City of Vaughan Official Plan Review

The current Vaughan Official Plan 2010 contains a vision for the future that stresses responsible governance, sustainable planning, economic leadership, transparency, accountability and inclusivity. This vision has guided Vaughan’s growth and development over the past decade.

The Official Plan Review Process

The City of Vaughan has been working towards updating the City’s Official Plan through the Official Plan Review process to better meet the needs of current and future residents, businesses and those who visit Vaughan. The review process is rooted in environmental sustainability, social responsibility and economic development to plan for complete communities and guide the city’s growth for the next 30 years and beyond. 

Project update

The previously proposed OPA timeline has been postponed in response to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing’s statement in November 2023 indicating that new legislation is being introduced to reverse official plan decisions for many municipalities including York Region. These significant changes to Provincial legislation and policy resulted in delays to the policy development phase of the OPR.

The project workplan has been revised to consolidate the ongoing Part A and Part B work into a single Official Plan Amendment. 

Throughout Phase 2 Policy Development, various Bills were introduced by the Province that required the project team to await further direction regarding the implications of the legislative changes. These legislative changes involved policy work beyond the original project scope to align draft policies with the Provincial and Regional changes.

Separating the OPR into two parts is no longer required or preferable as changes in Provincial legislation has caused delay in the adoption of the conformity amendment (Part A). Consolidating the Part A and Part B work into a single OPA allows the project team more time to ensure the OPA conforms to all Provincial legislative and Regional policy changes as outlined above and gives more opportunity for staff review and comment on draft policies and schedules. It will also allow for the project team to engage with the public and stakeholders more meaningfully and receive comments on the entire OPA prior to the statutory consultation period, which can mitigate the risk of appeals post-adoption.

As we continue working on the Official Plan Review, we welcome all comments from the public. To learn more about the Official Plan Review, visit forwardvaughan.ca or submit questions or feedback via email to oprmanager@vaughan.ca.