Bruce County Council adopted a new Official Plan at its meeting on July 16, 2026. It will guide growth and development across the County until 2046. The Official Plan provides policies for the countryside and higher-level direction for communities that have more detailed official plans for their local area.
The new Official Plan replaces the current Official Plan, originally adopted in 1997. The original Plan had a major update in 2010 and several focused amendments in the lead-up to the completion of the County Official Plan project.
The Planning Act and Provincial Planning Statement provide direction for municipal plans. Using this framework and drawing on guiding principles from the Bruce GPS community visioning exercise undertaken in 2018-2019, a series of discussion papers, and extensive public, municipal, and Indigenous consultation, the new Official Plan has taken shape.
“I am proud to say the new County Official Plan has been adopted in this term of Council. It is a lengthy process to apply provincial direction in a way that ensures reflection of our community values across the entire County,” said Warden Luke Charbonneau. “I appreciate the level of community engagement in the project, and the efforts of staff to bring this Council a Plan for adoption and advancement to the province for approval.”
The Official Plan adopted by Council is now moving to the province for review and approval by the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
For more details about the Official Plan and its development process, visit https://www.planthebruce.ca/.
About Bruce County: Bruce County is an upper-tier municipality in Southwestern Ontario, Canada made up of eight lower-tier municipalities and 77,221 residents. Bruce County is located within the traditional territory of the Saugeen Anishnaabek and holds a government-to-government relationship with the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation and Saugeen First Nation, together as Saugeen Ojibway Nation. The explorers who visit, live, and work here are the dreamers who take roads less travelled and see tried and true as an invitation to try something new. Be an Explorer and call Bruce County home.
