Grey Highlands on Grey-Bruce Brief

Grey Highlands Regular Council — Wednesday, October 7, 2026

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Talisman heritage motion withdrawn Mayor McQueen replaced a previously tabled notice of motion — which had proposed heritage evaluation and interim protection of the former Talisman Mountain Resort at 150 Talisman Mountain Drive — with a new motion drafted by Bruce Trail Conservancy CEO Michael McDonald. The replacement directs Mayor McQueen and McDonald to meet with municipal staff for good-faith exploratory talks on the site’s future consistent with BTC’s conservation mission, with staff to report back. The swap required and received a two-thirds majority. Councillor Dubey (BTC volunteer) declared a conflict and recused himself. Council unanimously waived its five-speaker open-forum cap to allow all nine registered delegations to speak. McDonald appeared virtually, welcoming “a far less adversarial approach”; other delegates raised estimated ongoing building maintenance costs of $30,000 per month and the longstanding mold damage inside the vacant structures.

Grey Highlands Special Council — Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Closed session: Council moved unanimously into closed session at 1:02 PM under the Municipal Act’s litigation privilege provisions (s.239(2)(e) and s.239(2)(a)) to receive legal advice on an Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) appeal. The session rose at 1:23 PM; council confirmed only the identified items were discussed and directed staff to proceed as instructed.

Grey Highlands Public Planning Hearing — Monday, September 28, 2026 @ 5:00 PM

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

What to Watch

Three zoning amendment applications are up for statutory public input under the Planning Act — this is a hearing, not a decision night, but resident comments go on the record. Meeting is virtual only.

Z33.2026 — 468031 12th Concession B: Zoning amendment for Part Lot 11, Concession 13, filed concurrently with a severance application (B20.2026) — a sign the landowner is looking to divide the property as well as rezone it.
Z31.2026 — 113315 Grey Road 14 (Sher-Weld / Solomon Martin): Zoning amendment for an Artemesia property on Grey Road 14, also running alongside a concurrent severance (B19.2026).
Z32.2026 — Beaverline MFG, 428285 8th Concession B: Zoning amendment for a manufacturing operation on Part Lots 16–17, Concession 9 in Osprey.

Items 3.1 and 3.2 are each paired with a severance — the two-file approach is worth watching for residents near those properties.

Grey Highlands Regular Council — Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Water Treatment Plant Council voted to direct Option 3 — full replacement of the Markdale water treatment plant with complete redundancy — to the 2027 budget at an estimated cost of $3 million. A Deputy Mayor-backed amendment to substitute the less expensive Option 1 (refurbish one filter run only, estimated $900,000–$1.6 million near-term) was defeated. Staff cited new MECP redundancy guidelines, fire-flow protection, and long-term cost efficiency. The plant currently operates at roughly 17–22% of its rated 1,185-cubic-metre daily capacity. Public delegate Kate Lezier argued the proposal is oversized and overpriced given current utilization.

Grey Highlands Council — Wednesday, September 16, 2026 @ 10:00 AM

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

What to Watch

A landmark agenda headlined by a complete overhaul of the municipality’s land-use rules.

New Comprehensive Zoning By-law (12.2): Council will vote on By-law 2026-088, replacing the 2004 zoning by-law in its entirety — the foundational document governing all future development — alongside a companion Official Plan Amendment (OPA 51) to be forwarded to Grey County for approval; notably, the new by-law was deferred at the last meeting to add an exception for already-approved draft plans of subdivision.
Markdale Lagoon Development Charges (8.2): A by-law establishing area-specific development charges for the Markdale Lagoon Expansion Area is before Council.
Wilton Sanitation Rezoning (12.4): Council will consider both an Official Plan Amendment and a Zoning By-law Amendment for Wilton Sanitation, and recommend County Council approve the corresponding County OPA.
Canrobert & Inkerman Road Reconstruction (10.3): Council will select a reconstruction option following public consultation and direct staff to include the project in the 2027 budget.
Talisman Mountain Resort Heritage Delegation (6.3): Giaimo + Associates Architects will present on the cultural heritage significance of the former Talisman Mountain Resort — a site of long-running community interest.
Line Fences Act Exemption (12.10): Staff are recommending Council exempt Grey Highlands from the Line Fences Act across the entire municipality, which would change how fence disputes between neighbours are resolved.
Brackenbury & Lawler Stormwater EA (14.1): Council will approve or deny up to $28,000 in additional environmental assessment work to address outstanding Ministry of Natural Resources comments on the stormwater outlet.

https://greyhighlands.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Id=3036

Dundalk Herald / The Advance

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Dundalk Herald / The Advance (Midwestern Newspapers) publishes in print and on Facebook only — the paper’s website hosts no article stream (archived full-issue PDFs end in 2024). As a result, this outlet’s coverage is not aggregated here; the gap is on the source side, not ours.

Grey Highlands Regular Council — Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Markdale wastewater charges approved; phase-in fails 6–1 — Council directed staff to prepare an implementing bylaw for new area-specific development charges tied to Markdale’s $15-million wastewater lagoon expansion, after rejecting a mayoral proposal to phase in residential rates at 65/75/85/100% over four years. That amendment lost 6–1. The DC background study projects 1,531 units and pegs the lagoon charge at roughly $8,200–$8,300 per residential unit; combined county and municipal DCs on a new Markdale home now total approximately $22,000. A $5.4-million federal grant has been pending more than 18 months; a provincial grant was confirmed and expected to be announced shortly. Staff noted rates can be retroactively discounted if grants land. Under a recent provincial change, residential DCs are now due at occupancy by default.

Grey Highlands Council — Wednesday, September 2, 2026 @ 10:00 AM

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

What to Watch The headline item is the proposed adoption of a brand-new Comprehensive Zoning By-law (2026-088) to replace the municipality’s 2004 by-law, alongside Official Plan Amendment No. 51 — the new rules don’t take effect until the County approves the OPA, but this is a major planning milestone. Council must also give direction on whether Grey Highlands will commit to or opt out of the County’s proposed hybrid planning services model, with a response due to the County Clerk by September 24.

Grey Highlands Council — Wednesday, September 2, 2026 @ 10:00 AM

Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

What to Watch

Landmark planning vote: Council is asked to pass a new Comprehensive Zoning By-law (2026-088) replacing the municipality’s 2004 zoning bylaw, together with Official Plan Amendment No. 51 — the package won’t take effect until Grey County approves the OPA, with Zoning By-law 2004-50 continuing to apply in the interim.
Council must decide whether Grey Highlands will opt in or out of Grey County’s proposed hybrid planning services model — a resolution is due to the County Clerk by September 24.
Grey Sauble Conservation Authority presents on changes to the Conservation Authorities Act and its 2027 draft budget.
An area-specific development charge for Markdale Wastewater is up for direction, with staff to bring the enabling bylaw forward.
Council votes on awarding the Bridge E12 contract to Alexman Contracting Inc. at $189,141.50 (excl. HST).
A revised accessibility design for Stothart Hall — a commercial lift replacing a previously approved enclosed ramp — goes to tender authorization, with Phase 1 estimated at ~$155,000.
Stonebrook Phase I & II (Stonebrook Way/Stan Baker Boulevard) is up for formal municipal assumption of all public works constructed within the registered subdivision plans.

https://greyhighlands.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Id=3035