St. Thomas 2051 – Setting the Track for our Future
The City of St. Thomas is in the process of reviewing and updating its Official Plan. An Official Plan is an important land use planning document that provides strategic direction and land use policies to support the goals, objectives, and long-term vision for the City. This helps guide the physical, social, economic, and environmental management and growth of the City over its planning horizon.
Essentially, this document helps in “Setting the Track for our Future” by balancing the interests of private property owners and what’s best for the community as a whole. The update and review are important opportunities to ensure that the City continues to address local priorities and provincial requirements based on changing community needs.
Why do we need a New Official Plan?
The City’s current Official Plan is over 45 years old (approved by the Province in 1980). Since then, direction from the Province has evolved and changed multiple times, much like the City of St. Thomas. A new and more modern Official Plan will better allow the City to meet the current and future needs of the community.
Recent Provincial changes are requiring the creation of a more streamlined development approvals process. The updated Official Plan will bring the City’s policies more in line with current planning practices and other various provincial requirements, while ensuring that the City is still able to influence the types of growth, development, and communities that residents, businesses and visitors want to be a part of. In addition, this updated direction will better align with types of development that the City is seeing today and support new types of businesses and developments that the community would like to see moving into the future.
Why should you care?
As a resident, landowner, business owner, or member/visitor of the community, you live and/or work in this community. You should have an opportunity to help plan, create and have a say in the future of your community.
Your input is important and will help us identify a vision and guiding principles for the new Official Plan, revise existing policies and/or create new policies that help the City manage growth and development, protect what you value, and create an innovative and forward-thinking community.
Where are we in the process?
The City re-launched the Official Plan update at the beginning of 2026 and is completing its review and update over three phases. We’re currently in “Phase 1 – Review, Visioning and Engagement."
Phase 1
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Phase 2
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Phase 3
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- Consultation and Engagement
- Official Plan Visioning
and Identification of
Issues
- Presentation of findings
to Council
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- Policy Development and
Review
- Creation of Draft Official Plan
- Open House and Public/
Stakeholder Engagement
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- Final Official Plan Document
- Review of Comments
- Public Meeting and Adoption
of Official Plan
- Circulation to Province
|
Several background studies have been completed by the City to help support the Official Plan update and review. In addition to these studies, the City will be engaging with residents, landowners, businesses, Indigenous Communities, and many other groups, through community events and surveys to obtain your invaluable input and recommendations as we look to refine policy direction for this new document.
How to become involved?
The City encourages you to keep linked to this web page as it will be one of the main drivers and hubs for the City’s community engagement and progress updates.
The City will be hosting “Session 2 – Growth Management, Residential and Housing Affordability” on June 23, 2026 from 4–6 PM at 80 Wilson Avenue (Memorial Arena) as a continuation of its first phase of review and public engagement. The event is intended to be a drop-in workshop and conversational session with Staff to discuss more specifically about residential growth, what makes a “good” neighbourhood and what are the neighbourhood interests of the broader community, housing affordability and needed housing mix, and the broader links that create complete communities.
If you are interested in learning more about what this Official Plan update process is all about or want to provide Staff overall input into what you think is important for the City to consider as it plans to 2051, please come out and let us know what you think.
Official Plan Relaunch and Visioning Session
The City of St. Thomas held an Official Plan Relaunch and Visioning Session on May 28, 2026 at Memorial Arena (80 Wilson Ave.) to provide an opportunity to explain what “St. Thomas 2051 – Setting the Track for Our Future” is, why it is important to the City, and how to continue to be involved as the City goes through its Official Plan update process.
Over 30 members of the public and Council came out to the relaunch event and participated in the presentation and workshop activities that took place. Staff appreciates the valuable time and input that the attendees provided and encourage continued engagement and participation at future events.
If you attended this session and would like to have a copy of the materials or were unable to attend and/or would like to provide more comments/suggestions now that you’ve had time to think about it, please find the following links to several documents that were presented on May 28th. Staff look forward to your continued input through this process.
Previous Sessions and Project Materials
For more information on previous sessions that have been held, or if you would like to download any materials that the City has prepared for the Official Plan update and review, they can be found below:
Additional ways to be involved?
Can’t attend a planned event and/or what to provide some comments or suggestions, or ask questions? You can send an email to [email protected] or call 519.631.1680 x4164.