The Corporation of the City of Kitchener. - Approval to amend a municipality’s official plan

On May 5, 2025, the City of Kitchener adopted OPA 62 by By-Law 2025-048. OPA 62 was deemed complete under the Planning Act by the Ministry on July 4, 2025. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is seeking feedback on the council- adopted OPA 62 and will review all comments before recommendations are provided to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for a decision in accordance with sections 17 and 26 of the Planning Act.

The More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 (Bill 23) made changes that removed statutory powers under the Planning Act from seven upper-tier municipalities identified in the legislation. The effective date for the Region of Waterloo was January 1, 2025. As such, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is now the approval authority for official plans and official plan amendments for lower-tier municipalities in the Region of Waterloo.

OPA 62 proposes to implement a Strategic Growth Area (SGA) land use planning framework for three (3) Protected Major Transit Station Areas (PMTSAs): Block Line, Fairway, and Sportsworld, also known as Growing Together East. The amendment includes updates to both mapping and policy text.

OPA 62 is the final phase in the City of Kitchener’s Growing Together project, which introduced new SGA land use designations for ten (10) PMTSAs across the city. The first phase of the project, known as Growing Together West, was approved on March 18, 2024, and covered seven (7) PMTSAs.