A Letter from Mayor Jordan

To the Town of Grimsby community.

I wanted to take the opportunity to address a few timely topics I believe are important for residents to hear. 

Let’s begin with the Official Plan Review Project.

Perhaps you were unable to attend the recent Special Council Meeting that was held earlier this week – and you guessed it, it was all about the process of reviewing our Official Plan (OP). If you weren’t able to join, I have some good news, as you can still get involved.

During the Public Meeting, Councillors, Town staff, and I heard from interested residents about what considerations and big ideas they have for the Town of Grimsby. We discussed the future of our Town through to 2051 and how we can all help shape the plan to get us there. The meeting also included a presentation by Planning staff and consultants from O2 Planning + Design. The full presentation can be viewed here.

Planning a community can be a very complex task, and I understand things that are complicated are often things we shy away from. But I encourage you to consider the benefits of getting involved.

It helps us determine how we live and go about our day-to-day in the Town – from how we shop, gather, work and go to school. Planning impacts decisions on the spaces we enjoy most, and those we don’t feel are needed.

I can assure you we consider every piece of feedback we receive and it is thoroughly reviewed by a dedicated team of invested individuals here at the Town.

Any resident interested in providing their feedback can still do so by taking a short online survey. Visit https://www.letstalkgrimsby.ca/officialplan for more information.

We understand there may be other barriers to get involved in matters of municipal government but Community Engagement is important to me, and I want you to know we have a team available to help – even if it means reaching out to ask a few simple questions to understand the process. You can email the Planning Department directly at grimsbyop@grimsby.ca.

Greenbelt Motion

You may have recently noticed the Town of Grimsby has been making mainstream news regarding the topic of the Greenbelt. I wanted to take the opportunity to clarify where things are at in the process and what is next to come.

Based on the motion approved at Council, the Town of Grimsby staff are preparing a report for Council’s consideration. The report and any recommendations Council makes, will be sent to the province in the form of comments in time to meet the provincial deadline regarding these Greenbelt changes. The comment period is open until November 30^th.

We are estimating a reimbursement request of approximately $82,000 from the province to cover the costs associated with staff time, legal and consulting fees that were incurred from preparing the work the province required of us prior to the most recent changes to the greenbelt.

The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Paul Calandra, confirmed earlier this week that he will review the costs the Town of Grimsby will be submitting for reimbursement.

I recognize there are still questions about what comes next for the greenbelt. Once the province makes their decisions regarding the legislation, the Town will reflect on our next steps. We’ll be sure to keep you informed of any significant outcomes.

My hope is to continue to reach out to the community as we navigate through these ever changing political waters.

Mayor Jeff Jordan