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Official Plan Updates – Phase 2

Project background

The City is initiating Phase 2 of its Official Plan Update which will focus on Employment and Transportation policies.

In February 2026, City Council approved Official Plan Amendment 110 which completed Phase 1 of the Official Plan Update. Phase 1 of the Official Plan Update focused on implementing changes from the Planning Act, 1990, the Ontario Heritage Act, 1990, the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024, the Transportation Master Plan, the 2022 Parks Plan, and the Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

As part of Phase 1, staff identified that Employment policies and Transportation policies would need further work in Phase 2. Employment policy work will focus on updating what is designated an Employment Area, what uses are permitted in Employment designations, and how Guelph can plan to achieve a target of 116,000 jobs by the year 2051. Transportation policy work will focus on implementing the remainder of the recommendations from the Transportation Master Plan that were not included in Phase 1.

What is an Official Plan?

Guelph’s Official Plan (OP) establishes a vision for the future of the municipality. It provides policy direction to manage future land use patterns and growth and includes:

  • How land can be used, whether it should be used for houses, industry, offices, commercial, parks, natural areas or a mix of uses;
  • What services, like roads, sewers, parks and schools are needed; and,
  • When, and in what order, parts of the municipality will grow.

Proposed Updates for Employment Policy:

The City of Guelph is reviewing the future of employment lands. We are conducting an interim update to our 2020 Employment Lands Strategy (ELS). The City of Guelph is updating its Employment Land Strategy to ensure our community remains a great place to work, invest and grow to the year 2051. This project will help us reach our target of 116,000 jobs by aligning local policies with new provincial planning standards.

As our City evolves, we need to update our Employment Land Strategy to manage our employment lands. This update focuses on:

  • Protecting our land supply to support long-term economic sustainability.
  • Addressing growth constraints currently facing local businesses.
  • Adapting to market trends and new definitions of “Employment Areas” under the Planning Act.

The Interim Employment Land Strategy Update is a 12-month project that commenced in February 2026 and is scheduled for completion in January 2027.

  • Phase 1: Research and Information Gathering (Early 2026): Local market analysis and identification of key land absorption trends.
  • Phase 2: Identifying Business Needs (Spring 2026): Direct consultation with businesses, landowners, and experts to understand growth drivers.
  • Phase 3: Strategy Development (Late 2026): Development of the strategic framework and “What We Heard” summary.
  • Phase 4: Finalizing the Strategy (Fall 2026 – Winter 2027): Public engagement sessions and final presentation of recommendations to City Council.

Proposed Updates for Transportation Policy:

The Transportation Master Plan was approved by City Council on January 24, 2022. It included various recommendations for the City of Guelph Official Plan. Phase 2 of the Official Plan Update will focus on implementing the following recommendations:

  • Explore implementing the Resiliency Network, Pedestrian Priority Network, Cycling Spine Network, and the Goods Movement Priority Network in Official Plan policy;
  • Updating Official Plan policies on Local Roads and Private Roads;
  • Updating our ultimate right-of-way widths for various roads;
  • Creating policy references to a Complete Streets approach; and
  • Permitting Essential Active Transportation Infrastructure in the Natural Heritage System.

Transportation policy work is a 12-month project that commenced in February 2026 and is scheduled for completion in January 2027.

  • Phase 1: Policy Drafting (Early 2026 – Spring 2026): Review of the Transportation Master Plan and drafting of official plan policies for implementation.  
  • Phase 2: Public Engagement (Fall 2026): Public engagement opportunities to review and comment on draft official plan policies.
  • Phase 3: Finalizing the Official Plan Amendment (Fall 2026 – Winter 2027): Final presentation of recommendations to City Council.

Community engagement

This phase of the Official Plan update will include opportunities for Community Engagement.

We will create a Have Your Say Guelph project page to:

  • Learn more about the project;
  • Subscribe for updates and stay informed on project milestones;
  • Participate in engagement activities, including public meetings; and,
  • Review technical reports and “What We Heard” summaries as they become available.

City staff will be preparing a consolidated chart explaining the amendments as well as updated maps or schedules, as needed. We will update this page when the materials are ready to be reviewed and comments may be provided.

Any preliminary comments can be provided by emailing [email protected] and [email protected]

Resources and documents