Perth County Natural Environment Consultation

To Find Your Property

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

Once you select your property through either:

• zooming in and selecting your property, or;
• typing in your address, lot/concession/township, or property number in the search bar and clicking on your property, your property will be highlighted in blue.

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 green coloured shapes represent areas that have remained unchanging from the last identified Natural Environment designation in the current Official Plan created in the late 1900s. These areas will continue to be in the proposed Natural Environment designation.
• The purple coloured shapes represent new areas that are to be added in the proposed Natural Environment designation.
• The orange coloured shapes represent areas that are to be removed from the proposed Natural Environment designation. These areas were previously identified in the current Official Plan and are being proposed to be removed from the Natural Environment designation in the New Official Plan.

The proposed green and purple areas will together create the Natural Environment designation in the New Official Plan.

Contact Us

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.

I received a letter in the mail – what does that mean?

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:

• Properties in rural areas that have a change greater than 1 acre and 1% of the original amount of Natural Environment features; or
• Properties in urban areas that have a change greater than 1% of the original amount of Natural Environment features.

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

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:

• Properties in rural areas that have a change greater than 1 acre and 1% of the original amount of Natural Environment features; or
• Properties in urban areas that have a change greater than 1% of the original amount of Natural Environment features.

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 has Natural Environment been added? 

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, the Ontario government deemed it essential to protect and conserve the natural environment and directed, through the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS), the need to identify natural environment systems and to protect natural environment features. The identification and protection of natural environment systems is deemed to be a municipal responsibility. 

The PPS defines a natural environment system as a system that is made up of natural features and areas, and the links between these features and areas are intended to provide connectivity and to support natural processes that are necessary to maintain ecological health.

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.  

In accordance with the PPS, in 2019 the Perth Natural Heritage Systems Study (PNHSS) was completed evaluating the natural environment system of Perth County and has identified the most ecologically important features within the County.   

The County is planning to use the mapping as a basis to update the ‘Natural Environment’ designation in the County’s New Official Plan. 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.

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).    

What are Natural Environment features?

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 will this impact clearing or logging of trees?

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 

What is an Official Plan? 

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 is a “Natural Environment” Designation?

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.

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 was Natural Environment identified?

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”?

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?

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?

The area identified in the Proposed Natural Environment Area is a licensed pit, what happens now?

What do I do if I have questions?

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.

How does the updated map affect me? 

The updated natural environment map will inform the County’s New Official Plan. Any new buildings, lots, changes in land use or site alteration proposed on your land within close proximity to an existing natural environment area would require some evaluation of the potential impact on the ecological function of the natural area before proceeding.  At the time of a proposed development, the degree of a required study or evaluation would be tailored to the scale of the proposed development.  This way a landowner can establish how best to locate and design their building(s) or alterations to prevent degradation to natural environment areas. 

Existing buildings, structures and lot lines are not affected by the updated mapping; neither are farming activities such as cropping or grazing.

For a complete definition of “Development” and “Site Alteration” affected by PPS and Official Plan policies, please visit the 2020 PPS for a full set of definitions provided in the PPS glossary.  

If you have any further questions or would like to discuss the mapping or natural environment designation in the official plan, 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.