Notice of Rescheduled Statutory Public Meeting

Township of East Garafraxa - Official Plan Review

By Township of East Garafraxa - Mar 12, 2026

Further to the Notice of Open House and Public Meeting dated November 6, 2025, please be advised that the Statutory Public Meeting originally scheduled for Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. was postponed due to inclement weather. The Open House was held on December 17, 2025, and proceeded as scheduled.

This notice is being given in accordance with Sections 17 and 26 of the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.13, as amended. Notice is hereby given that the rescheduled Special Council Meeting/Statutory Public Meeting will be held as follows:

STATUTORY PUBLIC MEETING DETAILS
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Time: 4:30 p.m.

Format: Hybrid (in-person and remote participation available)
In-Person Location:
Township Administration Office
065371 Dufferin County Road 3, Unit 2
East Garafraxa, ON L9W 7J8

Remote Participation:
Registration is required for those wishing to attend remotely. The Zoom registration link will be posted on the Township website calendar under the applicable meeting date (https://calendar.eastgarafraxa.ca/council).

Electronic participation is provided as a convenience and is dependent on third-party platforms, internet connectivity, and user equipment. While the Township will make reasonable efforts to ensure the technology functions properly, uninterrupted access cannot be guaranteed. If technical issues arise, the meeting may proceed provided quorum is maintained. The Township is not responsible for a participant’s inability to connect due to technical difficulties outside the Township’s control.

PURPOSE OF THE MEETING
The purpose of the Statutory Public Meeting is to consider the proposed Draft Official Plan for the Township of East Garafraxa, which is intended to replace the current Official Plan.

An Official Plan is a legal document required under the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.13, that sets out the municipality’s long-term land use strategy for growth and development. The proposed Draft Official Plan is intended to:

Conform with the County of Dufferin Official Plan and applicable provincial plans;
Be consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024;
Address matters of provincial interest; and
Reflect community needs and the long-term vision for the Township of East Garafraxa.

Council will consider all written and oral submissions before making a decision regarding adoption of the proposed Official Plan.

PARTICIPATION AND SUBMISSIONS
Any person or public body may attend the Special Council Meeting/Statutory Public Meeting and make written or oral submissions in support of or in opposition to the proposed Official Plan.

1. Written Submissions
Written submissions should be addressed to the Township Clerk using the contact details provided at the bottom of this notice.

Written comments will be accepted no later than Wednesday, April 15, 2026.

If you wish to be notified of the adoption or refusal of the proposed Official Plan, you must make a written request to the Township Clerk prior to adoption.

2. Oral Submissions
Oral submissions may be provided to Council at the Public Meeting, either in-person or remotely.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Additional information regarding the proposed Draft Official Plan, including Draft Official Plan
Version 2 (V2 - January 2026), is available:

In-person at the Township Administration Office during regular office hours (065371 Dufferin County Road 3, Unit 2, East Garafraxa, ON L9W 7J8); and/or
On the Township website: (Official Plan and Official Plan Review Page -
https://www.eastgarafraxa.ca/business-and-development/official-plan-and-official-plan
review/)

Materials related to the Introductory Official Plan Workshop (Special Council Meeting) held on September 17, 2025, and the Open House held on December 17, 2025, are also available on the Township website at the link provided above.

DOCUMENT UPDATES
Following the Introductory Official Plan Workshop (Special Council Meeting) and Open House, and comments received to date, updates were made to Draft Version 1 (V1) of the Official Plan. These updates are reflected in Draft Version 2 (V2 - January 2026), which has been posted on the Township Official Plan and Official Plan Review project webpage (link provided above). Highlighted changes include:

Incorporated feedback received during the September and December 2025 meetings, and written comments received to date, including revising the minimum agricultural lot area size recommendation from 40 ha to the current 20 ha with respect to agricultural severance policies;
Updated data layers in Schedules (maps) to best reflect the most up-to-date Natural Heritage information and restructured the contents of the schedules to best match the proposed standardization from the Province; and
Restructured the document to align with the Provincial proposed standardization of Official Plans. This is the most significant visual change from Draft V1. Draft V2 Table of Contents has been reorganized to reflect the proposed standardization structure from the Province.

PROJECT NEXT AND FINAL STEPS
Following this Statutory Public Meeting, final changes may be made to the Draft Official Plan (V2) to incorporate written and/or oral comments.

At a later date, a final draft version will be presented to Township of East Garafraxa Council for review and decision (adoption). Once adopted by Township Council, the final Official Plan will be submitted to the County of Dufferin for approval pursuant to Section 17(2) of the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.13.

PLANNING ACT REQUIREMENTS
If a person or public body would otherwise have an ability to appeal the decision of the Council of the Township of East Garafraxa 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 Township before the proposed Official Plan is adopted, the person or public body is not entitled to appeal the decision.

If a person or public body does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to the Council of the Township of East Garafraxa before the proposed Official Plan 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.

If you wish to be notified of the decision of the Council of the Township of East Garafraxa on the proposed Official Plan, you must make a written request to the Township Clerk at the address provided below.

For more information about this matter, including information about appeal rights, contact the Township Clerk using the contact details provided below.

Should the proposed Official Plan be adopted by the Council of the Township of East Garafraxa,
it will be submitted to the County of Dufferin for approval pursuant to Section 17(2) of the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.13.

Dated this 9th day of March 2026