Official Plan Review | Pentest Site

The Town of East Gwillimbury (EG) has reviewed and is updating its Official Plan. For more information on the Town's current Official Plan, see our Official Plan page.

Public Consultation

A public meeting was held on March 24, 2026, at 6:00 pm in Council Chambers at 19000 Leslie Street, Sharon.

Public Information Sessions for the Complete Communities Secondary Plan and Official Plan Review were held on February 17, 2026. There was two sessions from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the East Gwillimbury Operations Centre located at 19850 Woodbine Avenue, Queensville.

The Official Plan has been submitted to the Province for Review

The Town of East Gwillimbury has officially submitted its Draft Official Plan to the Province of Ontario for review, in accordance with the requirements of the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.13, Part III Official Plans 17 (17.1).

This submission marks an important milestone in shaping the future growth and development of our community. The Official Plan provides a long-term vision for land use, housing, infrastructure, and environmental stewardship within East Gwillimbury.

The Plan was largely adopted by Town Council in 2022 and initially forwarded to York Region for approval. However, recent changes at the Provincial level have shifted the approval authority from the Region to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. As a result, the Province will now oversee the review and approval process.

East Gwillimbury is committed to working collaboratively with the Ministry to ensure the Plan aligns with Provincial legislation, policies, and priorities, while avoiding duplication and streamlining processes wherever possible.

With this submission, we move one step closer to finalizing the Official Plan that will guide East Gwillimbury’s growth for years to come. We look forward to receiving feedback from the Ministry and continuing this important work together.

View the submission documents:

The Updated Official Plan has been adopted and the Urban Design Manual has been endorsed

The Town's Updated Official Plan and Urban Design Manual were finalized based on the comments received from the May 11, 2022, public meeting. The documents were then adopted and endorsed at the June 21, 2022, Council meeting. The Urban Design Manual will be able to be referenced immediately, and the adopted Updated Official Plan will now be sent to the Region of York for approval. The Notice of Passing/Adoption is available here and all updates regarding the Regional approval process will also be provided on this website. For any questions please contact Planning staff.

In June 2023, the Regional Municipality of York provided comments on the endorsed East Gwillimbury Official Plan.

Staff have prepared a modified Official Plan in response to the comments provided by the Regional Municipality of York and changes to Provincial legislation which is now available for review.

Project history and related documents

Second draft of the Updated Official Plan is now available and was subject to a Public Meeting on May 11, 2022

The video recording of the public meeting is available here.

A second draft of the Town's Updated Official Plan has been prepared based on the comments received since the release of the first draft. This second draft of the Updated Official Plan was subject to a public meeting on May 11, 2022, at 6PM and further refinements can be made to the document prior to finalization and adoption. The complete Notice for this Public Meeting is also provided below and you can view the public meeting here.

Town of East Gwillimbury Draft #2 Updated Official Plan with Schedules

Notice of Public Meeting - May 11, 2022 at 6PM

In addition, a draft Urban Design Manual has also been developed. The Urban Design Manual is a non-statutory, non-operative component of the Official Plan but will be used as a reference for best practice approaches to urban design within Town. If you have any comments related to the Draft Urban Design Manual please contact Planning staff.

Town of East Gwillimbury Draft Urban Design Manual

First draft of the Town's Updated Official Plan

The first draft of the Town's Updated Official Plan is available below:

Town of East Gwillimbury Draft #1 Updated Official Plan with Schedules

A virtual public open house was also held on March 3, 2022 to review the draft Updated Official Plan. The open house meeting recording and presentation slides are available below. If you have any questions or comments you can also feel free to reach out to Planning staff at any time.

March 3, 2022 Virtual Open House Presentation Slides

March 3, 2022 Virtual Open House Meeting Recording

This first draft of the Updated Official Plan was presented to Council on February 15, 2022, and is accompanied by a staff report, presentation, and notice for the March 3, 2022 virtual public open hou se. All documents are also available as part of the February 15, 2022 Council agenda. You can view the February 15, 2022 Council meeting and agenda here.

The draft Updated Official Plan builds on the engagement pursued for the project so far and will be updated based on comments received through the upcoming public engagement prior to a finalized version being prepared for Council's ultimate adoption.

Project Timeline and Next Steps

The visual below shows the timeline for the Official Plan Review process. We have currently completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the project, and are now in the third and final phase. All Phase 1 and Phase 2 materials are posted on this project webpage, and once the Draft Updated Official Plan is prepared as part of Phase 3 it will be shared publicly and will be subject to public review through Open Houses and Public Meetings. All project updates will continue to be provided on this webpage, and you can feel free to reach out to Planning staff if you have any questions.

Discussion Papers and Land Needs Assessment Report

The Official Plan Review Discussion Papers and Land Needs Assessment report were received by Council on September 21, 2021. These documents were developed based on the background research and public consultation undertaken for the project to date, and are intended to inform the upcoming development of the Draft Updated Official Plan. Further Public Meetings and Open Houses will be scheduled once the Draft Updated Official Plan is prepared so that a thorough review can be had prior to Council's anticipated adoption of the Updated Official Plan in 2022. If you have any questions or comments feel free to reach out to Planning staff.

View the Discussion Papers and Land Needs Assessment materials here:

Online Community Workshops for the Official Plan Review

Online community workshops were held on June 2 and 3, 2021 to hear feedback on the key discussion paper themes of the Town’s Official Plan Review. You can view the presentation slides and watch the recordings from these public workshops using the links below. Please contact Planning staff with any further questions or comments.

View the Presentations:

Slide Deck 1 – Growth Management and Vision

Slide Deck 2 – Complete Communities and Housing

Slide Deck 3 – Sustainability and Climate Change

Slide Deck 4 – Agriculture and Rural Lands

Watch the Meeting Recordings:

Growth Management - June 2 5PM

Complete Communities and Housing - June 2 7PM

Sustainability and Climate Change - June 3 5PM

Agriculture and Rural Lands - June 3 7PM

Special Meeting of Council and Policy Directions Discussion

Watch the Council meeting video from April 27, 2021:

Virtual community visioning workshop

Online Community Visioning Workshops were held on October 27, 2020 to hear from members of the public about what their vision for the future of the Town is. The information received is being used to help inform the Official Plan policies to guide future community growth in a responsible manner. If you would like a summary of the information received from the virtual community visioning workshops, you can email Planning staff.

Project background

Why update the Town's Official Plan?

The Planning Act of Ontario requires municipalities to regularly review their Official Plans to reflect updates to legislation, Provincial plans and policies, and regional government (Region of York) plans. Reviewing the Town's Official Plan ensures the document and vision for the Town remains up to date and consistent with guiding policy and legislation.

What changes are expected in the new Official Plan?

East Gwillimbury is a growing Town expected to have over 100,000 people by 2051, with significant provincial and regional infrastructure commitments in place to support this growth. A full review of the Town of East Gwillimbury Official Plan will set out the framework for managing this growth and will address: