Welcome!
On this website you can find instructions for the Proposed Natural Environment Map. By accessing the site, you will be able to view your property and the proposed changes to the Natural Environment features on your property.
The map displays large amounts of data and loading time may vary depending on network speed. As you zoom into the site more data will appear. Click the square icons below for more information.
Instructions:
To Find Your Property |
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Use the map to zoom into where your property is located or use the search bar. Zoom in and out using the scroll function on your mouse or by clicking the “+” and “-“ icons on the left corner of the screen. To explore the area, click and hold a point on the map and drag your cursor in the direction you want to move. To select a property, click an area within the property lines and the property will be highlighted with information displayed on the left panel. The search bar is located on the top left corner of the screen. To use the search bar, type your address, lot/concession/township, or property number in the search bar, then click the property once it appears on the drop-down menu or press ‘enter’.
The map will automatically zoom into the selected property. To view information on your selected property, click the selected property with your mouse. Once selected, the Information tab will automatically appear on the left panel. The panel will show available parcel information, including civic address, assessment roll number, and lot/concession/township information. Click through the icons on left panel to toggle between viewing the Legend, Details, and Information.
If you believe there are any differences between what you see reflected on this map and what is on your property, please contact the County by clicking here to complete this form. |
Navigating The Map |
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Once you select your property through either:
The Information tab to the left will then automatically show general details on the parcel, including: the incorporated municipality, property number, and full address. Please ensure that you are viewing the correct property. You may notice either a purple, green or an orange shape on your property. If you click the top icon on the left panel you can view the legend directly on the site to see what each colour represents.
The proposed green and purple areas will together create the Natural Environment designation in the New Official Plan.
If you click on a specific coloured shape, it will become highlighted and the Information tab will automatically pull up information on the Natural Environment features. This information will automatically show you the category of the selected shape (unchanged Natural Environment designation, to be added to the Natural Environment designation, or to be removed from the Natural Environment designation) and the total acreage of the selected shape. To calculate the total change in acreage on your property, you can use the following formula: (To be added to Natural Environment designation) – (To be removed from the Natural Environment designation) |
Contact Us |
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If you think the map has captured the proposed change to the area of Natural Environment on your property incorrectly, let us know using our contact form. A Planner will be in contact within 3-5 business days to discuss your comments and if necessary a site visit will be scheduled. |
Frequently Asked Questions:
Meadows and Thickets Update |
| After months of in-depth public consultation and receiving comments from landowners, the County has re-evaluated the significance of meadows and thickets in the proposed Natural Environment designation. This consultation along with further research and analysis, the County will now remove any meadows and thickets from the proposed Natural Environment designation. If your property has a meadow or thicket identified in the proposed Natural Environment designation, it will be removed when the draft Official Plan is released for public consultation. Meadows, thickets, and other areas of natural cover will still be identified potential areas for enhancement, restoration, and/or linkages that should be studied as part of a development application. What are meadows and thickets? Meadows are areas that are predominantly of grasses and flowering plants. Meadows can also be areas that were previously used as pasture and have since grown out. Thickets are areas that are comprised of mainly shrub cover. Shrubs are woody plants that are not capable of reaching heights of several meters. |
Plantations Update |
| Plantations will remain in the proposed Natural Environment designation. As they mature, plantations become part of the natural environment system and can be considered as Significant Woodlands and Significant Wildlife Habitat. The current Perth County Official Plan and the Forestry Conservation By-law do not differentiate between woodland areas that are of planted, or have grown up through natural succession. According to the Forestry Conservation By-law, selective harvesting of these areas is appropriate and permitted if discussed with the Forestry Conservation By-law Officer. Please see this webpage for more information: www.perthcounty.ca/Forestry What are plantations? Plantations are trees that have been planted. Most plantations start as planted rows of conifers, but in time deciduous trees fill in. These areas typically have a distinguishable boundary. |
Environmental Impact Study (EIS) Requirement Update |
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The Environmental Impact Study policies in the new Official Plan are being drafted for the new Official Plan. Any requirement for an Environmental Impact Study will be determined at the time of a development proposal and will depend on the scale of the development and proximity to Natural Environment features on the landscape.
EIS policies currently being drafted include the ability to waive permissions for the EIS requirement where there is a high level of confidence that the proposed development/site alteration will not degrade or threaten the health and integrity of the natural environment feature and adjacent lands.
For the new Official Plan, the following EIS waiving permissions are proposed to be based on the scale of development:
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I received a letter in the mail – what does that mean? |
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If you received a letter in the mail, that means that your property has met the criteria for an invitation to look at updates to the proposed mapping of the natural environment. The criteria used to determine who should be consulted are those who hold:
Landowners that were contacted are invited to look at the map and understand the proposed change. If you think the map has captured the proposed change to the area of natural environment incorrectly, let us know using our contact form. |
My neighbours received a letter in the mail, but I didn’t |
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If your neighbours received a letter in the mail, that means that their property has met the criteria for an invitation to look at updates to the proposed mapping of the natural environment. The mapping is open to everyone to view and explore, while the letters helped us to directly notify the landowners of the properties where the updated map includes more of the natural areas on their properties than it did before. The criteria used to determine who is being directly notified are those who hold:
Landowners that were contacted with a letter are invited to look at the map and understand the proposed change and to contact us if they think the map has captured the proposed change to the area of natural environment incorrectly. Even though you did not receive a letter, you can still search your property in the Proposed Natural Environment Map and view if there have been any minor changes on your property. Please view the instructions here. |
Why is the Natural Environment designation changing? |
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In 2013, Environment Canada identified that significant loss of vegetation through deforestation and other land use activities have contributed to degraded water quality conditions and increased threats for soil erosion, flooding, and other natural disasters. In response, in 2020 the Ontario government released the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS), and made it essential to protect and conserve the natural environment. Municipalities are tasked with identifying all the important areas in the natural environment, not only woodlots and wetlands, but together with meadow and thicket areas as they make up a system, and that system functions best when all the parts are present and healthy. The system also includes some of the vegetated areas that link up any of the other four parts since connectivity also strengthens health and function of the system, especially with respect to habitat and wildlife movement. The last update to the Natural Resources/Environment (NRE) designation in the Official Plan was over a decade ago and only includes wetlands and some woodlots. The County is aiming to update the designation so that it represents the whole system and reflects what is actually out there, on the ground. This update is a required in order to create the New Official Plan. In 2019, the Perth Natural Heritage Systems Study (PNHSS) was completed to evaluate the natural environment system of Perth County - it is the basis for the proposed mapping and we are further refining it through this consultation with landowners and through the site visits. |
Why is Natural Environment mainly being added to properties? |
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The short answer is that the current designation is missing key parts of the natural environment system. The results from the Perth Natural Heritage Systems Study (PNHSS) identified gaps in our current natural environment designation. On the proposed mapping there are three areas being identified: areas that are to be added to the proposed designation, areas that are unchanging from the last identified Natural Environment designation in the current Official Plan, and areas that are to be removed from the proposed designation. The total acres of the identified areas across the County are:
The last update to the Natural Resources/Environment (NRE) designation in the Official Plan was over a decade ago and only includes wetlands and some woodlots. The County is aiming to update the designation so that it represents the whole system and reflects what is actually out there, on the ground. Adding these areas will ensure that the municipality is able to measure up to the requirements in the 2020 PPS to identify the natural environment system and ensure that it is considered when development is proposed. This update is a required in order to create the New Official Plan. In 2019 the Perth Natural Heritage Systems Study (PNHSS) was completed to evaluate the natural environment system of Perth County and has identified the most ecologically important features within the County. It is the basis for the proposed mapping and we are further refining it through this consultation with landowners and through the site visits. In the current Official Plan, the Natural Resources/Environment designation largely consists of wetland areas, woodlands, and some water course and valley land areas. As the 2020 PPS states that a natural environment system includes all natural features , and the links between these features, the Proposed Natural Environment designation adds areas that are missing from the current Official Plan designation. The amount of land that is proposed to be designated Natural Environment is approximately 11% of the total area of Perth County. The breakdown is roughly 10% woodlot, 0.33% thicket, 1.4% meadow, 0.31% water feature, 0.01% connective areas, and 3.75% wetland cover. Obviously, these add up to more than 11% but they overlap in some places which brings us back down to 11%. Environment Canada’s guidelines for sustainability identify that at least 30% vegetation coverage is optimal. The proposed designation is aiming to protect the current 11% coverage that we currently have in the County. |
What are Natural Environment features? |
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Natural environment features are defined as features and areas that are important for environmental and social values of the natural landscape of an area, some examples include: significant wetlands, significant woodlands, and significant wildlife habitat. Please visit the 2020 PPS for a full set of definitions provided in the PPS glossary. Nothing in the proposed Natural Environment designation, PPS or the New Official Plan will prevent or interfere with normal farming practices (including cropping and grazing activities). |
How does this proposed designation affect me? |
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If you want to create lots, are planning building projects, are planning any major excavation or planning to fill for your property and there are natural environment areas in close proximity to these development activities then you would be required to first evaluate whether or not there would be any negative impact on the natural environment area. You would need a professional ecologist to do this for you, so there would be additional time and cost associated with that step. The evaluation is referred to as an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) and would describe ways to minimize any impacts and any setbacks from the actual edge of the natural environment that would be needed. The Natural Environment designation does not have a specific setback requirement but rather a zone within which an EIS may be required before any development takes place.
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What is a “Natural Environment” Designation? |
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The current Official Plan has a designation for Natural Resources/Environment. It is proposed that the name be shortened to Natural Environment and that the mapping be updated to more accurately reflect what is found in the landscape today as identified through the Perth Natural Heritage Systems Study (PNHSS). This designation expresses the community’s intent to maintain the health of the existing natural environment within the County by ensuring that impacts from future developments are evaluated and, if necessary, mitigated prior to development approvals. Development activity includes construction, lot creation, changes in land use and site alteration such as excavation. |
How was Natural Environment identified? |
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The Perth Natural Heritage Systems Study (PNHSS) applied established provincially recognized best practices to identify and evaluate natural environment features within Perth County. The study utilized 2015 aerial imagery and modelling to measure and locate the changes to the natural environment since the last evaluation conducted in the late 1990s. Following best practices and methods used in municipalities across the Province, the results from the PNHSS were used to update the natural environment mapping. Inviting landowners to review the map prior to finalizing the New Official Plan is an effective way to verify the location of natural environment areas – a ground truthing exercise that is collaborative and confirms the accuracy of the data. |
The area being identified on the map is something man-made, is this still considered “Natural Environment”? |
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Yes, areas that are man-made are part of the overall natural environment system. Even though they are areas that are man-made, they include vegetation that have important ecological functions such as diversity, habitats, as well as feeding and breeding grounds for various species. If you have further questions around the features being identified, you can use our contact form and request a site visit. |
What is the impact to my property? |
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To view the proposed update to the natural environment mapping please visit Perth County’s Proposed Natural Environment Map. By accessing the web link, you can review your property and see the proposed changes that have been made. If you believe that the study has captured your property incorrectly, please access our contact form and Planning staff will be in touch to answer questions, coordinate a site visit to record the precise location of the natural area, and if necessary, an ecologist will verify the ecological function and importance of the natural environment areas so that the mapping can be revised. The web link will provide instructions on how to search for your property and how to read the map. If you prefer to receive a physical hard copy of the map of your property, please contact Planner, Stephanie Van at 226-921-5565 or fill out our contact form to have a hard copy of a map of your property along with any related materials mailed to you. |
Does this mean I can’t develop on areas that are within the Proposed Natural Environment designation? |
| No, it means that when development is proposed there will be a need for the landowner/developer to do an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) to learn whether or not there would be any negative impacts on the natural area or its ecological function and how those impacts can be mitigated. However, development is not permitted in Provincially Significant Wetlands. Also, as per the Forest Conservation By-law in Perth County trees protected by the by-law cannot be removed for the purpose of development. |
I contacted the County to schedule a site visit, what happens now? |
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We appreciate your participation in this consultation and understand that everyone is eager to have their site visit conducted. If you have already contacted us to schedule a site visit and have spoken to a planner, please be assured that you are on the list. The team was able to complete roughly 20 site visits in 2022 before winter conditions began. During the winter months it is more difficult to schedule around unpredictable conditions and to observe all the vegetation types that make up natural environment areas that we are coming to see. For this reason, site visits are being paused until the conditions are better in the Spring of 2023. Site visits will start again as soon as weather permits. Initial site visits are targeted for completion by late Spring 2023 and secondary site visits by the ecologist (where required) will start in the early Spring. We will group site visits according to geography to be as efficient as possible. Our team is eager to continue with site visits in the Spring of 2023 and we look forward to the opportunity to visit your property. |
Why wasn’t my property visited in 2022? |
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Around 20 site visits were conducted by the end of 2022. There are various factors that prioritized certain properties. These factors include:
As we have received a high volume of requests, our process is evolving to become more efficient. Going forward, we will group site visits according to geography in order to be as efficient as possible. We appreciate your patience during this time and understand that everyone, including our team, are eager to have the site visits taking place. We have been able to have great discussions and become more familiar with the Natural Environment areas with the landowners and sites we have visited so far and we look forward to visiting you soon. |
What happens on a site visit? |
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Depending on the property, site visits begin with an exploration of the site to view the natural environment features and any specific areas that the landowner would like to highlight. Site exploration can take anywhere from 10 – 45 minutes on average depending on the size of the property and the complexity of the natural environment features. Next, together we discuss the site, mapping, the official plan process and answer questions about potential development. During a site visit staff will be taking notes and making any necessary changes to a hard copy map of your property. Later, this map will be used to update the online mapping.If there are any areas on the property that require further investigation, a second site visit will be scheduled with an ecologist. After the ecologist performs a site visit, a report will be produced for both the County and landowner explaining any changes to the natural environment mapping. Site visits from an ecologist are anticipated to begin being scheduled in the early Spring of 2023. |
I’ve had my site visit, what happens next? |
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If you’ve already had your site visit and a visit from an ecologist is needed, we will be in contact with you once ecologist site visits are being scheduled in the spring. If you’ve already had your site visit and a site visit from the ecologist is not needed, we will be in contact with you once updates to the online mapping occurs on your property. We are will start the mapping updates in batches in the springtime. |
An area along the drainage ditch on my property is being identified on the map as Natural Environment, will I still be able to maintain/clean it? |
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The current and new Official Plan will not regulate the maintenance of drainage ditches and therefore the proposed Natural Environment designation will not impact activities in and around drainage ditches. |
How will this impact clearing or logging of trees? |
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The destruction or injuring of trees in woodlands and woodlots in the County is conducted through the County's Forestry Conservation By-Law. The current and new Official Plan will not have policies relating to destruction and injuring of trees as this will continue to be conducted through the by-law. For more information on the by-law, including who to contact for further questions, please see the County's dedicated webpage: www.perthcounty.ca/Forestry |
The area identified in the Proposed Natural Environment Area is a licensed pit, what happens now? |
| We will cross reference all the licensed aggregate operations in the County and in the case where they overlap with the Proposed Natural Environment Designation, the licensed area will instead be designated if the area identified is a licensed pit. The intention would be to match the licensed area of the operation with an aggregate designation. |
Will Bill 23 affect the Proposed Natural Environment designation? |
| Bill 23 implemented many changes in planning processes but nothing directly related to Natural Environment designations in Official Plans or the process for mapping them that is being proposed by the County through this consultation. The changes from Bill 23 were specifically focused on development processes for new and additional housing. |
What is an Official Plan? |
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The Official Plan is a strategic planning document that guides the long-term vision for the growth and development of the land within Perth County communities including the Municipalities of North Perth and West Perth, and the Townships of Perth East and Perth South. The Official Plan determines how community needs for various uses such as agriculture, growth, housing, employment, and natural environment will be managed both now and into the future. For more information on the development of Perth County’s New Official Plan: www.perthcounty.ca/NewOP |
Why a New Official Plan? |
| Our current Official Plan was created in the late 1990's. Since then, policy direction from the Province has changed; most recently in the 2020 Provincial Policy Statement (PPS). The County needs a new vision and policy document that both reflects these updates and the current community’s priorities and values. As well, the New Official Plan will act as a guidance document for municipalities across the County to implement land use and social policies that are aligned with the needs of the community in present day. This will ensure consistent policy implementation across the County and an easier to navigate planning framework. |
What do I do if I have questions? |
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If you believe that the study has captured your property incorrectly, please access our contact form and Planning staff will be in touch to answer questions, coordinate a site visit to record the precise location of the natural area, and if necessary, an ecologist will verify the ecological function and importance of the natural environment areas so that the mapping can be revised. The web link will provide instructions on how to search for your property and how to read the map. If you prefer to receive a physical hard copy of the map of your property, please contact Planner, Stephanie Van at 226-921-5565 or fill out our contact form to have a hard copy of a map of your property along with any related materials mailed to you. |
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