Public Meeting - Official Plan Review and Update Initiation

Date: June 14, 2023 at 5:30 PM

Place: This hearing will be a hybrid (virtual/in person) meeting.

Virtual Participation: Zoom Webinar / Youtube Livestream

In-person Participation: Meridian Community Centre,

100 Meridian Way, Fonthill - Accursi Room B

Town Council approved hybrid meetings via By-law No. 4507 (2022). The Town of Pelham live webcast of the Public Meeting will be streaming at:

https://www.youtube.com/user/TownOfPelham/live

Take notice that the Council of the Corporation of the Town of Pelham will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, at 5:30pm pursuant to subsection 26(3) of the Planning Act to formally initiate the process to review and update the Town of Pelham’s Official Plan and obtain feedback on land use items that Council and the public would like to be considered. The meeting will also allow an opportunity to present an overview of timelines and important milestones for the project.

No location map is provided as the project applies to all areas of the Town of Pelham.

Purpose and Effect:

The Town of Pelham Official Plan is a long-term policy document that guides land use planning in the Town. It establishes the Town’s goals, objectives, and policies for managing growth, ensuring adequate housing, employment, infrastructure, and community services are provided for Town residents, and protecting the Town’s natural heritage and agricultural areas.

The intent of this project is to review and update the policies of the Town’s existing Official Plan to achieve the following:

Consistency with the Province of Ontario’s Provincial Policy Statement, 2020, and have regard for matters of Provincial interest outlined in section 2 of the Planning Act;
Conformity with applicable Provincial plans, including the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, Greenbelt Plan, and the Niagara Escarpment Plan;
Conformity with Niagara Region’s new Official Plan, which was approved by the province in Fall 2022; and
Alignment with current best practices around growth, land-use and infrastructure planning.

This meeting will be the first of a series of public engagement sessions, as the Town develops its new Official Plan. No decisions are being made at this time and Staff are anticipating a draft version of the new Official Plan to be available in late 2023/early 2024 for public review and comment.

Your Input is Encouraged: The Town of Pelham would appreciate receiving your written and/or verbal comments regarding this application. Unless indicated otherwise, personal information and all comments will become part of the public record and may be publicly released. To provide input in writing, or to request personal notice if the proposed applications are approved, please submit your correspondence or request by 12:00 PM on Friday, June 2 , 2023 for inclusion in the public meeting agenda package c/o Town Clerk, William Tigert, PO Box 400, 20 Pelham Town Square, Fonthill, Ontario L0S 1E0, or by email at WTigert@pelham.ca(External link). Comments and requests received after this date will still be received by Council, however they may not be published as part of the public meeting agenda. Verbal comments will be received by the Town at the public hearing via virtual or in-person participation. To provide verbal comments virtually at the hearing, please pre-register with the Town Clerk by sending an email to WTigert@pelham.ca(External link) before 12:00pm noon on Friday June 9, 2023. Zoom webinar registration information and procedure will be provided. To provide verbal comments in-person at the Public Meeting, pre-registration is encouraged but not required. Registrants will be notified of Council’s Decision. If you have not submitted written comments and wish to submit a comment live during the meeting, you may livestream the meeting from the Town of Pelham’s YouTube channel(External link) and e-mail comments to clerks@pelham.ca(External link) during the public portion of this application only. If your comments are not received during the public portion of the meeting, they will not be considered.

Need More Information: For more information, please contact Lindsay Richardson, MCIP, RPP, Policy Planner, by email at lrichardson@pelham.ca(External link) or at 905-980-6675 or 905-892-2607 ext 335. A copy of the staff Report regarding the public meeting as well as any additional information may be obtained on the Town’s website at or at Town Hall by appointment after 12:00 PM on Friday, June 9, 2023.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: If a person or public body would otherwise have an ability to appeal the decision of the Town of Pelham’s Municipal Council to the Ontario Land Tribunal but the person or public body does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written statements to the Town of Pelham before the by-law is passed, 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 Town of Pelham 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.

Hybrid Public Meeting Procedures - The Town of Pelham is holding hybrid Public hearings. A hybrid hearing involves a mixture of in-person and remote attendance/ participation.

Notice of Public Meeting - The Public Meeting Notice can be found at the Town of Pelham website for all applications being heard by electronic meetings: www.pelham.ca/public-notices(External link)

View the Meeting - The Public Meeting can be viewed by livestream on the Town’s YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/TownOfPelham/live(External link). The link will go live at the date and time prescribed on the Notice of Public Meeting. A recording of the meeting is also available on YouTube and the Town of Pelham website following the meeting. Attendees are also welcomed to view the meeting in-person at the date, time and location prescribed on the Notice of Public Meeting.

Written Comments - Written comments are encouraged as the preferred method of receiving public input. Please provide written input by mailing or e-mailing your comments to the Town Clerk by the date indicated on the Notice of Public Meeting. You may also drop off written comments to Town Hall in the drop box. Written comments submitted on or before the deadline will be included on the public agenda. Unless indicated otherwise, personal information and all comments will become part of the public record and may be publicly released.

Verbal Submissions – Remote Participation - To make verbal comments to the Town of Pelham during the public portion of the meeting, please pre-register with the Town Clerk by telephone or email by the date indicated on the Notice of Public Meeting. The Town Clerk will provide you with the Zoom link and password in advance of the meeting. This is for pre-registered participants only and is not to be shared with others. Zoom test meetings are available by request. Please advise the Town Clerk of your requirements at the time of registration.

Verbal Submissions – In-person Participation - To make verbal comments during the public portion of the Public Meeting, please attend at the meeting in-person at the date, time and location prescribed on the Notice of Public Meeting. In-person participants wishing to make verbal comments are encouraged to pre-register with the Town Clerk by telephone or email. This allows for the preparation of a speakers list. Although pre-registration is encouraged and preferred it is not a requirement of speaking in person at the meeting. Please note, all verbal submissions, regardless of method, are live-streamed and recorded.

E-mail Comments Live - While viewing the meeting remotely via livestream you may submit comments to: clerks@pelham.ca(External link). Please note, comments must be received before or during the public portion of your application of interest. If your comments are submitted after the public portion of the application you are interested in has closed, your comments will not be considered. This method of public participation is not the preferred method as you may not submit your comments in time. Use this method at your own risk. The Town is not responsible for any livestream lag, disconnection, or internet failures.

For more information, please contact:

Town Clerk, 20 Pelham Town Square, P.O. Box 400, Fonthill ON L0S 1E0 905-980-6657 wtigert@pelham.ca(External link)

Deputy Clerk, 20 Pelham Town Square, P.O. Box 400, Fonthill ON L0S 1E0 905-980-6662 sleach@pelham.ca(External link)

For technical questions, please contact: Lindsay Richardson, Policy Planner 905-980-6661 lrichardson@pelham.ca(External link)

Participant Process During Meetings

Participants are encouraged to join the hearing 15 minutes in advance of the start time for the Public Meeting.
Vulgar or offensive language/comments will not be tolerated. If inappropriate language is used, you will be removed from the meeting.
Participants joining remotely are responsible for ensuring their background is free from offensive or vulgar material. If inappropriate material is visible you will be removed from the meeting.
Participants will remain in the waiting room until they are called to speak. Participants will be able to hear and see the meeting while in the waiting room.
Once your comments have been heard, you will be placed back into the waiting room where you may continue to view the meeting.

Technical Difficulties During Hearings

Beyond the available Zoom test session, Town staff will not provide technical assistance for participants before or during hearings.
If a participant’s connection to the meeting fails during the hearing, Town Staff will attempt to make reasonable efforts to re-establish connection. If the connection cannot be re-established, the comments received up to that point will be included as part of the official record and the meeting will continue.
If a participant is not present in the Zoom Webinar when called upon by the Chair, the participant will be considered absent and the meeting will continue without the participant.
If, in the Chair’s opinion, a participant’s audio/ video is not of an acceptable quality, the Chair may require the participant to use the dial-in option.