NEWS RELEASE
COUNTY OF SIMCOE
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The County of Simcoe will hold a virtual Special Meeting of Council on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 10 a.m. to discuss the County’s Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) exercise. The MCR is part of a process to update the County Official Plan and align it with the changes that have occurred to the Provincial Growth Plan.
The County’s current Official Plan was approved by the Ontario Municipal Board on December 26, 2016 and is a long-range planning document that sets out policy to guide growth, land use planning and development approvals in the County to the year 2031. The Growth Plan now requires that the County plan for a population of 555,000 and 198,000 jobs by 2051 (these figures apply to the 16 member municipalities within the County; while the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia have their own targets and policies).
In accordance with section 26(3) of the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.P.13, the County will hold a special meeting on the MCR on June 8 to update our County Official Plan to conform with the Provincial Growth Plan, A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (Office Consolidation 2020), and ensure that it has appropriate regard for matters of Provincial interest and is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement, 2020. Notice of the virtual special meeting of Council was advertised in local newspapers across the County in April and May and is posted on our website.
The MCR will involve the preparation of topic-specific technical reports and recommendations to address:
- Growth management;
- Employment;
- Refinements to the provincial natural heritage system and agricultural system mapping;
- Climate change; and
- Watershed management.
Event: Virtual special meeting of Council on MCR
Where: Live on the County’s YouTube channel
When: Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 10 a.m.
Participating in the MCR process
This special meeting of Council is a high-level, introductory public meeting intended to outline and discuss the MCR process. It is the first of the statutory meetings to be held in relation to the MCR and will include an overview presentation by the County’s MCR consultant. Additional opportunities for the public to review and comment on draft documents regarding specific components of the MCR will occur prior to County Council considering the adoption of any proposed new County Official Plan or Official Plan Amendment(s).
Additional information relating to the Municipal Comprehensive Review project is available for viewing on the County of Simcoe website.
County of Simcoe is composed of sixteen member municipalities and provides crucial public services to County residents in addition to providing paramedic and social services to the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. Visit our website.
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