Municipal Comprehensive Review

York Region is expected to grow to approximately 2.02 million people and 990,000 jobs by 2051. To accommodate this growth, York Region proactively engaged Regional Council, the community, local municipalities, Indigenous communities and stakeholders on updates to the Regional Official Plan through a process called the Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR). The updated York Region Official Plan will be a blueprint to guide growth to the year 2051. The Plan will help ensure we are building communities that are healthy and complete, where both current and future residents of all abilities and ages can live, work and play.

The Plan was last updated in 2010 and since then, many Provincial Plans have been revised. The Regional Official Plan needs to align with revised Provincial Plans, which is why an update is required. As outlined by the Province, the date by which upper and single-tier municipalities must have their Official Plans in conformity with the updated policies in A Place to Grow is July 1, 2022. York Region Council adopted an updated Official Plan on June 30th 2022 for submission to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for Approval. 

The Adopted Regional Official Plan

The adopted 2022 York Region Official Plan (ROP) promotes forward thinking and action-oriented policies to continue to deliver on the Region’s commitment to protect the environment, guide growth and build strong, caring and safe communities.

The adopted ROP:

• Prioritizes building “complete communities” where people can conveniently access most necessities for daily living
• Prioritizes sustainable growth and financial responsibility by phasing growth, infrastructure and other community services over time
• Identifies natural areas for protection and supports designing and building communities resilient to the impacts of climate change
• Includes affordable housing targets and purpose-built rental targets for each local municipality
• Encourages employment close to existing and future transit service and opportunities for people to live and work in their communities
• Plans for an interconnected, efficient and safe public transit system for people of all ages and abilities
• Identifies and protects agricultural areas and supports economic connections, prosperity, and viability of the agricultural sector

Timeline