Haliburton County is looking for some distance from the provincial government. County council is sending a letter to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, asking to be exempt from for official plan amendments.
If approved, the county would be able to green light applications to request changing land-use plans. That means applications won’t have to pay the $12,000 fee from the province, and instead only pay the $1,300 county fee.
The county says aside from the lower cost for applicants, the exemption will also reduce the process timeline, and ministry staff wouldn’t be involved in local decisions.  However, the County needs trained staff, as well as the proper technology and data to be approved.