Planning Committee - Notice of Public Meeting (December 11, 2025)

Take notice that the Council for the Corporation of the Township of Muskoka Lakes will be considering an application for a proposed Amendment to the Official Plan pursuant to Section 17, 22 and 28 of the Planning Act, R.S.O., 1990, Chapter P. 13, as amended.

File No.: OPA-66/25
Roll No.: Municipal Wide 
By-law: To Be Assigned
Meeting Date: December 11, 2025

Supporting Documents:

• Draft Official Plan Amendment 
• Appendix II - proposed New Section 6

Take further notice that this public meeting will be held in a hybrid forum with electronic Zoom participation, and in-person format for those wishing to attend in-person. The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers, Municipal Office, 1 Bailey Street, Port Carling, ON. Should you wish to view an electronic copy of the Notice of Public Meeting for the above-noted application, please visit https://www.muskokalakes.ca/planning-notices/.

Explanation of the Purpose and Effect:

The Township is proposing to expand the Community Improvement Plan Area to the entire Township. Currently, the Community Improvement Plan only applies to select areas of Bala and Port Carling. 

The purpose and effect of Official Plan Amendment OPA-66 is to expand the Community Improvement Plan Area to the entire Township. A copy of draft Official Plan Amendment OPA-66 is hyperlinked in the Supporting Documents above. 

Concurrently, the Township of Muskoka Lakes is also proposing to expand the Community Improvement Plan to include five new programs that would provide incentives for the creation of new affordable / attainable housing units, as well as updating one existing program for housing. A Draft updated Community Improvement Plan, containing the new and updated incentive programs is available at https://engagemuskokalakes.ca/community-improvement-plan-updates

For more information, please contact the Planning Division weekdays between 8:15 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Municipal Office, or at planning@muskokalakes.ca or by phone at (705) 765-3156. Please quote the file number noted above.

How to Participate

1. Submit Comments in Writing
   • Submit comments to planning@muskokalakes.ca, deliver in-person, or mail to P.O. Box 129, 1 Bailey Street, Port Carling, ON, P0B 1J0. For correspondence to be included on the agenda, please submit your comments by: Thursday, December 4th, 2025.
   • Personal information collected in response to this Notice of Public Meeting will be used to assist staff and Council to process this application and will be made public.
2. Active Participation In-Person or on Zoom
   • Hybrid meetings are held at 9:00 a.m. on the above-noted meeting date in Council Chambers at the Municipal Office. For more information about participating via Zoom, visit www.muskokalakes.ca/zoom
   • If you wish to speak to the Planning Committee at the meeting by electronic participation, please contact planning@muskokalakes.ca by 9:00 a.m. on the regular business day preceding the scheduled meeting.
3. Watch the Meeting Online
   • You can access the meeting from YouTube on the Township of Muskoka Lakes YouTube Channel. If the live webcast fails, the meeting recording will be posted under the Government Portal on https://muskokalakes.civicweb.net/ 

FAILURE TO PARTICIPATE IN MEETING: If you do not participate in the meeting it may proceed in your absence and, except as otherwise provided in the Planning Act, you will not be entitled to any further notice in the proceedings.

NOTICE OF PASSING & DECISION: If you wish to be notified of the decision of the Council of the Township of Muskoka Lakes in respect of the proposed official plan amendment, you must submit a written request to the Township of Muskoka Lakes, Box 129, Port Carling, Ontario, P0B 1J0.

OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT: If a person or public body would otherwise have an ability to appeal the decision of the Council of the Township of Muskoka Lakes to the Ontario Land Tribunal but the person or public body does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to Council before the proposed official plan amendment is adopted, the person or public body is not entitled to appeal the decision.
If a person or public body does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to Council before the proposed official plan amendment is adopted, the person or public body may not be added as a party to the hearing of an appeal before the Ontario Land Tribunal unless, in the opinion of the Tribunal, there are reasonable grounds to add the person or public body as a party.

Notwithstanding the above, subsection 17(24) of the Planning Act defines the parties that are eligible to appeal the decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

Dated at the Township of Muskoka Lakes this 19th day of November, 2025. 

Crystal Paroschy, Clerk
Corporation of the Township of Muskoka Lakes

For more information, please contact the Planner managing the file and quote the file number noted above on weekdays between 8:15 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Contact:
Jennifer Huff
Director of Development Services and Environmental Sustainability
705-765-3156
jhuff@muskokalakes.ca