The Region of Durham, in coordination with the Townships of Brock, Scugog, and Uxbridge, has retained WSP Canada Inc. to undertake a North Durham Agriculture-related and On-farm Diversified Uses Study. The purpose of the Study is to provide recommendations on policies for agriculture-related and on-farm diversified activities, and the application and approval processes for these activities within the Townships. The main objectives of the Study are to support economic viability within the rural and agricultural areas of North Durham by better enabling agriculture-related and on-farm diversified uses and in doing so, help farmers.
Final Recommendation Report to Council:
A final recommendation report will be brought forward in December 2025 or January 2026 to Scugog Council.
A Statutory Public Meeting was held on Monday, September 15, 2025 to present the draft versions of the Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment and receive feedback from Council and the public.
To watch the recording: click on the Planning and Community Affairs Committee Meeting on September 15, 2025, and select the Video on the Township's website at: https://www.scugog.ca/council-and-administration/m...
Comments or Questions:
Written comments can be provided to the Township Planning Department noted below. For more information and/or to be notified of subsequent meetings or the decision of the Township of Scugog Council, please contact Township Planning Staff by emailing planning@scugog.ca.
To Be Notified of the Decision: If you wish to be notified of the decision of the Township of Scugog on the proposed Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment, you must make a written request to the Office of the Township Clerk, Township of Scugog, 181 Perry Street, Port Perry, ON L9L 1A7.
To Appeal: If a person or public body would otherwise have an ability to appeal the decision of the Township of Scugog to the Ontario Land Tribunal but the person or public body does not make oral submissions at the public meeting or make written submissions to the Township of Scugog before the proposed amendments are adopted or the proposed by-laws are passed, 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 the Township of Scugog before the amendments are adopted or the by-laws are passed, 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 do so.
For more information about this matter, including information about appeal rights, please contact the Township Contact as shown above.
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Information will be collected in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. All comments will become part of the public record except for personal information.
Accessibility: The Township of Scugog is committed to providing services as set out in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. If you have accessibility needs and require alternate formats or other accommodations, please contact Township Clerk Services by telephone at 905-985-7346 or by email at clerks@scugog.ca.
The Study
The Study is being conducted through five (5) phases as shown in the figure below and is scheduled to conclude in spring 2025. At this time, the Study is in Phase 5, where WSP will be presenting the final recommendations report for the proposed land use planning framework to each of the three (3) Township Councils. The meeting in Scugog will be held on April 14, 2025 in the Township of Scugog Municipal Office at 181 Perry Street in Council Chambers on the Upper Level.
Agendas and Minutes | Township of Scugog
To watch the livestream or video recording of the meeting, click on the Planning and Community Affairs meeting on April 14, 2025, and select the HTML version of the agenda to follow along with the agenda and video recording at the same time. Please note that the livestream video will not be available until just before the meeting starts at 6:30 pm.
The WSP Study:
It is important to note that following the WSP recommendation report and presentation to Scugog Council, a Statutory Public Meeting was held to seek any additional feedback on the proposed Scugog Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment. Staff will then prepare a recommendation report to Council.
Agriculture-Related Uses:
Means those farm-related commercial and farm-related industrial uses that are directly related to farm operations in the area, support agriculture, benefit from being in close proximity to farm operations, and provide direct products and/or services to farm operations.
A use may be permitted as an Agriculture-Related Use if it meets the following six (6) criteria:
- The use is a farm-related commercial or farm-related industrial use;
- The use is directly related to farm operations in the area;
- The use supports agriculture;
- The use provides direct products and/or services to farm operations as a primary activity;
- The use benefits from being in close proximity to farm operations; and
- The use is compatible with, and does not hinder, surrounding agricultural operations.
On-Farm Diversified Uses:
Means uses that are
secondary to the principal agricultural use of the property and are limited in
area. On-farm diversified uses include, but are not limited to, home
occupations, home industries, agri-tourism uses, uses that produce value-added
agricultural products, and electricity generation facilities and transmission
systems, and energy storage systems.
A use may be permitted as an On-Farm Diversified Use if it meets the following five (5) criteria:
- The use is located on a farm;
- The use is secondary to the principal agricultural use of the property;
- The use is limited in area;
- The use may include home occupations, home industries, agri-tourism, and value-added uses; and
- The use is compatible with, and does not hinder, surrounding agricultural operations.
For More Information:
For more information, please refer to the Region of Durham's Project Webpage using the link below:
Enabling Agriculture-Related and On-Farm Diversified Uses in North Durham | Your Durham
For further questions, please reach out to the Planning Department at planning@scugog.ca.
