Grey County Council and Committee of the Whole — Thursday, September 10, 2026
Official Plan Amendment 28 — Mount Forest North Lands: Council continued consideration of OPA 28 and an associated zoning by-law amendment for lands directly north of Mount Forest. Staff Manager Taylor reported that the application is sound in policy and satisfies the provincial planning framework, but final approval cannot proceed until the Saugeen Ojibway Nation completes its review of additional archaeological work. Following earlier concerns raised by the Ojibway community over Phase 1 and Phase 2 archaeological assessments submitted to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport (MTCS), a joint site visit was arranged with community members, their experts, and the applicant’s specialists attending simultaneously. A further Phase 1 and Phase 2 assessment was then conducted over the preceding summer with West Grey staff and Ojibway community participation. The Ojibway community’s formal comments remain pending completion of that research. Staff described their approach as a voluntary partnership with First Nations rather than a mandated consultation obligation. A motion supporting OPA 28 was referenced, with a request number to be presented at the September 28 meeting. Only a small portion of the southeast area of the property — where a historic residential site and two original occupants were identified — would receive a specific land-use designation; the remainder of the lands would not be fully designated at this stage.
MTCS Archaeological Review Process: Staff explained a recurring challenge in Ontario’s regulatory framework: MTCS sometimes indicates a report has been reviewed without explicitly endorsing its findings, creating procedural uncertainty for First Nations and delaying Ministry clearance letters required before planning approvals can be finalized.
Wellington County Overlap: Wellington County’s official plan applies to lands immediately north of the subject property; a Wellington County report was received as part of the application review. A resident’s earlier servicing and water concerns were resolved directly with the applicant.
Childcare and CWECC Conference Delegation: Council received a verbal AMO meeting update focused on child care funding, noting that federal support for maintaining existing child care spaces has not been formally renewed since 2007. Staff flagged that program parameters and workforce constraints are limiting local expansion despite growing family demand, with middle-income families disproportionately affected. Council indicated it will continue pressing the federal government on the funding gap. A delegation also reported on the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWECC) annual conference — described as the largest ever held — where provincial government policy announcements were made and new CWECC administration for 2026–2028 was named. A written conference summary is forthcoming in the CWECC record.
Notes are thin on specific dollar amounts and recorded vote tallies for this session.