Official Plan Review

NEW Proposed Urban Boundary Expansions

The County has circulated Draft Official Plan Amendment 126 (OPA 126) for comment. OPA 126 includes urban boundary expansions for Fergus and Elora/Salem in Centre Wellington, County-wide policy updates and other changes. The deadline for comments is January 16, 2025. More information about this amendment may be found under the “Official Plan Amendments” drop down tab below.

A public open house and public meeting will be held in the future to gather public input on this amendment. Future notification of these meetings will be provided to our project circulation list and applicable persons and public bodies.

Please refer to the Official Plan Amendments drop down tab below for additional information about OPA 126.

We will regularly update this page throughout the Official Plan Review process. If you would like to receive updates, join our mailing list by sending a request to our email

Official Plan Review

Over the next 30 years, Wellington County is expected to grow to approximately 160,000 people and 70,000 jobs. The County is reviewing and updating Official Plan policies to prepare for this added growth and to ensure that the Plan is supporting healthy, compact and complete communities. The County is doing so through a process called a Municipal Comprehensive Review and also as part of a 5-year review.

Public Consultation

Public Information Centre (PIC) - June 23, 2021

On June 23, 2021, County planning staff and their consultants hosted a virtual Public Information Centre to provide information to the public about recent growth management work completed by the County. This included information related to draft municipal growth allocations to 2051 and a preliminary urban structure contained in the Draft Phase 1 MCR Report: Urban Structure and Growth Allocations.

Members of the public were invited to listen to a presentation and engage with County staff to ask questions and provide feedback on the Draft Phase 1 Report. A summary of this Public Information Centre, including questions and staff responses is provided below under Additional Information.

Additional Information

Special Meeting of Council - June 29, 2021

On June 29, 2021, County Council held a virtual Special Meeting of Council to broadly introduce the Official Plan Review to the public and receive feedback about the type of changes that may be needed to the Official Plan.

Members of the public were invited to listen to a presentation and engage with County staff to ask questions and provide feedback. A summary of this Special Meeting of Council, including questions and staff responses is provided below under Additional Information.

Additional Information

Public Information Centre (PIC) - December 13, 2021

On December 13, 2021, County planning staff and their consultants hosted a virtual Public Information Centre to provide information to the public about the preliminary results of the Countywide Land Needs Assessment (LNA). The presentation reviewed the key inputs into the LNA and provided land need results at the municipal level.

Members of the public were invited to listen to a presentation and engage with County staff, ask questions, and provide feedback on the preliminary LNA results. A summary of this Public Information Centre, including questions and staff responses will be provided in the near future.

Additional Information

Official Plan Amendment No. 119 - Open House - January 31, 2022

The County of Wellington hosted a virtual Open House on January 31, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. to provide the public with an informal opportunity to discuss Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No. 119, to ask questions and identify additional planning issues that can be considered.

Additional Information

Official Plan Amendment No. 119 - Public Meeting - February 10, 2022

County of Wellington Planning Committee hosted a virtual Public Meeting on February 10, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. to provide the public with an opportunity to make formal submissions to the Planning Committee on Official Plan Amendment No. 119.

Additional Information

Official Plan Amendment No. 120 - Open House - December 15, 2022

The County of Wellington hosted a virtual Open House on December 15, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. to provide the public with an informal opportunity to discuss Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No. 120, to ask questions and identify additional planning issues that can be considered.

Additional Information

Official Plan Amendment No. 120 - Public Meeting - January 12, 2023

The County of Wellington has scheduled an in person public meeting to provide the public with an opportunity to discuss Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No. 120, to ask questions and identify additional planning issues that can be considered. County Staff will provide a presentation and be available to respond to questions.

Time and Location

The public meeting is scheduled for January 12, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. in County Council Chambers, located in the County Administration Centre, 74 Woolwich Street, Guelph, ON, N1H 3T9.

Provide Written Comments

If you are unable to attend the meeting and would like to provide written comments, please do so by January 11, 2023. Comments can be sent to the attention of: Sarah Wilhelm, Manager of Policy Planning, by email, or by regular mail to 74 Woolwich Street, Guelph, ON, N1H 3T9.

Additional Information

Official Plan Amendment No. 123 - Open House - May 23, 2024

The County of Wellington has scheduled a virtual open house on May 23, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. to provide the public with an informal opportunity to discuss Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No. 123, to ask questions and identify additional planning issues that can be addressed.

If you experience any issues, please email us or call 519.837.2600 x2300 for assistance.

Additional Information

Official Plan Amendment No. 123 - Public Meeting - June 13, 2024

The County of Wellington has scheduled an in person public meeting to provide the public with an opportunity to discuss Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No. 123, to ask questions and identify additional planning issues that can be considered. County Staff will provide a presentation and be available to respond to questions.

Time and Location

The public meeting is scheduled for June 13, 2024 at 11 a.m. located in the County Administration Centre, 74 Woolwich Street, Guelph, ON, N1H 3T9.

Provide Written Comments

If you are unable to attend the meeting and would like to provide written comments, please do so by June 20, 2024.

Comments can be sent to the attention of: Jameson Pickard, Senior Policy Planner, by email, or by regular mail to 74 Woolwich Street, Guelph, ON, N1H 3T9.

Additional Information

Growth Management

Land Needs Assessment

The County of Wellington has prepared a draft of the County-wide Land Needs Assessment. The assessment was completed in accordance with the Provincial Land Needs Assessment Methodology issued under the Growth Plan, 2019.

The purpose of the Land Needs Assessment is to determine if the County of Wellington and its member municipalities have an adequate supply of designated land to accommodate forecasted population and employment growth to 2051. The draft Land Needs Assessment identifies which communities need to:

identify excess lands;
re-designate future development lands; and/or
expand urban areas

Please note that this report does not make recommendations on which specific lands may be added to urban areas identified as having a need. The location options for urban boundary expansions and re-designation requests will be evaluated during Phase 3.

Phase 2 Municipal Comprehensive Review Report: Land Needs Report - Final (August 29, 2022)

Executive Summary Wellington County Phase 2 Municipal Comprehensive Review Draft Report (March 31, 2022)

Phase 2 Municipal Comprehensive Review Report: Land Needs Draft Report (March 31, 2022)

Final Phase 1 MCR Report: Urban Structure and Growth Allocations

The Final Phase 1 Report provides detailed background and rationale for a County urban structure and proposed growth allocations to our member municipalities to 2051.

Final Phase 1 MCR Report: Urban Structure and Growth Allocations

Final Phase 1 MCR Report: Guelph-Eramosa - Settlement Area Table A-3 Table 3 - UPDATE

Municipal Servicing Analysis

Wellington County has undertaken a Municipal Servicing Analysis of municipal servicing capacity for each local municipality in support of the County's ongoing Municipal Comprehensive Review Process. The analysis evaluates the existing water and wastewater capacities of the area municipalities.

As required under the provincial land use planning framework, growth should be directed to existing 'settlement areas' that have available or planned servicing capacity to accommodate future development. The findings of this memorandum are intended to inform the County's ongoing growth management work regarding where future growth should be allocated.

It should be noted that the information contained in the Municipal Servicing Analysis is reflective of a specific point in time. Interested parties should contact their local municipality for the most current servicing capacity information.

Final Municipal Servicing Analysis

Growth Management Overview

Growth management is an integrated process to determine where and how population and employment growth will occur to promote healthy, compact and complete communities, while incorporating planning, servicing and financing considerations.

Below is a growth management overview that has been prepared to provide a review of the growth management framework set out in the provincial Growth Plan as it applies to Wellington County.

Growth Management Overview

Planning for Employment

The County of Wellington is anticipated to experience significant employment growth over the next 30 years and is projected to reach at least 70,000 jobs by 2051. As part of the of the Official Plan Review, the County will be updating employment policies in the Official Plan in accordance with Provincial Policy requirements.

The County’s Employment Areas include lands designated Industrial and Rural Employment Area. These areas accommodate primarily 'export based' employment sectors which typically reach markets well beyond the trade area of the County population base. This includes a wide range of industrial uses (manufacturing, distribution/logistics, transportation services), specific multi-tenant commercial and institutional uses, which generally support the industrial/business function of the County’s Employment Areas.

Employment areas are a vital component of the County of Wellington's land-use structure and are an integral part of the local economic development potential of the County and its achievement of complete communities.

Puslinch by Design - Employment Land Study

The County and the Township of Puslinch are partnering to carry out the Puslinch by Design - Employment Land Study to identify additional employment lands in the Township to service long-term growth needs. Click the following link to visit the project webpage and learn more.

Puslinch By Design - Employment Land Study

What is an Employment Area conversion?

An Employment Area conversion is a process to consider re-designating lands within an Employment Area to accommodate a non-employment use such as residential or major retail. Through the Land Needs Assessment, the County is required to consider potential employment area conversion requests.

The submission window for Employment Area conversion requests is now closed. The County will review the submissions received and report to Planning Committee with planning staff recommendations and next steps.

Resources:

Employment Area Conversion Submission Guide

NEW Planning for Housing

Over the next 30 years, the County of Wellington is expected to reach a population of 160,000 people requiring approximately 57,940 households by 2051. To make sure our communities are prepared for this growth and offer a range and mix of different housing options to our residents, the County will be reviewing it's housing policy framework through the Official Plan Review. This review will align the County Official Plan with Provincial policies and modernize the housing policy framework in Wellington County.

Housing Focused: A Housing Policy Review in Wellington County

The County has prepared “Housing Focused: A Housing Policy Review in Wellington County” with the intent of applying a housing-focused lens to the development policies in the Official Plan. Housing Focused provides a summary of the land use planning policy framework that applies to housing development in Wellington County and provides a series of policy options that the County could pursue to update the Official Plan.

The County wants to hear from the public about the options discussed in the report, as well as other policy options and ideas that could be pursued to help support housing development in Wellington County. Comments on this document are to be submitted no later than May 31, 2024.

Housing Focused: A Housing Policy Review in Wellington County

Agricultural System Mapping and Policy Review

As part of the Official Plan Review, the County will be reviewing and refining the Agricultural Land Base mapping issued under the Growth Plan and updating the County Official Plan to align with current provincial land use planning policy. The County has retained a qualified consultant to assist with this work.

For more information about this work, please review this page. It will be updated regularly with new information related to this project.

Agricultural Land Use Policy

Since the last comprehensive update of the County of Wellington Official Plan, there have been several provincial planning documents released or updated which provide important provincial direction related to agricultural land use policy. Some of these documents include:

Provincial Policy Statement, 2020;
Guidelines on Permitted Uses in Ontario's Prime Agricultural Area;
The Greenbelt Plan, 2017;
The Growth Plan, 2019;
The Minimum Distance Separation Document (MDS) - Formulae and Guidelines for Livestock Facility and Anaerobic Digester Odour Setbacks

The County will update the Official Plan to comprehensively apply the policies and guidance contained in these documents. The County will engage with the public and agricultural community through the policy development process.

Agricultural Land Base Mapping

In 2018, the province released the Agricultural Land Base Mapping issued under the Growth Plan, which identified prime agricultural lands for protection.

The Agricultural Land Base Mapping was created through a Land Evaluation and Area Review (LEAR) analysis completed by the Ontario Ministry of Agricultural Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). The LEAR methodology identified high scoring lands which would be appropriate to include within the prime agricultural area. The LEAR findings were then augmented by incorporating all prime agricultural lands currently identified in the County Official Plan, resulting in a final provincially mapped prime agricultural area.

The LEAR analysis also identified candidate areas which are medium scoring areas. The County will need to review these areas and determine if they should be added to the prime agricultural area or mapped as rural lands.

The focus of the County's work will be to review and refine the provincial mapping, and incorporate a final agricultural land base into the County Official Plan. The County will engage with the public and agricultural community through this mapping refinement process.

Please use the interactive map below to see how the Provincial Agricultural Land Base Mapping applies to your property.

Official Plan Amendments

This section will host the various official plan amendments that are prepared under the Official Plan Review.

The County Official Plan Review will be completed through a series of phased official plan amendments that will bring the County Official Plan into conformity with recent changes to Provincial land use plans, consistency with the Provincial Policy Statement and address other legislative changes.

Amendment No. 126 - Urban Boundary Expansions

Official Plan Amendment 126 (OPA 126) identifies urban boundary expansions in Centre Wellington, addresses County-wide policy updates related to growth, and other changes. This amendment is part of Urban Phase 3A of the County's Official Plan Review.

A copy of proposed OPA 126 and associated materials are provided below:

Draft OPA 126 - Urban Boundary Expansions

Notice of Complete Application

Companion Document to Draft OPA 126 - Urban Boundary Expansions

Settlement Area Boundary Expansion Recommendation Report (Township Report PLN2024-38)

Centre Wellington Recommended Settlement Area Boundary Expansions (Township Report PLN2024-35)

Greenfield Density and Intensification Target Preferred Scenario (Township Report PLN2024-34)

Minimum Distance Separation Study

Agricultural Impact Assessment for Centre Wellington SABE

Urban Boundary Expansion Review (County Report PD2024-08)

Urban Boundary Expansion Review Framework

Amendment No. 123 - Future Development Lands

Official Plan Amendment 123 (OPA 123) further implements recommendations of the County's Land Need Assessment (LNA) and growth management work related to Future Development lands and Employment Area conversions. These changes will help ensure suitable lands are available to accommodate forecasted growth in the County to 2051. OPA 123 also makes several housing friendly policy changes, responds to changes in the Planning Act, and makes other housekeeping updates.

On October 31, 2024, County Council adopted OPA 123. Comments that were received through the public consultation for this amendment and their impact on the amendment can be found in Planning Committee Report PD2024-34 County Official Plan Review - OPA 123 Recommendation Report.

County Adopted OPA 123

Notice of Adoption OPA 123

Revised Draft - Official Plan Amendment No. 123 - Future Development Lands

Notice of Revised Application - Official Plan Amendment 123 - Future Development Lands

Draft - Official Plan Amendment No. 123 - Future Development Lands

Notice of Complete Application - OPA No. 123 - Future Development Lands

Amendment No. 120 - County Growth Forecast

Official Plan Amendment 120 (OPA 120) updates Wellington County’s growth forecast by revising the population, household and employment forecasts to extend to 2051.

On February 23, 2023, County Council adopted OPA 120. Comments that were received through the public consultation for this amendment, and their impact on the amendment, can be found in Planning Committee Report PD2023-03 County Official Plan Review – OPA 120 Recommendation Report.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing issued a decision on July 11, 2024 subject to modifications. The decision is final and came into effect July 12, 2024.

OPA 120 is the second amendment to be approved under the County’s “Plan Well” Official Plan Review. Please see links below for more information.

County Adopted OPA 120

Provincial Approval OPA 120

Amendment No. 119 – County Growth Structure

Official Plan Amendment 119 (OPA 119) serves as the framework to guide growth in Wellington County.

On May 26, 2022, County Council adopted OPA 119. Comments that were received through the public consultation for this amendment, and their impact on the amendment, can be found in Planning Committee Report PD2022-14 County Official Plan Review – OPA 119 Recommendation Report.

OPA 119 was subject to three separate approvals by the Province:

April 11, 2023 decision of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) to approve OPA 119 with modifications.
December 6, 2023 Royal Assent to Bill 150 (2023) to deem certain modifications to have never been made and to make additional modifications.
May 6, 2024 Royal Assent to Bill 162 (2024) subject to modifications, effective April 11, 2023.

OPA 119 is the first amendment to be approved under the County’s “Plan Well” Official Plan Review. Please see links below for more information.

County Adopted OPA 119

Provincial Approval #1 OPA 119

Provincial Approval #2 OPA 119

Provincial Approval #3 OPA 119

Planning Committee Reports

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020 and earlier