Notice of Statutory Public Meeting Town of Pelham Official Plan 2026

Notice of Statutory Public Meeting

Town of Pelham Official Plan 2026

Date: Wednesday, May 13, 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

Background

The Town of Pelham Official Plan was adopted by Council on May 21, 2025, following a comprehensive three-phase process that included a Conformity Review (2023), Draft Plan and Public Consultation (2024), and a Statutory Public Meeting and Adoption (2025).

Bill 23 (“More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022”) removed key upper-tier planning responsibilities from the Regional Municipality of Niagara, including authority over official plans, official plan amendments, subdivision approvals, and appeal functions. As a result, the approval authority for the Town of Pelham’s new Official Plan shifted to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.  This change occurred on March 31, 2025.

The Town of Pelham submitted its adopted Official Plan to the Province in early June 2025, and it was deemed complete on June 26, 2025.

On February 2, 2026, the Province provided comments requiring revisions to ensure full conformity with applicable provincial plans. As a result of these provincially directed changes, the Town has been advised that a further review under Section 26 of the Planning Act, including an additional statutory public meeting, is required. This process is being undertaken to address the required modifications and to comply with provincial direction.

Key highlights of the provincial changes include:

• New suggested wording for mineral aggregate policies to ensure conformity with appropriate provincial legislation;
•  Re-working Section 9: Rural Area Land Use to ensure consistency with Provincial Plans in terms of language used and policies;
• Changes to complete application requirements, pre-consultation requirements and required studies;  
• Introduction of additional policies in Section 4 to address wildland fire hazards and human-made hazards;
• Mapping to identify wildland fire hazard areas and gas well locations;
• Removal of Secondary Plans from the principal document;
• Changes for site plan requirements for urban design, and climate change initiatives to align with new     Provincial policy guidance;
• Minor changes to schedules A and A1 to address legend terminology and highlight the Greenbelt Protected Countryside area and Rural Area;
• A number of minor wording, numbering, reference requirements and general minor revisions to better align with provincial policy, including verbatim inclusion of wording from various provincial documents (PPS, Greenbelt etc.) and;
• Re-designation of industrial lands surrounding the airport to align with the Niagara Official Plan designations in this location and appropriate policies in accordance with the following:

Your Input is Encouraged: The Town of Pelham would appreciate receiving your written and/or verbal comments regarding this file. 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, April 27, 2026 for inclusion in the public meeting agenda package c/o Deputy Town Clerk, Sarah Leach, PO Box 400, 20 Pelham Town Square, Fonthill, Ontario L0S 1E0, or by email at SLeach@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 SLeach@pelham.ca before 12:00 p.m. on Friday May 8, 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 changes, as well as any additional information, may be obtained on the Town’s website at www.pelham.ca/officialplanupdate or Town Hall by appointment after 12:00 PM on Friday, May 8, 2026.

Right to Appeal:

As this plan was prepared under Section 26 of the Planning Act, the decision of the Council of the Corporation of the Town of Pelham to adopt the Town of Pelham Official Plan is not subject to appeal.

Approval Authority Decision:

Pursuant to Section 17 of the Planning Act, the Official Plan adopted by Council will be forwarded to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, as the approval authority, for a decision.

Any person or public body that makes a written request to the approval authority to be notified of the approval authority's decision will be entitled to receive notice of that decision when it is made. Requests to be notified of the decision must include the name, address, fax number or email address of the requesting person or public body and be submitted to:

Regional Director, Central Region

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

777 Bay Street, 13th Floor

Toronto ON  M7A 2J3

Tel:     416-585-7041

Fax:    416-585-6882

Dated at the Town of Pelham, this 23rd day of April, 2026.

Holly Willford

Town Clerk

View the public meeting notice as a PDF

View Pelham's hybrid public meeting procedures as a PDF