Notice of Public Meeting for Town Initiated Official Plan Amendment

File Number: OPA26.001

Public Meeting
Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Council Chambers, Town Hall

What are the Proposed Changes?

The Town of Stouffville is initiating a Housekeeping Official Plan Amendment (“Amendment”) to the Town’s New Official Plan, which was approved by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing on September 25, 2025. The purpose of the Amendment is to consolidate a number of Official Plan Amendments that were previously approved or have since been approved, following Council Adoption of the New Official Plan on May 15, 2024, including:

• • OPA136 – Ballantrae Musselman’s Lake Secondary Plan, approved by the Ontario Land
    Tribunal, January 31, 2025 (OLT-22-003616).
  • OPA 166 – 5964 Main Street and 28 Fairview Avenue, Stouffville (Hyson Properties),
    approved by the Ontario Land Tribunal on January 13, 2025.
  • OPA167 – 5262, 5270, 5286 and 5318 Main Street and 12371 Highway 48, Stouffville
    (2440332 Ontario Inc.), approved on October 17, 2024.
  • OPA168 – 6031 – 6037 Main Street, Stouffville (Mill Woods Corporation), approved April
    2, 2025.
  • OPA169 - 15400 Highway 48, (Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville), approved June 4, 2025.
  • OPA170 - 5194, 5208, 5222, 5232 Aurora Road and 15288, 15300, 15310 and 15322
    Highway 48, Stouffville (Hammerford Ballantrae Limited), approved February 24, 2026.
  • OPA171 - 5310 and 5322 Aurora Road, Stouffville, (Xin Yin Inc.), approved by the Ontario
    Land Tribunal, November 27, 2025 (OLT-24-000448).
  • OPA 109 – Archdiocese of Toronto Catholic Cemetery, 17166 Woodbine Avenue, Stouffville
    (Deferral No. 1, which was subsequently approved by the Region of York on June 10,
    2005).

In addition, the purpose of the proposed Amendment is to include additional policies from the York Region Official Plan, 2022 and required changes to enable the Town to revoke the York Region Official Plan. Through the Province’s enactment of Bill 185, Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act, the Region of York was deemed an upper-tier municipality without planning responsibilities. As per S. 70.13 (2) of the Planning Act, the portions of an official plan of an uppertier municipality without planning responsibilities that are in effect and that apply in respect of any area in a lower-tier municipality are deemed to constitute an official plan of the lower-tier municipality, and the York Region Official Plan, 2022 remains in effect until the lower-tier municipality revokes it or amends it to provide otherwise.

The proposed Amendment applies to the entirety of the Town of Whitchurch- Stouffville, in addition to the area and site-specific properties identified above. The proposed changes are intended to bring the Town’s Official Plan up to date with the latest approved Amendments and are not intended to significantly change the intent of these approved Amendments.

For more information and to provide comments, please visit: http://www.townofws.ca/opr

This is a way for you to offer input and to get involved!

Any person may attend the Public Meeting in person or electronically and make written and/or verbal representation either in support of or against the proposed Official Plan Amendment. If you wish to speak, please contact the Town Clerk at clerks@townofws.ca for more information or to register before noon of the day prior to the Public Meeting to speak electronically. Public Meetings will be recorded and made available online.

Appeal Procedure

The Minister, the applicant, or a specified person, public body, or registered owner of any land to which the proposed Amendment and By-law will apply, who made oral submissions at a Public Meeting or written submissions to Town Council prior to the passage of the By-law, may appeal the By-law to the Ontario Land Tribunal. Third-party appeals are no longer permitted – meaning neighbours, individuals, companies, and ratepayer groups can no longer appeal applications.

If a person or public body would otherwise have an ability to appeal the decision of the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville 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 Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville before the By-law is passed, the person or public body is not entitled to appeal the decision the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville.

If a person or public body does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville before the By-law is passed, 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 do so.

That means if this proposed Amendment or By-law is appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal and you would like to participate in the appeal in some form, you must make an oral submission at a public meeting, or submit written comments to the Town Clerk, before the proposed Amendment is adopted or the By-law is passed by Town Council.

In the event of an appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal, your written submissions and contact information will be provided to the Tribunal. If you do not wish your contact information to be released to the Tribunal by the Town, please advise the Town accordingly in writing.

Additional Information
Additional information on the proposed Official Plan Amendment including information about appeal rights, is available by contacting the Town’s Planner, Tim Hayward, Planner II, Policy Planning via email at tim.hayward@townofws.ca or developmenthelp@townofws.ca or via phone at (905) 640-1900, extension 2234.

Notice of Decision
If you wish to be notified of the decision of the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville on the proposed Official Plan Amendment, you must make a written request to the Town staff as noted above.