Official Plan Amendment 23
The Grey County Official Plan was approved by the province on June 6, 2019 and came into effect on June 7, 2019. In working with the existing policy framework, there are some policies in the County’s Rural designation which have caused questions. The County is proposing some changes to the County’s Rural permitted uses and development policies to clarify these policies via Official Plan Amendment (OPA) # 23. The purpose of OPA 23 would be to clarify the permitted uses and development policies in the County Official Plan’s Rural designation.

OPA 23 - Rural Permitted Uses and Development Policies
The effect of OPA 23 would be to:
- Update permitted uses in the Rural designation,
- Change development policies in the Rural designation,
- Update definitions related to the Rural permitted uses, and
- Change two of the Agricultural designation development policies.
Official Plan Amendment No. 23 will not change any of the County’s mapping. A key map has not been provided because Official Plan Amendment # 23 covers rural areas throughout the County. OPA 23 does not impact existing planning applications which have already been submitted and are already in process.
Official Plan Amendment No. 23 is not a fulsome consistency exercise with the entire Provincial Planning Statement 2024. A more fulsome amendment will be required in the future to ensure the County Official Plan is consistent with the new Provincial Planning Statement.
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Any persons may attend the public meeting and/or make written or verbal representation either in support of or in opposition to the proposed official plan amendment.
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If a person or public body would otherwise have an ability to appeal the decision of the County of Grey to the Ontario Land Tribunal but the person or public body does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to the County of Grey before the official plan amendment is adopted, the person or public body is not entitled to appeal the decision.
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If a person or public body does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to the County of Grey before the proposed official plan amendment is adopted, the person or public body may not be added as a party to the hearing of an appeal before the Ontario Land Tribunal unless, in the opinion of the Tribunal, there are reasonable grounds to add the person or public body as a party.
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If you wish to be notified of the decision by the County of Grey in respect to the approval or refusal of the official plan amendment, you must make a written request to the County, at the address noted above. Please note Official Plan Amendment # 23 when directing comments to the County.
Decision on OPA 23
On April 10, 2025, County Council passed by-law number 5229-25 adopting Official Plan Amendment No. 23 being the ‘Rural Permitted Uses and Development Policies’ amendment to the County of Grey Official Plan. Please note that Council’s decision is not final until after the deadline for filing a notice of appeal has elapsed. For more information on this decision please Staff Report PDR-CW-20-05 and the Decision on Official Plan Amendment No. 23 in the documents tab above.”
More Information
For more information about this matter, including information about appeal rights, contact County staff at planning [at] grey.ca (planning[at]grey[dot]ca) or via mail at Grey County Planning Dept., 595 9th Avenue East, Owen Sound, Ontario, N4K 3E3
A note about information you may submit to the County: Under the authority of the Municipal Act, 2001 and in accordance with Ontario's Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), all information provided for, or at a Public Meeting, Public Consultation, or other Public Process are considered part of the public record, including resident deputations. This information may be posted on the County website, and/or made available to the public upon request.