Sudbury East Planning Board - Approval of a municipality’s official plan

The new Official Plan for the Sudbury East Planning Area as adopted by the planning board and all four planning area municipalities by By-laws 2023-15 (Markstay-Warren), 23-01 (Sudbury East Planning Board), 2023-23 (French River), 2023-15 (St.-Charles) in April 2023, and 2023-27 (Killarney) in June 2023 was approved subject to 21 modifications on July 15, 2025.

Twenty-one (21) modifications were required to ensure that the Official Plan has regard for Provincial Interests as set out in Section 2 of the Planning Act and to ensure consistency with the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024 (PPS). The new Official Plan provides appropriate localized policy direction for the protection and conservation of natural and cultural heritage features and areas and for the wise management of natural resources.

Of the twenty-one (21) modifications, ten (10; summarized below) are specifically related to the environment: 

• Modifications to growth management policies that promote phased, efficient, and responsible growth that encourage intensification and redevelopment and prioritize growth on existing infrastructure and public service facilities. Growth and development will be coordinated with infrastructure. New infrastructure and public service facilities should be timely, appropriate, strategically located, and with demonstrated sufficient capacity of services to meet current and projected needs with no negative impacts (PPS 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 6.2).

• A policy guiding mitigation and adaptation to the effects of climate change (PPS 2.9, 5.2.4, and Planning Act subsection 16(14)); 

• Modifications to ensure protection of water resource systems, including ground water resources (PPS 2.3, 3.6 and 4.6) through sourcewater protection, partial and individual water and sewage service policies clarification, requiring sufficient reserve capacity of services, and requiring a minimum of 1 hectare for lots on private individual on-site services unless a study demonstrates that services can be provided on a smaller lot with no negative environmental impacts;

• The protection of natural heritage (PPS 4.1), including significant wetlands (PPS 4.1.4), significant wildlife habitat (PPS 4.1.5), fish habitat (PPS 4.1.6), ecological function (PPS 4.1.8); 

• Land use compatibility in the rural area: minimum setback distance policies to separate agricultural, commercial, and industrial uses from more sensitive uses (PPS 2.6.5 and 4.5.2.2);

• Provincial flood hazard policy clarification (PPS 5.1. and 5.2); and

• Waste management policy to ensure solid waste capacity when considering development proposals (PPS 3.1.1 and 3.7);

The remaining modifications address Planning Act updates, cultural heritage, Indigenous engagement, natural resource uses and hazards (e.g., aggregate, mines and minerals), Crown land, transportation and infrastructure, group home policy, cross-jurisdictional coordination, and mapping corrections and updates.

Other information

Pursuant to Section 17(36.5) of the Planning Act, the Minister’s decision is final and not subject to appeal.