Information Session Scheduled for Niagara Escarpment Plan Changes

Updated October 19, 2017 at 10:10am.

The Niagara Escarpment Commission is holding a public information session from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on September 28 at the Owen Sound Legion to discuss proposed changes to the Niagara Escarpment Plan. Grey County encourages affected residents and concerned stakeholders to attend and provide comments.

Grey County does not support the proposed changes to the plan. County Council, and many other area municipalities, have asked for the commenting deadline to be further extended to give the public more time to understand the impact of these changes and to comment. The comment deadline has been extended to October 31, 2016.

For the convenience of residents, Grey County is working on a map that will show the proposed plan changes. It will be uploaded to Grey County’s mapping website, geo.grey.ca.

Comments can be submitted directly to the NEC by email, planreview [at] escarpment.org (planreview[at]escarpment[dot]org), or by mail to:

Background

Ontario is reviewing the Niagara Escarpment Plan. Proposed changes include expanding the area of the Niagara Escarpment Commission, changing land use designations and making changes to forest management policies.

Proposed Additions

• 45,677 hectares of new land with 32,559 new hectares within Grey County.
• Two-thirds of the new land is located in the Municipality of Meaford (21,323 hectares). There are also significant portions in Georgian Bluffs (4,279 hectares), Town of the Blue Mountains (4,464) and Grey Highlands (2,358 hectares).
• Changes to land uses can impact how property owners can or cannot develop their land.
• Local municipalities have no decision making power for development in areas under the Niagara Escarpment Plan.
• Changes to land use designations may impact property assessment.

More information about the Niagara Escarpment Commission and proposed changes to the plan can be found on their website, www.escarpment.org.

Updated Staff Report

Grey County planning staff have updated the report on the proposed changes to the Niagara Escarpment Plan.

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For more information, contact Rob Hatten, Communications Officer, at robert.hatten [at] grey.ca (robert[dot]hatten[at]grey[dot]ca) or 519‑372-0219 ext. 1235.