Notice of Special Meeting of Council/Public Meeting for the Township of Springwater Official Plan 2051 Update

The Corporation of the Township of Springwater has initiated an Official Plan Update pursuant to Sections 17, 26 and 27 of the Planning Act. The Township of Springwater in collaboration with the County of Simcoe will hold a Special Meeting of Council/Public Meeting for Official Plan 2051 Update (OP2051) on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at 6:30 p.m., at the Township Administration Centre, located at 2231 Nursery Road in Minesing. 

Special Meeting of Council/Public Meeting will be held to present Official Plan 2051 Update for the Township of Springwater. A formal presentation regarding the update will take place at 6:30 p.m. Questions and comments will follow the presentation.  No decision will be made at the meeting.

The purpose and effect of the Township’s Official Plan Update is to implement changes to effectively manage growth to 2051 and implement the findings of the Growth Management Study, including the Settlement Area Boundary Expansion of Midhurst for Employment Lands. The Township is also utilizing this opportunity to align the Township’s Official Plan with changes made through Provincial and County legislation. The following will be included through this update: 

• Proposed modification to the Midhurst Secondary Plan schedule and text to reflect the Settlement Area Boundary
• Expansion and the introduction of a policy section for the Forbes Road/Highway 400 Employment Area.  
• Addition of a Special Policy Area schedule and text for the Long-Term Employment Reserve Overlay.  
• The planning horizon of the Official Plan document will be extended to 2051 and a conformity exercise for all upper tier (County and Province) legislation.
• Align the Official Plan schedules with the Barrie/Oro-Medonte/Springwater Boundary Adjustment Act.

Subject Lands: For the Midhurst Settlement Area Boundary Expansion (Employment Lands) and Special Policy Area (Long-Term Employment Reserve Overlay) the key map is available on our website. The proposed Official Plan update applies to the entirety of the Township of Springwater and therefore no key map has been provided.

Draft Official Plan 2051 along with supporting documents will be available for review on the Township of Springwater website, by visiting www.springwater.ca/OfficialPlan2051  

OP2051 webpage will continue to be updated as additional material becomes available prior to the Special Meeting of Council/Public Meeting. All materials will also be available for review at the Township Administration Centre. 

Meeting Details: Interested persons can listen to the meeting through Zoom online or by dialing 1-647-558-0588 and inputting the meeting ID: 830 0947 9250 when prompted or attend the meeting in person in Council Chambers at the Township’s Administration Centre located at 2231 Nursery Road, Minesing, ON. The Council meeting will also be live streamed on the Township’s YouTube channel at: https://www.springwater.ca/live 

Interested persons that would like to comment/participate in the hybrid Council meeting in person are asked to please pre-register with the Township prior to Tuesday, September 8, 2026 at 5:30 p.m., by emailing op2051@springwater.ca or calling 705-728-4784 x 2019. 

Written and oral submissions will form part of the public meeting record, including the name and address of the commenters, as information collected under the Planning Act. The minutes, written submissions and a recording of the meeting will be posted on the Township’s website. 

Any person may make a submission in support of, in opposition to, or ask a question regarding the proposed Official Plan Update. Written submissions are recommended and can be made to the Planning Department by email, regular post or the drop box located at the Administration Building. Please ensure all written submissions include your name, address, and reference Official Plan Update 2051. 

Please note that the County of Simcoe will hold additional statutory public consultation and notice of these meetings will be provided at a later stage in the process. 

If you wish to be notified of the decision of Springwater Council on the proposed Official Plan 2051, you must make a written request to the Township of Springwater. 

If a person or public body would otherwise have an ability to appeal the decision of Springwater Council to the Ontario Land Tribunal but the person or public body does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to the Township of Springwater before the proposed official plan is adopted, 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 Township of Springwater before the proposed official plan is adopted, 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 add the person or public body as a party.