Approval of Official Plan Amendment Application and Notice of Deferral

The Council of the Corporation of the County of Brant has passed By-law No. 44-26 and By-law No. 45-26 on May 12, 2026, pursuant to the provisions of Section 17(23) of the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, as amended.


How do I appeal an approval?

A person or public body may file with the Clerk of the Corporation of the County of Brant located at 66 Grand River St. N., Paris, Ontario N3L 2M2, a Notice of Appeal to the approval of the Official Plan Amendment Application no later than 4:00 P.M. on June 4, 2026. The appeal must include details of all or the portion of the By-law to which there is an appeal including reasons for the appeal. The documents must also be accompanied by prescribed fee of $1,100.00 payable to the “Minister of Finance” together with a separate fee of $261.00 payable to the “County of Brant” as per the County of Brant’s Development Services fees.

No person or public body shall be added as a party to the hearing of the appeal unless, before the plan was adopted, the person or public body made oral submissions at a public meeting or written submissions to the council or, in the opinion of the Ontario Land Tribunal, there are reasonable grounds to add the person or public body as a party.

If no Notice of Appeal has been filed with the Clerk of the Municipality within the time provided as stipulated above; the bylaw thereupon comes into effect and does not require the approval of the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal.

If a Notice of Appeal has been filed with the Clerk of the Municipality within the time provided as stipulated above, the By-law Application shall be submitted to the Ontario Land Tribunal and will not come into effect unless approved by the Ontario Land Tribunal.

As per Section 17(25.1) of the Planning Act, if the appellant intends to argue that the appealed decision is inconsistent with a policy statement issued under subsection 3 (1), fails to conform with or conflicts with a provincial plan, the Notice of Appeal must also explain how the decision is inconsistent with, fails to conform with or conflicts with the other document. 2019, c.9, Sched. 12, s. 3(4).

The proposed Official Plan Amendment is exempt from approval by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The decision of the council is final if a notice of appeal is not received on or before the last day for filing a notice of appeal.

The last day for filing an appeal is June 4, 2026. The appeal must be received by 4:00 P.M. on this date in order to be valid.

What does this mean?

By-law 44-26 Home-Based Business and Home-Based Industry Policies: The purpose of this amendment is to provide a policy framework for Home-Based Businesses and Industries in the Official Plan – A Simply Grand Plan (2023). Previously explored through Temporary Amending By-Law 82-21, extended by By-Law 80-22 and By-Law 16-24 for a Home-Based Business Program, the amendments provide clarity for both Home-Based Businesses and Home-Based Industries within the Official Plan. The amendment introduces definitions, size limits, compatibility requirements, screening expectations, and rural-specific criteria. It clarifies the relationship to On-Farm Diversified Uses and includes a definition of Outdoor Storage. This amendment applies county-wide.

By-law 45-26 Cultural Heritage Conservation Policies: The purpose of this amendment is to update the policy framework for Cultural Heritage Conservation in the Official Plan – A Simply Grand Plan (2023). This amendment updates cultural heritage policies to better align with the County’s Arts, Culture, and Heritage Strategy. It introduces conservation principles, clarifies processes for evaluation and adaptive reuse, updates terms to align with the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024, and reorganizes heritage policies for improved clarity.

For information or questions regarding these amendments, please contact policy@brant.ca.

Notice of Deferral

The Council of the Corporation of the County of Brant has deferred By-law No. 46-26 on May 12, 2026, pursuant to the provisions of Section 17(23) of the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, as amended.

The amendment proposed updates to the agricultural system framework, strengthens protection for agricultural land, updates permissions for agriculture-related and on-farm diversified uses, restructures Minimum Distance Separation (MDS) policies, and modernizes rules for lot creation, including surplus farm dwelling severances. This amendment applies only to the agriculture, countryside and rural lands designations.

At its meeting held on May 12, 2026, County of Brant Council resolved to defer consideration of the Official Plan Amendment to a future statutory public meeting date to permit:

  • Additional technical review;
  • Further consultation with applicable agricultural organizations and the public; and,
  • To allow for any necessary revisions to the proposed policies and planning rationale.


A subsequent Notice of Public Meeting will be provided in accordance with the requirements of the Planning Act once a new public meeting date has been established.

For any additional information regarding this matter, please contact policy@brant.ca.