Corporation of Haldimand County - Approval to amend a municipality’s official plan

On June 28, 2021, Haldimand County Council passed By-law No. 1234-HC/21, to adopt its official plan update, comprised of Official Plan Amendments 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, and 63 (OPAs 57-63), which are now before the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for a decision under the Planning Act. If approved by the Minister, OPAs 57-63 would amend the County’s existing official plan.

OPAs 57-63 are part of a five (5) year review of the Haldimand County Official Plan being undertaken to conform with A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2019. The adopted OPAs 57-63 represent the first phase of the County’s official plan update, setting out a long-term growth management strategy for the municipality’s six urban areas. OPAs 57-63 implement a growth strategy for the urban communities in Haldimand County by amending urban area boundaries, amending and adding land use designations, and by amending and adding site-specific policies. The purpose is also to establish a water supply protection corridor from the Nanticoke Water Treatment Plant to serve the communities of Caledonia and Cayuga.

OPAs 57-63 determine where and how the County will grow, based on population and employment forecasts and a land needs assessment – aligning urban boundaries with market demand. Based on the forecasts prepared by the County’s consultant, the County is expected to grow to a population of 77,000 residents by 2051.  This forecast is higher than the forecast set out in A Place to Grow, which requires Haldimand County to plan for a minimum population of 75,000 residents by 2051. A Place to Grow allows municipalities to establish higher growth forecasts through municipal comprehensive reviews.

OPAs 57-63 contemplate a decrease in the County’s intensification target required in A Place to Grow from 32% to 20%. The intensification target is a measure of how much new residential development takes place in the County’s delineated built-up area (its existing developed urban area). Haldimand County identified that there are limited opportunities for intensification and that it will have difficulty achieving the current intensification target.

The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is, under the Places to Grow Act, responsible for making a decision on Haldimand County’s Feb. 18, 2021 request for an alternative intensification target.

The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is, under the Planning Act, the approval authority for OPAs 57-63. The decision of the Minister must be consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement, 2020, and must conform with A Place to Grow. The decision of the Minister on these official plan amendments is final and is not subject to appeal.