Official Plan Review Virtual Open House 

Draft Official Plan Proposed for Ministry Review

This report has been prepared for the April 6, 2022 meeting of Council to provide an overview of the updated Draft Official Plan, following the presentation of the Draft Official Plan to Council on February 16, 2022.

Based on the comments that were received, an updated Draft Official Plan has been prepared and is dated April, 2022. A summary of the comments that were received at the February 16, 2022 are included in this report. In addition to the comments, a summary of the responses and a summary of the revisions that were made from the last draft of the Official Plan are included.

McDougall Official Plan - Staff Report for Ministry Review Document - 6 April 2022 (.PDF 1,192 kb)

The Council Meeting proceedings can be viewed on the municipal YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvNETc_ZjacukTx8FHMouYQ.

First Draft of Official Plan

Next Steps:

Receive comments on the first draft of the Official Plan for the consideration of staff when preparing the next Draft. Comments can be provided to OPReview@mcdougall.ca . Following the comment period an Open House and Statutory Public Meeting will be scheduled, details of the open house will be provided in accordance with the Planning Act. Be sure to subscribe at the bottom of this page under "Stay Informed" to the "OP Review & Zoning Update" in order to be included on electronic circulations. 

What We Heard Report

Draft Background Report 

Draft Background Report - Municipality of McDougall Official Plan Review (.PDF 350 KB)

 

What are the next steps? 

Special Meeting to Inform the Public of an Official Plan Review.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Official Plan?

An Official Plan is the primary tool for implementing the Municipality’s goals and objectives and to establish a long term strategy to guide the growth, development and land use change in the Municipality. The new Official Plan will guide all land use planning and development decisions in the Municipality of McDougall for the next 25 years.

Why do a review and adopt a new Official Plan?

The current Official Plan for the Municipality was adopted in 2005 and has been subject to various amendments over the years. The Official Plan was last consolidated in May 2015. The Planning Act, which establishes the rules for land use planning in Ontario, requires that the Municipality’s Official Plan be reviewed and updated to ensure it conforms to Provincial plans and to ensure it is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement. The Municipality’s Official Plan must also conform to the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario. 

The Municipality wants to ensure that the Official Plan remains reflective of community goals and priorities and will be undertaking an extensive public engagement and consultation process to ensure the communities interests and opinions are reflected in the new Official Plan.

Once approved by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH), the Municipality’s Official Plan would be required to be updated every 10 years. 

How long will the review take?

The Official Plan Review commenced in April 2021 and is scheduled to be adopted by Council in the by the end of 2022.  There are two phases of the Official Plan Review.   In general, the process will consist of a thorough background research phase, including opportunities for community input, preparation of a draft Official Plan, and finalization and adoption of the new Official Plan.  Please refer to the Official Plan Review Timeline above for more information.

 

 

What guides the preparation of the new Official Plan

There are several Provincial planning documents that form the basis for land use planning in Ontario. The Municipality of McDougall Official Plan is required to be consistent with and have regard to the Planning Act, Provincial Policy Statement, and the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario.  

What will the new Official Plan include?

The new Official Plan will address a comprehensive list of planning and policy areas including achieving sustainable development, delivering a sufficient supply of homes, building a strong and competitive local economy, ensuring the vitality of settlement areas and promoting healthy and safe communities, promoting sustainable transport, supporting high quality communications, making effective use of land, achieving well-designed places, conserving and enhancing the natural environment, conserving and enhancing the historic environment, and meeting the challenge of climate change. 

Since the preparation of the Municipality’s last Official Plan, a number of key planning issues have been identified including policies pertaining to growth management, shoreline development, ensuring consistency with the applicable Provincial planning documents, affordable housing, development on private roads, short-term rentals, cannabis production facilities, development on partial servicing in Nobel, and source water protection and best practices.

There is a Draft Background Report available on the Municipality’s website that provides an overview of these items.  

Who approves the new Official Plan?

The new Official Plan will be adopted Council of the Municipality of McDougall, and then requires final approval by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH). MMAH’s decision is subject to appeal to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). 

Will this impact the Zoning of my property?

Potentially, yes! The Planning Act requires that the Municipality’s Zoning By-law be updated three (3) years after the new Official Plan is approved. The third phase of the overall project will be to complete an update to the Municipality’s Zoning By-law.  

Are there going to be opportunities for comment and input?

Yes!  The Municipality needs and encourages everyone to get involved and provide input and comments throughout the process.  There will be opportunities for comment and input throughout the process of updating the Official Plan. The Municipality will host statutory public open houses and meetings, all of which will provide opportunities for the community to engage in the Official Plan preparation process.  Comments can also be provided directly to the Municipality throughout the review process.  

How you can stay informed?

The Municipality will provide information and notice about the project and all public consultation events through a range of methods and channels.  Get connected, subscribe to the project page for updates, and get engaged at any of the following:

 https://www.mcdougall.ca/p/official-plan-review 

 

OPReview@mcdougall.ca