Notice of adoption of a Community Improvement Plan - August 2026
Take Notice that the Council of Norfolk County passed By-law 2026-76 on July 28, 2026, under Section 17(22) and Section 28 of the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.P.13.
By-law No. 2026-76 repeals By-law 2025-30 and adopts an updated Community Improvement Plan for Norfolk County.
Purpose and effect of the Community Improvement Plan
Under Section 28 of The Planning Act, municipalities may adopt a Community Improvement Project Area and Community Improvement Plan for the purposes of upgrading, rehabilitating, redeveloping, reconstructing, or otherwise improving lands and buildings within a municipality.
Norfolk County’s current Community Improvement Plan was adopted in 2025 to replace the previous Community Improvement Plan. With By-law 2026-76, Council adopted an updated Community Improvement Plan and evaluation matrix. The updated Community Improvement Plan includes clarified eligibility criteria for the Brownfield Tax Increment Grant and updated language around administrative process to reflect current practice. The current financial incentives and Community Improvement Project Area remain unchanged.
The Community Improvement Project Area and Community Improvement Plan apply to lands within the entire municipality of Norfolk County. Copies of the Community Improvement Plan and the Community Improvement Project Area are attached to this notice.
Written and oral submissions
The public was consulted throughout the project to update the Community Improvement Plan. Comments received informed updates to the administrative processes, incentives, and eligibility criteria for the Community Improvement Plan. No further oral submissions were received at the public meeting.
When the decision is final
The Community Improvement Plan is exempt from approval by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The decision of Norfolk County is final if a Notice of Appeal is not received on or before the last date of appeal noted below.
Appeals
To appeal, a copy of an appeal form is available from the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) website. An appeal may be filed using the OLT e-file service - first-time users will need to register for a My Ontario Account by selecting Norfolk County as the Approval Authority. Alternatively, you may submit an appeal to the Clerk in person or by registered mail/courier addressed to the Clerks Office at the Norfolk County Administration Building, 50 Colborne Street South, Simcoe, Ontario, N3Y 4H3.
Appeals may be made no later than August 27, 2026, at 4:30 pm. An appeal will be processed once all fees are received.
Only the applicant, the Minister, or an owner of land affected by the planning application, a specified person or a public body who made written or oral submissions to Norfolk County Council before Council’s decision may appeal a decision of Norfolk County to the Ontario Land Tribunal. No person or public body shall be added as a party to the hearing of the appeal unless, before the plan was adopted, the person or public body made oral submissions at a public meeting or written submissions to Norfolk County Council or, in the opinion of the Ontario Land Tribunal, there are reasonable grounds to add the person or public body as a party.
The Notice of Appeal must:
- set out the reasons for the appeal and the specific part of the proposed amendment to which the appeal applies;
- be accompanied by the fee prescribed under the Ontario Land Tribunal Act for $1,100.00 per application, payable to the Minister of Finance. Payment can be made directly to the OLT if using the e-file service to file an appeal or by certified cheque or money order if filing with the City Clerk. An appellant may request a reduction of the filing fee to $400.00. The request for a reduction of the filing fee must be made at the time of filing the appeal. For more information and a copy of the OLT Fee Schedule, visit the Ontario Land Tribunal website.
More information
For a copy of the Community Improvement Plan, the amendment, or more information, please contact the Clerks Office.
- Address: 50 Colborne Street South, Simcoe, Ontario, N3Y 4H3
- Email: clerks@norfolkcounty.ca
- Phone: 226-NORFOLK, ext. 6269.
See also the Norfolk Economic Development website for more information.
