Emily Bowen
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
ebowen@midwesternnewspapers.com
TEESWATER – The Municipality of South Bruce is considering a request to support expanding its settlement boundary in Mildmay, as council reviews a report tied to Bruce County’s new long-term planning document.
Economic Development Officer Rhonda Niesen presented her report during the March 24 council meeting. The document focused on adding two properties, identified as #31 and #32 in Mildmay’s southeast, into the settlement boundary. If approved, the change would allow for future commercial and light industrial development on the lands.
The proposed expansion comes as Bruce County prepares an updated Official Plan, which sets out how communities will grow through to 2046. The plan defines settlement boundaries and provides a framework for local municipalities.
If the Mildmay properties are not added to the settlement boundary, the report warns it could “limit future commercial and industrial growth opportunities.”
According to Niesen, the county has been working through public consultations, including open houses, where residents, municipalities and planning staff submitted requests for boundary changes. In total, about 33 requests were received across the county. Each request has been reviewed using several criteria, including the county’s land needs analysis, policies in the draft Official Plan and the Provincial Planning Statement 2024.
An analysis completed as part of the “Plan the Bruce” initiative by Watson and Associates found there is enough residential land across the county to meet future demand. However, it also noted that some communities may face shortages in land for jobs and business use. Despite that, the Mildmay properties were not included in the county’s current draft plan.
Since that time, the two properties have come under a single owner, who
