The County of Elgin Wants to Hear Your Priorities for the Official Plan Update

The County of Elgin is undertaking a review of its Official Plan in 2021 and wants to hear from members of the public regarding what their priorities are for this update. The County has launched a survey to seek public feedback on a number of issues related to the Official Plan.

The Official Plan is a collection of municipal policies that shape the way Elgin will look over time. It indicates how different types of land will be used, and how Elgin will grow and develop. This includes where new housing, industry, offices and shops will be located; what services like roads, watermains, sewers, parks and schools will be needed; and, when and in what order parts of our community will grow. It also considers important social, economic and environmental concerns. The goal of the Official Plan is to balance the interests of individual property owners with the wider interests and objectives of the whole community.

Official Plans are prepared with input from members of the community and must follow policies contained in the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) – a provincial document that regulates land use planning in Ontario.

All municipalities are required to review the policies contained within their Official Plans every five (5) years to ensure that they include any recent changes to the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) and to ensure that these policies reflect the changing priorities, needs and realties of the community. This is the process that Elgin County is currently undertaking.

Public feedback is critical to ensuring the updated Elgin County Official Plan will serve the community well now and for years to come. This document belongs to the community and should be shaped by community priorities.

Feedback will be collected in a number of ways over the course of 2021 including an online survey which will be available at www.surveymonkey.com/r/elginopreview until April 15, 2021. The County of Elgin is committed to sharing the results of this survey with the public along with the results of feedback received by email, phone and mail.

“We know that Elgin County is growing, but we need to make sure this growth happens in a way that builds on Elgin County’s strengths, and improves the quality of life for all its citizens.  We all want Elgin County to be a great place to live, work and play!” said

Warden Tom Marks. “In order to do this, we need to know what the community wants and needs. Feedback received will be used to define the list of issues that are considered carefully during the Official Plan review process. We all have a stake in the future of Elgin County and I urge everyone to visit our Official Plan Review website, fill out a copy of the survey and learn about the process we will be undertaking over the course of the next year.”

A copy of the current Official Plan, a timeline of the review process, and additional feedback methods are available at www.elgincounty.ca/officialplanreview. This website will be regularly update throughout the process to ensure that feedback is shared in a timely manner and that the public is aware of any upcoming public meetings and proposed policy revisions.