Provincial Amendments to the Greenbelt Plan

Provincial Announcement of Greenbelt Plan Amendments Reversal

On September 21, 2023 the Premier of Ontario announced that the Government of Ontario would introduce legislation to reverse amendments made to the Greenbelt Plan in December 2022. Recognizing the significant amount of public interest and feedback received, City staff will be submitting a Public Engagement Report to Planning Committee containing all input received at the City’s September 6, 2023 Open House, September 14, 2023 Special Meeting of Planning Committee and Online Survey later this fall.

On December 16, 2022, the Government of Ontario removed 795 hectares of land from the Greenbelt within the City of Hamilton. For a better illustration of the size of the land removed, 795 hectares is a little larger than the size of two Binbrooks. Council approved a motion on February 8, 2023 that the City of Hamilton opposed the removal of these lands from the Greenbelt Plan Area. Though the City remains opposed to Greenbelt land removal, the Government of Ontario’s decision is in effect and the lands are no longer within the Greenbelt Plan Area. Visit www.hamilton.ca/greenbelt for more information about the removal of these lands, including FAQs.

The Provincial Land and Development Facilitator has been in contact with the City of Hamilton and has indicated that the City will have an opportunity to provide input with respect to how the lands are developed, and also to negotiate and request certain “community benefits” above and beyond standard requirements found in the Planning Act prior to the Government of Ontario issuing a Minister’s Zoning Order on these lands to permit urban development.

How You Can be Involved

To hear from Hamilton residents, the City has scheduled an Open House and a Special Meeting of the City’s Planning Committee to receive feedback on community priorities when engaging with the Provincial Land and Development Facilitator.

Special Meeting of Planning Committee

The meeting will be held in-person and streamed virtually via the City’s YouTube channel.
When: Thursday, September 14, 2023 beginning at 6:30 pm
LOCATION CHANGE: Ancaster Fairgrounds, 630 Trinity Road S, Ancaster ON
HSR will be running a FREE SHUTTLE to and from the Ancaster Fairgrounds. To help with transit demand, please visit hamilton.ca/greenbelt to let us know if you plan on taking the shuttle. 

Please contact the Legislative Coordinator, Planning Committee, City of Hamilton, 71 Main Street West, 1st Floor, Hamilton, Ontario, L8P 4Y5 or by email clerk@hamilton.ca to submit written comments, submit a pre-recorded video with comments or pre-register to make oral submissions.

Open House

An Open House was held on September 6, 2023 with a staff presentation, followed by a moderated Q&A session.
Open House Information Panels

If you prefer to say "No to Greenbelt Development", you will need to submit directly to the Government of Ontario. Refer to the FAQ for how submit your comments.