Welcome to Forward Vaughan

The City of Vaughan is currently updating the Official Plan to guide land use and development. Vaughan is a fast-growing urban region and economic engine of Ontario that is built with vibrant complete communities for people to work, live, play, and innovate.

Project Status

The City of Vaughan has released the Part A Official Plan Amendment (OPA) for the Official Plan Review. Part A OPA can be viewed here Draft Part A OPA and Draft Part A OPA Schedules. The Part A OPA is scoped to only include updates to bring the Vaughan Official Plan 2010 (VOP 2010) into conformity with updated Provincial policies, plans and legislation, and the York Region Official Plan 2022. Feedback received to-date, including background research and best-practices will be fulsomely addressed in the Part B OPA.

Comments or questions can be submitted by sending an e-mail to oprmanager@vaughan.ca.

To see the engagement events completed in Phase 2 of the Official Plan Review, please check out the Phase 2 Engagement Summary Report now by visiting this link here or viewing the document in the Document Library located on the right-hand side of the page.

Getting Involved

Upcoming Engagement

Stay tuned for future engagement!

Please see the notice here - Notice - Part A OPA Postponed to Future Committee of the Whole for additional details.

Past Engagement

Phase 1 Visioning and Background Studies

Thank you to everyone who participated in Phase 1 of the Official Plan Review process! The feedback received will be used to guide the direction of the next phases of the Official Plan Review.

To see the engagement events completed in Phase 1 of the Official Plan Review, please check out the Phase 1 Engagement Summary Report now by visiting this link here or viewing the document in the Document Library located on the right-hand side of the page.

If you are interested in viewing recordings of the Webinar Series please see links below for the recordings.

Climate Change Resilience and Adaptation | April 20, 2022 | Recording
Affordable Housing | April 27, 2022 | Recording
Placemaking | May 9, 2022 | Recording
Healthy Communities | May 12, 2022 | part 1 Recording and part 2 Recording

Phase 2 Policy Directions

The Project Team hosted three Virtual Public Open Houses in November 2022. Interested in viewing the Virtual Public Open House? Please follow the link here to watch a recording of the November 14, 2022 Virtual Public Open House.

November 14, 2022, from 6pm to 8pm | Recording

Community sessions took place in all Wards throughout June in various Vaughan community centres:

Ward 1 community session was held at the Pierre Berton Heritage Centre on Monday, June 26, 2023 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Ward 2 community session was held at the Al Palladini Community Centre on Monday, June 5, 2023 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Activity Room #1
Ward 3 community session was held at the Vellore Village Community Centre on Thursday, June 22, 2023 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Activity Room #2
Ward 4 Community session was held at the North Thornhill Community Centre on Monday, June 12, 2023 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Activity Room A
Ward 5 community session was held at the Dufferin Clark Community Centre on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Activity Room #1

Part A OPA Engagement

Public Open House

On Sept. 26, 2023 the City hosted an Official Plan Review Open House where participants were able to speak to the City planners updating the Vaughan Official Plan. The Open House was held at the Maple Community Centre from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

A notice for the Public Open House can be found here - Part A OPA Public Open House Notice.

Public Meeting

The City of Vaughan hosted a Public Meeting for Part A OPA on Oct. 3, 2023. The Public Meeting was held at Vaughan City Hall, Council Chamber, 2141 Major Mackenzie Drive at 7 p.m.

A notice for the Public Meeting can be found here - Part A OPA Public Meeting Notice. The notice was published on September 8, 2023 and contains additional details regarding participation and the purpose of the application.

About the Project

Vaughan is Growing and Evolving

Vaughan's communities are constantly growing and changing. Vaughan is one of the fastest growing cities in Canada with a population of 340,700 people and 240,100 jobs in 2021. Vaughan's forecasted growth will account for almost one-third of the region's growth over the next three decades. It is important the City plans for new growth in a way that is strategic, thoughtful, appropriate and aligned with what our residents and businesses value most.

The Official Plan is a strategic planning document that establishes a policy framework to guide the physical, social, environmental and economic development of the city. It is a document that:

Implements goals, objectives and land use policies to serve the city's communities
Directs density, housing supply, protection of environmental features and agricultural areas, cultural heritage preservation and more
Guides growth and development to implement the vision for the city's long-term evolution

Updating the Vaughan Official Plan

The updated Official Plan must conform with new Provincial policies and plans, including the Provincial Policy Statement, Greenbelt Plan, Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, and 2051 growth targets for people and jobs. It must also conform with the York Region Official Plan which was approved by the Province on November 4, 2022.

For more information about Official Plan Review, please check out the FAQ!

The Official Plan Review Process

The Planning Act is Provincial legislation that sets out the ground rules for land use planning in Ontario. The Planning Act requires municipalities to update their official plans every five to ten years to ensure the plan implements any changes to Provincial policies and plans. The Vaughan Official Plan is being updated to conform to the updated Provincial and Regional policies and plans that direct growth and development in Ontario, including the Provincial Policy Statement, Greenbelt Plan, Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, and the York Region Official Plan.

In addition to updating the Official Plan to meet Provincial and Regional requirements, municipalities can also update and create policies that enhance the quality of life and better meet the needs of current and future residents, visitors, and businesses. The City of Vaughan Official Plan Review is being completed in two parts; Part A Official Plan Amendment (Conformity) and Part B Official Plan Amendment. An Official Plan Amendment (OPA) is a formal document that details updates to change an official plan. Part A is the first of two OPAs (Part A and Part B).

Part A Official Plan Amendment – Conformity

The Part A OPA is scoped to only include updates to bring the Vaughan Official Plan 2010 (VOP 2010) into conformity with updated Provincial policies, plans and legislation, and the York Region Official Plan 2022. Feedback received to-date, including background research and best-practices will be fulsomely addressed in the Part B OPA.

Part B Official Plan Amendment

The Part B OPA will include updates beyond the scope of conformity to consider feedback received to-date, background research, and best-practices. The Part B OPA will include enhancement and refinement of policies specific to the City of Vaughan in key areas, such as the vision and guiding principles, parks and open space, climate change, transportation, active transportation, and infrastructure, urban design, public realm, and sustainable development.

Policy Directions Report

In February 2023, the City released the Policy Directions Report for the Official Plan Review. The policy directions are being used to inform policy development in the updated Official Plan.

The Policy Directions Report can be reviewed via the link below. Any comments to be considered in future policy work can be submitted using the Ideas Tool, or by sending an e-mail to oprmanager@vaughan.ca. Access the Policy Directions Report February 2023 - Full Report

Background Studies

The City of Vaughan completed a series of pop-up events across the City and has released seven background papers for the Official Plan Review.

The Seven Background Papers are: Agricultural System Review; Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Framework; Commercial Land Use Review; Employment Land Use Review; Natural Heritage Network Review; Residential Growth, Intensification and Housing Needs Strategy; and Urban Design, Built Form, Compatibility and Sustainable Development Criteria Review.

The Background Papers contain research, best practices and take into account the feedback that has been received from the community regarding the vision and priorities for the City of Vaughan for the next 30 years. The Background Papers are used to inform the next Phase of the project - recommendations for the development of Official Plan policy.

In August and September of 2022, the City visited and held pop-up events at local public spaces like the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Subway Station, retail stores and the City-led Concerts in the Park events, to engage residents in the project.

You can review the 7 Background Papers by visiting the Document Library on the right-hand side of the page. If you have any comments to be considered in future policy work, please submit them using the Ideas Tool, or by sending an e-mail to oprmanager@vaughan.ca.

Staff Reports

Special Council Meeting - Statutory Initiation of the Official Plan Review - October 13, 2021