Bruce County Council received an update about the new Bruce County Official Plan, which includes comments gathered from consultations.
Monica Morrison, Manager of Planning and Development at Bruce County says that the update was to inform council of changes that are being considered for the official plan, including discussions with the province.
“We’ve had a fair bit of dialogue with folks at the open houses we’ve hosted, over email, and through one-on-one virtual meetings,” said Morrison. “There have been several themes that have emerged and we have been evaluating how those can be addressed in the new draft official plan. We’re encouraged that there have been few public requests for changes to the draft policies of the plan.”
She said that some requests that came from the general public were property-specific, particularly requesting expansions to municipal boundaries that would help with future growth.
Interestingly, there were also requests from a few that would limit development in certain areas as well.
Morrison said that there were also discussions with provincial ministries.
“There are few areas where we are continuing engagement with the province, largely related to existing policy approaches that have been part of our Official Plan for many years now. An example would be how the county official plan accommodates communities that rely on horse-drawn transportation, and we continue to discuss those policies with ministry staff.
She explained to council that the planning team will be continuing their work into 2025, including work with Saugeen Ojibway Nation to review how the draft is coming along in ways that are relevant to the community’s interests.
The next steps for the team includes incorporating the comments that have arisen from discussions that they’re having with local municipal staff and councils, and Morrison said they’re anticipating some changes to the plan related to that feedback as well.
A report will be presented to council in the new year.