Municpal comprehENSIVE Review – COPA No. 7
Notice of Approval OPA No. 7
The province approved the County’s Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No. 7 – Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) Phase 1 Growth Management on April 7, 2026.
OPA No. 7 was initiated to bring the County into full conformity with the former Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (Growth Plan). Despite the repeal of the Growth Plan, OPA No. 7 remains the basis of long-term growth projections and land needs for a future population of 555,000 and 198,000 jobs by the year 2051, as permitted by the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024.
The amendment includes new or updated policies relating to:
- settlement hierarchies
- population and employment growth forecasts
- density and intensification targets
- identification of Major Transit Station Areas
- establish policy frameworks for managing new growth areas and future settlement area boundary expansions
The amendment includes modifications by the province related to:
- references to the former Growth Plan and new Provincial Planning Statement, 2024
- revision to indigenous engagement policy (Section 3.2.7 (k))
- addition of a new policy related to South Simcoe (Section 3.2.12)
- revision to MTSAs policies (Section 3.2.12 to 3.2.14)
- updated definitions
- addition of a new Section 3.10 and Appendix 1 for a Strategic Employment Reserve Study Area
- addition of approved MZOs under new Section 3.15
- revisions to Schedule 5.1 – Land Use Designations to add lands to the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport Economic District
A consolidation of the official plan text and map schedules will be available soon.
Background Information
The County undertook a Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) in accordance with the former Provincial Growth Plan, A Place to Grow: Growth plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (Office Consolidation 2020).
OPA No. 7 was adopted by County Council on August 9, 2022, by By-law No. 6977.
The MCR was a specific planning process used to bring an Official Plan into conformity with the former Growth Plan. It established the pattern of development and environmental management in the County including planning for a future population and employment growth to 2051. The MCR applies to the 16 local area municipalities in the County, excluding the separated Cities of Barrie and Orillia.
The County’s lead consultant, Hemson, along with a multi-disciplinary team of professionals, to address the various components of the MCR as follows:
- Provincial Natural Heritage System Review and Refinement – North South Environmental Inc.
- Provincial Agricultural System Review and Refinement – DBH Soil Services Inc.
- Employment Strategy – Hemson Consulting and Cushman Wakefield
- Climate Change Strategy – Hemson Consulting and Laura Taylor Designs
- Watershed Management Strategy – Wood Environmental & Infrastructure Solutions Inc.
- Growth Management – Hemson Consulting
- County Official Plan Amendment(s) – Meridian Planning
- Communications Strategy – The Planning Partnership, Meridian Planning, and Nbisiing Consulting
Throughout the MCR process, the County engaged and consulted with relevant stakeholders, holding more than 70 meetings with member municipalities, provincial agencies, Indigenous communities and other key groups.
Related Notices and Staff Reports
On October 5th, 18th and 19th 2021, the County and its MCR consultants hosted virtual public information sessions on the following technical components of the County’s Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR):
- Land Needs Assessment and Growth Management,
- Provincial Natural Heritage System Mapping Refinement,
- Provincial Agricultural System Mapping Refinement,
- Climate Change, and
- Watershed Management
- For information relating to this meeting, please use the following link Public Meetings – County Official Plan Amendments and MCR