Official Plans

Sometimes there are situations where the Official Plan designation applied to a property does not meet the intent or the desires of a property owner.  An application to amend the Official Plan can be made that will be evaluated by municipal staff, through a public process, with a decision on the proposed amendment finally made by City Council. 

Helpful Links

• Application to Amend the Official Plan
• Development Handbook
• Development Process Flowchart
• Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT)

Application Fees:

Official Plan Amendment (OPA)	$2,750
Zoning By-law Amendment (ZBA)	$2,750
Zoning By-law Amendment to legalize existing illegal use	$5,500
Concurrent Official Plan Amendment (OPA) and Zoning By-law Amendment	$4,500
Current OPA/ZBA/Subdivision or Condominium (up to 20 lots)	$6,500
Current OPA/ZBA/Subdivision or Condominium (21 to 50 lots)	$8,500
Current OPA/ZBA/Subdivision or Condominium (50+ lots)	$9,500

When is a public meeting called?

Public Meetings for Official Plan Amendments are held at a Committee meeting of City Council. 

Can anyone participate?

Anyone can participate in public meetings that are held under the Planning Act.

What is the usual procedure for a public meeting?

• A member of the Planning staff presents the Planning Report recommendations relating to the application.

• The applicant (or, in some cases, his solicitor or agent) describes the proposal and explains the rationale for wanting to carry it out.

• Members of the Committee direct any questions they have about the proposal to the applicant and/or the staff.

• The Chair then invites input from members of the public who are in attendance, and who wish to speak. Speakers are asked to provide their name and address and to identify any group you may be representing.

• After all of the public input has been received, the Chair closes off the "public participation part" of the process.

• The applicant or staff may be asked to provide additional information if required.

• A motion is made, seconded, debated and finally put to a vote by the Committee; and when a decision has been made it will be sent on to Council for consideration and a final decision.

Appealing a decision of Council

The Ontario Lands Tribunal (OLT) is an adjudicative tribunal that hears cases in relation to a range of municipal planning, financial and land matters. These include matters such as official plans, zoning by-laws, subdivision plans, consents, minor variances, development charges, and other issues assigned by numerous Ontario statutes.

Disclaimer

The City of North Bay Official Plan maps and related information are provided as a public service. In any situation where the printed official map or document of the City of North Bay differ from electronic versions contained on the City's website, the official printed publications take precedence. Users of this electronic information should verify it with the printed official information before acting on it.

Content you access here is not necessarily an exact and/or current reproduction of official documents. For example, amendments may be in progress or Internet browser display capability may affect map presentation formats. The City of North Bay does not warrant the accuracy of these electronic versions and accepts no responsibility for any damages suffered by any person as a result of decisions made - or actions based - on informational content accessed via its Internet site.

Official versions of all Official Plan maps and related information can be obtained from the Planning Department at (705) 474-0400 during normal business hours. 

For more information on the City's review of the Official Plan please visit the project page.