Official Plan Review

The Town’s Official Plan Review (OPR) was launched at a Special Public Meeting of Planning and Development Council on May 11, 2015. Since that time, Planning staff have responded to a significant number of legislative changes and modifications to Ontario’s land use planning framework. The Town is required to review its Official Plans to ensure consistency with Provincial legislation and address community needs.

Under the OPR, numerous studies have been completed, resulting in over 20 Council-adopted Official Plan Amendments (see completed studies below). The remaining OPR studies are currently underway, including amalgamating the Region of Halton Official Plan and the Town’s Official Plans into a single, comprehensive document following the transfer of regional planning responsibilities to the Town.

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Related studies

Active studies

The following studies related to the Official Plan Review are underway:

Completed studies

Completed studies related to the Official Plan Review in order of Official Plan Amendments (OPA) from oldest to most recent:

OPA 15 - Urban Structure Review
OPA 16 - Cultural Heritage Policy Review
OPA 18 - Bronte Village Growth Area Review
OPA 19 - Kerr Village Growth Area Review
OPA 20 - Downtown Oakville Growth Area Review
OPA 26 - Employment and Commercial Review
OPA 27 - Speers Road Corridor Study
OPA 28 - Active Transportation Update
OPA 34 and 37 - Palermo Village Growth Area Review
OPA 34 and 37, OPA 321 and 322 - North Oakville West Secondary Plan Review
OPA 35 - Hospital District Study
OPA 41 - Bronte GO MTSA
OPA 45 and 326 - Neyagawa Urban Core Review
OPA 73 - Provincial Consistency Exercise
OPA 74 - Parkway Belt West Designation Project
Housing Needs Assessment
Housing Strategy and Action Plan
Residential Character Study

Provincial Consistency Exercise (OPA 73)

Since the initiation of the Official Plan Review work program in 2015, Planning staff have responded to a changing provincial policy regime, including the 2017 Growth Plan, 2017 Greenbelt Plan, 2020 Growth Plan, Bill 108, Bill 197, 2020 Provincial Policy Statement, Bill 23, Bill 185 and the Provincial Planning Statement (2024).

Given the significant number of legislative changes and the modifications to Ontario’s land use planning framework, there were several aspects of the Livable Oakville Plan that were out of date. Staff undertook a scoped provincial consistency exercise to address as many of these inconsistencies as possible, before the end of 2025. This resulted in Town-initiated Official Plan Amendment (OPA) 73.

OPA 73 was approved by Town Council on October 20, 2025.

Staff report: Item 8.1 - Planning and Development Council Agenda, October 20, 2025
OPA 73: By-law 2025-119 (pdf)
Notice of the adoption of Official Plan Amendment 073

Parkway Belt West Designation Project (OPA 74)

On October 22, 2022, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing posted a proposal to the Environmental Registry of Ontario to revoke the Parkway Belt West (PBW) Plan, 1978, under the Ontario Planning and Development Act, 1994.

On September 27, 2024 the posting was updated to advise that the proposal remains under consideration and there is no status change.

The Livable Oakville Plan designates Parkway Belt West lands as “Parkway Belt” with predominantly no underlying land use designation. If the Parkway Belt West plan is revoked by the province, a formal process is required to re-designate or provide further land use direction to affected lands in the Livable Oakville Official Plan.

In preparation of the potential revocation of the Parkway Belt West plan a Town-initiated Official Plan Amendment has been prepared for review and consideration at the November 17, 2025 Planning & Development Committee meeting

Review the Draft Official Plan Amendment (pdf)
Read the meeting notice for more information on how to share your comments and attend the meeting

OPA 74 was adopted by Town Council on January 19, 2026 and was approved by Town Council on February 17, 2026.

Conformity requirements

The Town's Official Plan is required to conform to, or be consistent with:

Provincial Planning Statement

In Ontario, all municipal official plans are required to be consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement 2024 (PPS).

The PPS 2024 is a streamlined province-wide land use planning policy framework that replaces both the PPS 2020, and A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2019), while building upon housing-supportive policies from both documents. It came into effect October 20, 2024.

Greenbelt Plan

The official plans of municipalities within southern Ontario’s greenbelt are required to conform to the Province’s 2017 Greenbelt Plan.

Halton's Regional Official Plan

The 2024 Official Plan consolidation incorporates all subsequent modifications and amendments to the Plan up to and including May 16, 2024.

For details on the legal status and applicability of the Halton Region Official Plan, 1995 (as amended) refer to the “Explanatory Notes” at the beginning of the Halton Region Official Plan document (pdf). Visit the Halton Regional Official Plan page for maps, guidelines and more information.

As of July 1, 2024, the Regional Official Plan (2024 Consolidation) remains in effect as an official plan in each local municipality until such time as it is revoked or amended by the respective municipality. The Halton Region Official Plan, 1995, was approved by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, with modifications, on Nov. 27, 1995.