NEWS RELEASE
COUNTY OF SIMCOE
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On June 21, between 4:30 and 6 p.m., the County of Simcoe is hosting a virtual open house regarding a proposed first phase growth management county Official Plan amendment (OPA) resulting from the Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR).
Attendees will learn more about the OPA and MCR process to date, as the county works through a mandatory provincial process to meet Ontario’s Growth Plan targets.
“Municipalities have an important role in provincial growth planning, and the county’s planning team is working with the province, our lower-tier municipalities and local residents as part of our collaborative Municipal Comprehensive Review process,” said Warden George Cornell. “Please help us shape our future by providing input.”
Over the past two months, county planning staff along with the MCR project consultants attended individual meetings with local municipal staff, mayors and deputy mayors that requested additional opportunities to discuss growth management and recommendations produced to date in relation to their local municipality. As part of the comprehensive planning process, local residents can learn about the proposed amendments and ask questions at the virtual open house.
The virtual open house will take place on Zoom on Tuesday, June 21, between 4:30 and 6 p.m. Pre-registration is required by no later than noon on Friday, June 17, if you wish to participate live and ask questions. To register, visit simcoe-county-mcr.eventbrite.ca. Any person may watch the virtual open house on the County of Simcoe’s YouTube channel.
This proposed OPA represents the first of multiple amendments to the existing county Official Plan that will establish where and how growth is to occur in the county to 2051.
The public open house is part of a larger consultation process, and no decisions will be made at this meeting. The county is specifically looking for your input on the first phase growth management OPA at this time. There will be opportunity through future statutory open houses and public meetings anticipated to occur in 2023 regarding additional county OPAs to address settlement area boundary expansions, natural heritage systems, agricultural lands, climate change, and watershed management, for the public to provide comment on these matters as it relates to specific properties, and in general.
The MCR will help shape the growth of Simcoe County and our communities for the next 30 years. Through the Ontario Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, the county is mandated by the province to plan for a population of 555,000 and 198,000 jobs by 2051. This is determined at the provincial level based on population and economic forecasting.
The MCR process allows all parties to have a local and regional say on how we jointly want to see the county and our communities grow, with our environment, infrastructure and planning policies as key considerations.
For more information on the virtual open house for first phase growth management OPA, including the proposed OPA document, supporting technical reports, and the most current information, including information on upcoming meetings, visit www.simcoe.ca/mcr.
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