Our Future in Focus - Ajax Official Plan Review

The Town is undertaking a comprehensive review of its Official Plan in keeping with the Provincial requirements outlined in the Planning Act. During this review, the Ajax Official Plan will be brought into conformity with Provincial Plans and legislation and will integrate the Regional Official Plan and the Ajax Official Plan into a single document.

What is an Official Plan?

The Official Plan is a Municipality’s primary long range planning document which identifies the principles, goals, and policies that guide the vision of a municipality with respect to land use for the next 25-30 years, while implementing matters of Provincial and Regional interest. An Official Plan provides land use policies that guide decisions for residential uses, employment areas, strategic growth areas, environmental protection, climate change resiliency and adaptation, cultural heritage protection, transportation systems and many other strategic objectives. The Official Plan can also set strategic long-term goals and objectives, and strategies to achieve them.

The current Town of Ajax Official Plan is available online here.

The Region of Durham Official Plan (Envision Durham) also applies to Ajax as well and will be integrated into the updated Ajax Official Plan (see below for details). Envision Durham is available online here.

The Official Plan is a Town land use document containing goals and policies that guide the physical, environmental, social and economic growth of our community. It establishes a vision through a land use policy framework.

The Official Plan Review will focus on planning for more houses and jobs, environmental sustainability and create a vision for the community to the year 2051, while conforming to required legislative and policy changes.

Why Review the Official Plan?

The Planning Act requires that Official Plans be reviewed every 5 years, or every 10 years following approval of a new Official Plan. The review is intended to align the Official Plan with updated Provincial and Regional planning documents, update best practices, and identify and resolve issues, among many other objectives.

The last Ajax Official Plan Review concluded in 2014. Over the last 12 years there have been significant changes in the planning policy and legislative environment. In this period there have been many amendments to the Planning Act and to Provincial planning policy documents, including the Greenbelt Plan in 2017, and the new Provincial Planning Statement in 2024. During this Official Plan Review, the Ajax Official Plan will be brought into conformity with Provincial Plans and legislation.

On January 1, 2025, because of an amendment to the Planning Act, the Region of Durham became an ‘upper-tier municipality without planning authority’, with most planning responsibilities being transferred to the area municipalities, including Ajax. As a result, the new Region of Durham Official Plan (Envision Durham), approved on September 3, 2024, was also transferred to the area municipalities. To streamline the Town’s policy planning framework, both Envision Durham and the Ajax Official Plan will be merged into a single document as an outcome of the review process.

At the same time as addressing Provincial requirements and technical aspects of the Official Plan, the Official Plan Review will address how the community of Ajax has changed over recent years and ensure that residents’ views are heard regarding the future of the community.

Project Workplan

Official Plan Review is being undertaken in a number of phases to enable a thorough review of legislative and policy changes, and to enable consultation, throughout the project. The following is an overview of each phase:

Phase 1: Background Research, Legislation and Policy Assessment, completes a review of the many recent legislative changes since the last Official Plan Review, as well as a comparison of the existing Ajax Official Plan policy against the new Regional Official Plan to determine what updates are needed. This phase will also include a review of the best practices and innovative approaches to address desired outcomes and emerging issues.

Phase 2: Policy Recommendations, policies will be presented based on the findings of Phase 1, as well as the results of consultation completed prior to the phase.

Phase 3 will include preparation of the draft Official Plan Amendment(s) and the required statutory public meeting to receive feedback prior to finalizing the Official Plan Amendment(s). Consultation with the MMAH is also planned during this phase to meet minimum review timelines.

Finally, Phase 4 will include presenting the final Official Plan Amendment(s) for adoption and/or approval. Some of the amendments will be required to be submitted to the Ministry for final approval.

What Issues Are Going To Be Addressed?

The Official Plan Review is planned to update to the existing plan, not a complete rewrite. A lot of what is included in the current Plan has been working well for the Town and reflects current Provincial requirements and we want to build on this solid foundation. At the same time there are big questions to address for the future, these are the issues that the Official Plan Review focuses on.

The Official Plan Review has been divided into six (6) major themes:

	Growth Management Policy Review: The focus of this theme is on policies and land use designations related to accommodating residential and employment growth, intensification, and the hierarchy of growth areas within the Town. Establishing population and household projections and reviewing housing related and urban design policies are an important aspect of this work.
	Commercial and Employment Land Strategy: Related to the Growth Management Policy Review, this theme area focuses more specifically on requirements in terms of land and locational considerations for commercial and employment uses. This includes projecting the amount of commercial (retail) activity in the Town, reviewing the Town’s employment areas (industrial type land uses), and confirming whether the Town can meet the projected number of jobs in the future.
	General and Cultural Heritage Policy Review: This theme area explores all aspects of the Official Plan not captured in the other themes. It will explore the Town’s Cultural Heritage and built form policies, studies required to support development, and the implementation tools available to the Town that support the development process. Ensuring that polices related to Indigenous Peoples and their rights are updated in consultation with the affected communities will be part of this theme area.
	Climate Resilience and Greenlands System Policy Review: This theme explores the Town’s extensive policy framework related to climate resilience and adaptation, the natural heritage and water resource systems, and agricultural system policies.
	Secondary Plans and Planning Study Areas:Two areas of the Town have been identified for special consideration during the Official Plan Review. Harwood Avenue North Planning Study Area: The goal of the Harwood Avenue North Planning Study Area is to harmonize the collection of existing and emerging uses north of Rossland Road along Harwood Avenue North and create a cohesive vision for the area that enhances transportation and pedestrian connections and recommends appropriate land use designations. Downtown Ajax: The purpose of the Downtown Ajax Block Plans is to update and present the vision for two major redevelopment sites within the Downtown core, Ajax Plaza and Harwood Plaza.

In addition, the GO Station Secondary Plan initiative is a separate but complementary project in the context of the Official Plan Review. This initiative is well underway, and an Official Plan Amendment is in the preparation stage. Information on this initiative is available on the Ajax GO Station Secondary Plan IMO, click here for more information.

Transportation Policy Review:

The Transportation Policy Review is to be completed as part of the Integrated Transportation Master Plan, which is a separate project. Findings from the Review will be integrated into an Official Plan Amendment following completion.

Each theme is expected to be completed as an individual amendment to the Official Plan such that each can be brought forward for approval when ready. This is also to provide the information in a concise manner to enable thorough discussion and understanding each topic area.

Project Launch - Special Meeting of Council on the Official Plan Review

A Special Meeting of Council (Community Affairs and Planning Committee) was held in accordance with Section 26(3) of the Planning Act on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

Section 26(3) of the Planning Act directs Council to consult with the approval authority (Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing), and with other prescribed public bodies. This meeting was open to the public to discuss the revisions that may be required to the Official Plan and may be examined during the project.

This meeting of Council served as the project launch for the Official Plan Review.

Click here to link to the details of meeting including the meeting video and Staff Report.

Phase 1: Background Reports Currently Available

The Town is currently working on Phase 1: Background Research, Legislation and Policy Assessment of the Official Plan Review. The following five Background Reports are available in the documents section to the right-hand side of this page.

• Ajax: Our Future in Focus - Population and Employment Forecast Report
• Ajax: Our Future in Focus - Growth Management Study Policy Assessment Report
• Ajax: Our Future in Focus – Commercial Land Needs Strategy Background Report
• Ajax: Our Future in Focus – Employment Areas Strategy Background Report
• Ajax: Our Future in Focus - Climate Resilience and Greenlands System Policy Review Report

Information related to the Community Affairs and Planning Committee meetings is available here for May 4, 2026, and here for the June 1, 2026, meeting.