Section 14 of Urban and Rural Planning Act, 2000 (the Act) outlines public consultation requirements. Key requirements include:

• Provide consultation opportunities for interested persons, community groups, municipalities, local service districts, regional development boards and departments of government to
  • Provide input; and
  • Receive information on the development of the plan/regulations;
• Consultation shall:
• Accommodate size, structure and complexity of planning and policy issues; and
• Include presentation of relevant land use and other studies or surveys respecting the development of the plan.

Section 15 of the Act outlines the review process and includes the following provisions:

• After consultation, Council shall complete the proposed plan/regulations in accordance with Act;
• Council shall submit proposed plan and development regulation, in the required form, to the department for review; and
• Submission shall include:
• the proposed completed plan and regulations; and
• Documentation with respect to consultations held under section 14.

The Division expects to public consultation process carried out by the municipality and its planning consultation to address the principles below:

1. reflect size of community and complexity of planning issues;
2. be a meaningful attempt to engage and solicit input from residents and other stakeholders;
3. outline of the planning process;
4. identify provincial interests; and
5. include an opportunity for interested parties to review draft documents and maps before they are submitted to the division for section 15 review.

A summary of the public consultation process must be included in the municipal plan or amendment and must outline how these principles were addressed and Council’s considerations.

Provincial Interests

At the initiation of the municipal plan and development regulations process, the Local Governance and Land Use Planning Division (the Division) asks for input from government departments and agencies through the Interdepartmental Land Use Committee (ILUC).  These comments are provided to the planning consultant for incorporation into the municipal plan and development regulations.  Any follow up with government departments and agencies should be documented and included in the public consultation summary.

It is the responsibility of the planning consultant to identify potential provincial interests when undertaking an amendment to a municipal plan and/or development regulations. The background section of the amendment should summarize provincial interests.

If the Division identifies any provincial interests as part of the section 15 review, the planning consultant will be required to contact the appropriate government department or agency.  Any comments received must be submitted to the Division and the documents must be revised to reflect provincial interests.

The public consultation summary and documentation must demonstrate a meaningful attempt to engage and solicit input from residents and stakeholders.  This must include sharing information about the planning process and any studies that inform the preparation of the municipal plan, development regulations and amendments.

Public Review

Once Council is satisfied with the draft municipal plan and development regulations (and amendments if applicable), residents and stakeholders must be provided with an opportunity to review the documents and maps.

Documentation

Supporting documentation must accompany the proposed municipal plan, development regulations and amendments when it is submitted to the Division for review under section 15 of the Act including:

1. Any reports or survey influencing plan preparation (such as a background report/survey/engineering report/traffic study);
2. An outline of planning process shared during the public consultation process;
3. Notices, web and social media postings including date of publication;
4. Copy of newspaper advertisements which shows the date of publication;
5. All written submissions received; and
6. Other relevant documentation.

 Examples of Documentation

Type of Consultation	Outcome	Consultation	Examples of Documentation
Soliciting input into municipal plan, development regulations and amendment preparation (ILUC)
	Identification of provincial interests by government departments and agencies	Further discussion with or review by departments or agencies on key issues	ILUC summary Any follow up emails/correspondence with departments or agencies Summary of any meetings
Soliciting input into municipal plan, development regulations and amendment preparation (public and stakeholders)
	Input from interested persons, community groups, council, LSD, regional development boards	newspaper ad request for written submissions social media postings website notice posters public meeting open house focus group(s) meetings with stakeholders survey pop-up booth presentations to community groups kids and planning activities one on one meetings site walk with interested persons	copies of notices/postings meeting minutes written submissions
	Sharing information about planning process	outline of planning process public meeting presentation to community groups pop-up booth open house website posting	meeting minutes PowerPoint presentation copy of website posting and documents section in municipal plan
	Presentation of relevant studies or background information	background report public meeting open house web posting of background report social media postings pamphlets newsletter	copy of background report PowerPoint presentation meeting minutes copy of website posting and documents background section in Municipal Plan copy of pamphlet or newsletter submission of studies/reports summary of study/report in municipal plan
Providing opportunity for public to comment on draft municipal plan, development regulations and maps
	interested persons can review and provide comments on final draft documents and maps	documents and maps available for public review digitally and/or hard copy public notice social media website public meeting open house	notice web or social media postings meeting minutes PowerPoint presentation written submissions