca/official-plan.