Notice of Public Meeting
Additional Residential Units - Zoning By-law Amendment
Date: Wednesday February 11, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Place: This hearing will be a hybrid (virtual/in-person) meeting.
Virtual Participation: Zoom Webinar / YouTube Livestream
In-person Participation: Town Hall, Council Chambers 20 Pelham Town Square, Fonthill
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
File Number: AM-01-2026
Public Meeting for Zoning By-law Amendment in accordance with Section 34 of the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, as amended.
The Town of Pelham is initiating a Zoning By-law Amendment to update its regulations regarding Additional Residential Units (ARUs) within the Town.
The Town has had ARU regulations in place since 2021. The most recent regulations were approved through the Comprehensive Zoning By-law, adopted in August of 2022.
Since that time, several new pieces of Provincial legislation have been introduced or amended regarding ARUs, and the Town is now reviewing ARU-specific regulations in the current Zoning By-law.
Staff will be reviewing all current regulations of Section 3.29 with a focus on:
- Updated definition of ARU to conform with provincial policy;
- Definition review of Floor Areas and Habitable Room specific to ARUs;
- Removal of regulations that are dated or no longer applicable; and
- Maximum unit size.
Staff will also be considering additional regulations with respect to:
- Minimum Landscape / Open Space;
- Percentage of ARU size in relation to the Primary Dwelling;
- New definition for Primary Dwelling
- ARUs within an existing detached structure; and
- Other regulations as applicable.
A Draft By-law is available on the project page at www.pelham.ca/aruzoning for 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 Monday, February 2, 2026 for inclusion in the public meeting agenda package c/o Deputy Town Clerk, Jodi Conte, PO Box 400, 20 Pelham Town Square, Fonthill, Ontario L0S 1E0, or by email at JConte@pelham.ca. 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 Deputy Town Clerk by sending an email to JConte@pelham.ca before 12:00 p.m. on Friday February 6, 2026. 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.
Need More Information: For more information, please contact Lindsay Richardson, MCIP, RPP, Policy Planner, by email at LRichardson@pelham.ca or at 905-980-6675 or 905-892-2607 ext. 335. A copy of the staff report regarding the proposed application, as well as any additional information, may be obtained on the Town’s website at www.pelham.ca/aruzoning or at Town Hall by appointment after 12:00 PM on Friday. February 6, 2026.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Appeal rights for this proposed amendment may be limited under the Planning Act.
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.
Dated at the Town of Pelham, this 23nd day of January, 2026.
__________________________
Sarah Leach
Acting Town Clerk
Date of Publication: January 23, 2026
Hybrid Public Meeting Procedures
The Town of Pelham is holding hybrid Public Meetings. A hybrid meeting involves a mixture of in-person and remote attendance/participation.
Notice of Public Meeting
A Notice of Public Meeting will be mailed to all persons listed as owners in the last revised assessment roll number within 120 meters of the subject property. The Public Meeting Notice can also be found at the Town of Pelham website for all applications being heard by electronic meetings: www.pelham.ca/public-notices
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. 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 identified on the Notice of Public Meeting. You may also drop off written comments at Town Hall directly to the Clerk’s Office or in the drop box. Written submissions may also be delivered in person to the Clerk’s Office at Town Hall or deposited in the municipal drop box. Unless otherwise noted, all written submissions and any personal information contained therein form part of the public record and may be disclosed publicly. Individuals are encouraged to review the Town’s Council Correspondence Policy for further information regarding the submission, handling, and public disclosure of correspondence.
Verbal Submissions – Remote Participation
Members of the public wishing to provide verbal comments remotely to the Town of Pelham during the public portion of the meeting are required to pre-register with the Town Clerk by telephone or email no later than the deadline identified in the Notice of Public Meeting.
Pre-registered participants will be provided with a Zoom link and password in advance of the meeting. Access details are intended for registered participants only and must not be shared. Zoom test meetings are available upon request; participants are encouraged to advise the Town Clerk of any technical or accessibility requirements at the time of registration.
Verbal Submissions – In-person Participation
Members of the public wishing to provide verbal comments during the public portion of the Public Meeting may attend in person at the date, time, and location identified in the Notice of Public Meeting. In-person participants who intend to speak are encouraged to pre-register with the Town Clerk by telephone or email to assist with the preparation of a speakers list. While pre-registration is preferred, it is not a requirement in order to speak at the meeting.
Please note that all verbal submissions, regardless of the method of participation, are live-streamed and recorded.
More Information
For more information, please contact:
Town Clerk, 20 Pelham Town Square, P.O. Box 400, Fonthill ON L0S 1E0 905-980-6657 sleach@pelham.ca
Deputy Clerk, 20 Pelham Town Square, P.O. Box 400, Fonthill ON L0S 1E0 905-980-6662 jconte@pelham.ca
For technical questions, please contact:
Lindsay Richardson, Planner 905-980-6666 lrichardson@pelham.ca
Participant Process During Meetings
- Participants are encouraged to join the meeting 15 minutes in advance of the start time for the Public Meeting.
- Each participant will be provided a maximum of ten (10) minutes to speak and will be afforded one opportunity to address Council during 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.
