Burlington Official Plan, 2020 Targeted Realignment Exercise

The City has been working on our Official Plan Amendment to update Burlington’s Employment Area policy framework since September 2025. It has been guided by the Burlington Official Plan, 2020 Targeted Realignment Exercise and updated to align with recent Provincial policy changes. So far, property and business owners and City Council have shared their feedback, comments and concerns about the proposed Employment Area policies. This feedback is outlined in Staff Report DGM-01-26. Council and delegations also gave staff feedback at the Jan. 13, 2026, Statutory Public Meeting.

On Jan. 27, 2026, Burlington City Council approved the recommendation to:

Direct the Director of Community Planning to consider Council, agency, development partners, and community feedback received as part of this statutory public meeting prior to bringing forward a staff report recommending approval of Official Plan Amendment No. 7 and Burlington Regional Official Plan (ROPA) Amendment No.1.

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback. We are considering all your comments and will present a report that outlines the future of this work and next steps this spring.

The City of Burlington is proposing amendments to the Burlington Official Plan, 2020 (BOP, 2020) and the Burlington Regional Official Plan, 1995 (BROP, 1995), pursuant to the Planning Act. The proposed amendments are minor in nature and are intended to:

1. allow staff the authority to make limited technical updates to the BOP, 2020 and the BROP, 1995 in accordance with the Planning Act and the City’s Delegated Authority By-law; and
2. add transitional policies to the BOP, 2020 to clarify recent and forthcoming changes to provincial legislation, plans and policy.

The proposed amendments to BOP, 2020 under item “1.” above will build on the existing in force policies related to the delegation of authority to staff to make technical changes to the Official Plan without a plan amendment. New policies will add the ability to update the names of agencies or public authorities and to remove references to obsolete or redundant policy, through the preparation of office consolidations of the Official Plan. Proposed amendments to the BROP, 1995 will address similar considerations.

These delegated authorities are provided only where such changes do not alter the intent, meaning, or substance of an Official Plan.

The proposed amendments to BOP, 2020 under item “2.” above will introduce new policies to the Plan’s interpretation provisions to acknowledge:

• the transition of upper-tier planning responsibilities in Halton Region to each of Halton’s lower-tier municipalities;
• the revocation of the Provincial Policy Statement, 2020 and A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe; and
• the potential consolidation of Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities into regional conservation authorities.

The proposed Official Plan Amendments would apply city-wide.

Draft OPAs Available for Review

The draft proposed amendments to the Burlington Official Plan, 2020 and the Burlington Regional Official Plan, are now available:

Proposed amendment No. 8 to Burlington Official Plan, 2020

Proposed amendment No. 2 to the Burlington Regional Official Plan

Statutory Public Meeting

A Statutory Public Meeting will be held, and a recommendation report will be presented for the Official Plan Amendments on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. This meeting will be held at Burlington City Hall, 426 Brant St., starting at 9:30 a.m. The live webcast can be accessed on the City’s website at burlington.ca/calendar by searching for the meeting date and the Committee of the Whole and clicking the ‘Watch Video” link.

The formal Notice of Statutory Public Meeting is available here.

How to Obtain Materials

The proposed Official Plan Amendments and recommendation report will be available for public review on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. The report will be available on the City’s website at burlington.ca/calendar by searching for the Committee of the Whole meeting on March 3, 2026. If you require a hard copy of the report, please email Legislative Services at clerks@burlington.ca to arrange pick up.

Speaking at the Statutory Public Meeting as a Delegation

To speak at the Public Meeting, there are two options:

1. Pre-register to speak by noon the Friday before the meeting is to be held. You can pre-register in one of the following ways:
   1. Complete the online delegation request form at burlington.ca/delegation;
   2. Submit a written request by email to Legislative Services at clerks@burlington.ca, or
   3. Phone 905-335-7600, ext. 7481

2. Register during the Public Meeting.

1. If you are viewing the livestream, you can register to speak by emailing clerks@burlington.ca, as noted in the ticker tape that will be scrolling along the bottom of the live stream webcast of the meeting with registration information.
2. If you are attending the meeting in person, you can register to speak during the meeting by following instructions provided at the meeting.

Speakers are limited to a maximum of 10 minutes each and are webcast online. If you have presentation materials, they must be submitted to Legislative Services at clerks@burlington.ca no later than noon, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 to allow for their distribution and review by all members of the Committee. Please note the content of all submissions is considered public and will be posted on the City’s website.

Tell Us What You Think:

Send your comment correspondence to Jo-Anne Rudy, Committee Clerk at jo-anne.rudy@burlington.ca by noon Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 if you wish for it to be distributed and reviewed by all members of the Committee in advance of the Committee of the Whole Meeting on March 3, 2026.

You may also book time to talk to planning staff about the proposed amendments. This engagement opportunity is open until Feb. 26, 2026. Send an email to newop@burlington.ca to book a meeting time.

Looking for more information?

For more information about this matter, including information about appeal rights, contact newop@burlington.ca. If you wish to be notified of the decision on the proposed Official Plan Amendment, you must make a written request to Legislative Services at clerks@burlington.ca.

Staff report DGM-01-26: City Initiated Official Plan Amendment No. 7 and ROPA No.1: Employment Area is now available online. The purpose of the report is to recommend adoption of the City-initiated Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No.7 to the Burlington Official Plan, 2020 and the Regional Official Plan.

The OPA updates the City’s policy framework to align with recent Provincial policy changes, simplifies and streamlines Employment Area policies, and explores improvements to the development approvals process. This includes assessing the potential implementation of a Community Planning Permit (CPP) By-law and System to provide greater certainty for businesses and property owners while minimizing impacts. The OPA and ROPA are informed by technical analysis, including the 2025 Population and Employment Growth Analysis Study and feedback from early public consultation.

Along with the staff report, the following appendices have been included:

1. Appendix A – BOP 2020, Appealed Policy Withdrawal List
2. Appendix B – Draft OPA 7
3. Appendix C – Draft OPA 7 Tracked Changes
4. Appendix D – Draft ROPA 1
5. Appendix E Draft ROPA 1 Tracked Changes
6. Appendix F – Growth Analysis Review, 2025
7. Appendix G – Key Directions Meno Exploring a CPPS for Employment Area

The report can also be found in the Agenda Meeting Package for the January 12, 2026 Committee of the Whole Statutory Public Meeting at http://www.burlington.ca/calendar.

Staff continue to be available to answer any questions about the project. Email newop@burlington.ca if you have any questions or would like to Talk to a Planner.

We are proposing amendments to the Burlington Official Plan, 2020 through an Official Plan Amendment (OPA). It will update the Employment Area policies of the Official Plan to align with recent changes to Provincial and Regional policy related to the City’s Employment Area and simplify and streamline the Employment Area policy framework.

No decisions about the proposal have been made yet. We are asking for your feedback to inform the recommended amendment to the Committee of the Whole.

The proposed Official Plan Amendment to the City of Burlington Official Plan (2020) will:

• Update employment area policies:
  • Add a new definition for an “area of employment” as defined in the Planning Act
  • Align Employment Area land use permissions with the new definition
  • Support lawfully established uses within the Employment Area that are excluded from the definition of “area of employment”
  • Update the Employment Area land conversion criteria
• Establish the enabling policy framework for a future Community Planning Permit System and Bylaw for the Employment Area
• Make sure we reduce the impact on and create certainty for local businesses and property owners

Learn more: burlington.ca/opa7

You are invited to:

• Review and provide comments on the proposed Official Plan Amendment No. 7, available late November 2025.
• Attend the Public Open House on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, 7 to 9 p.m. Appleby Ice Centre, Community Room 1 where you can provide comments on the proposed Official Plan Amendment.
• Meet with a Planner to talk about the OPA, Nov. 24, 2025 to Jan. 13, 2026. Email newop@burlington.ca to book a meeting to meet with a Planner.
• Attend a Statutory Public Meeting under the Planning Act on Jan. 13, 2026 to provide comments on the proposed Official Plan Amendment. This feedback will inform the recommended amendment to the Committee of the Whole.

Tell us what you think by Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026:

Community Planning Department
PO Box 5013, 426 Brant St., Burlington, ON L7R 3Z6
newop@burlington.ca

City Staff are starting work to update the Employment Area policies of the City’s 2020 Official Plan. This work will focus on updating Official Plan policies to align with recent changes to Provincial and Regional policy related to the City’s Employment Area and will also explore opportunities to simplify and streamline the Employment Area policy framework.

We welcome your feedback! You can visit the Community Planning booth at Food For Feedback to learn more and take part in our engagement activity. There will be future engagement opportunities late-fall when a draft version of the Official Plan Amendment will be available.

At the Regular Meeting of Council on May 20 (Agenda), Council voted unanimously to adopt OPA 4 which sets out a planning framework and is a guide for future study, to support development and growth within Bronte Creek Meadows.

Following this project and the adoption of OPA 4, there will be opportunities for public engagement through future development applications.

OPA 4 is subject to a 20-day appeal period and is posted on the City’s Public Notice page.

Thank you for your interest in this project and for contributing to the future vision for the Bronte Creek Meadows Community. Please email newop@burlington.ca if you have any questions.

Staff report DGM-32-25: Bronte Creek Meadows Official Plan Amendment No.4 Recommendation Report is now available online. The purpose of the report is to recommend adoption of the City-initiated Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No.4 to the Burlington Official Plan, 2020.

The proposed amendment sets a framework that provides directions for Bronte Creek Meadows (BCM) to be developed as a vibrant mixed-use, transit-supportive, complete community inclusive of economic, social and environmental benefits. The OPA set out a high-level vision for BCM, and includes robust implementation guidance to outline expectations for key next steps to continue building on the vision for BCM.

The amendment has been informed by the BCM Area Specific Planning Project and various inputs including Council direction, technical studies and public feedback gathered in fall 2024 and spring 2025.

Along with the staff report, the following appendices have been included:

A. Official Plan Amendment No.4

B. Official Plan Amendment No.4 Tracked Changes

C. Provincial Planning Statement (2024) Consistency Analysis to OPA 4

D. Regional Official Plan Conformity Analysis to OPA 4

E. Public Submissions and Response Table

F. Agency Submissions and Response Table

G. Key Next Steps Table

H. Response Table to Landowner Team Comments

Key Changes Since March 4 Statutory Public Meeting

On March 4, 2025, staff presented proposed Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No.4 to a Committee of the Whole Statutory Public Meeting through staff report DGM-13-25 Bronte Creek Meadows Proposed Official Plan Amendment No.4, in order to hear comments and questions from members of Council and the public. Staff continued to accept questions, comments and recommendations until March 18, 2025.

This feedback was used to refine and finalize recommended Official Plan Amendment No.4. A detailed commenting table related to public feedback can be found in Appendix E. Agency comments can be found in Appendix F to this report.

Feedback received resulted in a number of key changes:

• Revisions clarifying future study process expectations. A summary of these key next steps is contained in Appendix G of this report.
• Burloak Commons District: Revisions to outline maximum height expectations in response to public and agency feedback have been implemented. Policies outline that the Zoning By-law will establish a minimum building height of two (2) storeys and the maximum building height of eleven (11) storeys. Tall buildings up to a maximum of twenty (20) storeys may be considered subject to criteria including appropriate tall building locations to be determined through the Land Use and Built Form Strategy and building transitions to the Natural Heritage System, existing neighbourhoods and Bronte Creek Provincial Park.
• Addition of policies to encourage innovation in Bronte Creek Meadows in response to Council comments at the Statutory Public Meeting.
• Minor revisions for clarity and consistency.

See page 9 of the staff report to see a more details about key changes.

The report can also be found in the Agenda Meeting Package for the May 12, 2025 Committee of the Whole Statutory Public Meeting at www.burlington.ca/calendar.

Staff continue to be available to answer any questions about the project. Email newop@burlington.ca if you have any questions or would like to Talk to a Planner.

On March 4, 2025, staff presented proposed Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No.4 to a Committee of the Whole Statutory Public Meeting through staff report DGM-13-25 Bronte Creek Meadows Proposed Official Plan Amendment No.4,in order to hear comments and questions from members of Council and the public. Staff continued to accept questions, comments and recommendations until March 18, 2025.

City staff have reviewed and considered the feedback received, and are targeting bringing forward a Recommendation Report to Council for adoption of the OPA in May 2025. Subscribe to this project page to receive notifications of updates.

Staff continue to be available to answer any questions about the project. Email newop@burlington.ca if you have any questions or would like to Talk to a Planner.

Thank you to all those who were able to join us for the Bronte Creek Meadows Public Open Houses in February. The presentations are now available from the meetings:

• The slide deck from the In-person Presentation from February 19 at Tansley Woods Community Centre and February 24 at Corpus Christi Secondary School.
• A Recording of the Virtual Open House (To access Closed Captioning, click onto the icon that says CC) and a copy of the Virtual Presentation from February 25 on Zoom

Staff report DGM-13-25 Bronte Creek Meadows Proposed Official Plan Amendment No.4, is now available online.

The staff report provides an overview of the proposed Official Plan Amendment (OPA), transmits a number of technical studies, outlines engagement events and outlines next steps. The report can be found in the Document Library on this webpage or the Agenda Meeting Package for the March 3/4, 2024 Committee of the Whole Statutory Public Meeting at www.burlington.ca/calendar.

Along with the staff report, the following Appendices have been included:

1. Proposed Official Plan Amendment No.4
2. Development Limits Report (January 2, 2025) prepared by Colucent Environmental
3. Existing Conditions Report (January 15, 2025) prepared by Terrastory Environmental Consulting Inc.
4. Planning Brief (January 27, 2025) prepared by Bousfields Inc.
5. Proposed Official Plan Amendment No.4 Overview Booklet
6. Feedback Themes and Proposed Official Plan Amendment No.4 Response Poster Boards

A link to watch the March 4 Statutory Public meeting be found in the Agenda Meeting Package for the March 3^rd/4^th, Committee of the Whole (COW) Meeting at www.burlington.ca/calendar.

If you would like to speak at the Statutory Public meeting, please see the February 12^th post below for information on how to delegate.

We are looking for your feedback!

We are looking for your feedback on proposed Official Plan Amendment (OPA) for the Bronte Creek Meadows Community! Feedback received will inform a recommendation to Council later this year.

Please send us your feedback by March 18, by emailing newop@burlington.ca or by mail to:

Community Planning Department
PO Box 5013, 426 Brant St., Burlington, ON L7R 3Z6

Thank you for your continued interested in Bronte Creek Meadows and this project! Please email newop@burlington.ca if you have any questions or comments.