Municipal-Wide Land Use Planning

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The Municipality has been actively working on municipal-wide land use planning to help shape vibrant, sustainable communities for the future. Launched in 2020, this multi-year project focuses on updating key planning documents, including the Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use By-law (LUB), to guide development, support community needs, and meet the province’s mandate for land use planning across Nova Scotia. This project is in response to provincial legislation requiring that all municipalities in Nova Scotia introduce land use planning. A key part of this project is introducing zoning for all areas of the municipality, affecting every property. Zoning helps

The Municipality has been actively working on municipal-wide land use planning to help shape vibrant, sustainable communities for the future. Launched in 2020, this multi-year project focuses on updating key planning documents, including the Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use By-law (LUB), to guide development, support community needs, and meet the province’s mandate for land use planning across Nova Scotia. This project is in response to provincial legislation requiring that all municipalities in Nova Scotia introduce land use planning. A key part of this project is introducing zoning for all areas of the municipality, affecting every property. Zoning helps manage growth, protect important resources, and ensure our communities are thoughtfully planned for the years ahead.

What has happened?

In March 2025, the first draft documents (a draft Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law) were posted as part of the Planning Advisory Committee agenda on the Engage site and distributed to Council and the public. The documents were intended as drafts, to be reviewed and discussed by both the Planning Advisory Committee, Council, and the public over a series of months through extensive public engagement. At the March 25, 2025 Council meeting, Council passed a motion “that Municipal Council direct staff to prepare a second draft of the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law that is less restrictive and closer in line to the mandatory minimum planning requirements outlined in the Municipal Government Act.” You can watch Council's discussion at the meeting here.

Over the spring and summer of 2025, we held dozens of formal and informal events throughout every district. We synthesized what we heard from these events into a What We Heard Report, which you can find here. The findings of the What We Heard Report were presented to Council on October 27, 2025. You can watch this discussion here.

During November and December of 2025, staff presented Council with three Direction Reports over four meetings. You can watch each topic overview and Council's deliberation and directions on YouTube.

November 25 Policy Direction Discussion

December 2 Policy Direction Discussion

December 9 Policy Direction Discussion

December 16 Policy Direction Discussion

Over the past few months, staff have been working to reflect Council’s directions into a second draft of the planning documents.

Next Steps

The Draft 2 documents are now available for public review.

The draft Municipal Planning Strategy can be found here, while the draft Land Use By-law can be found here. You can also check out our Interactive Zoning Map to see which zone your property falls within for Draft #2. The documents were discussed at a Council meeting on March 10, 2026, which you can watch here. There will be additional opportunities to discuss this draft at several open houses at the Municipal Office and in the community. You can view the open house dates and times to the right of this screen - under Open Houses and Events. You can also leave a comment on the Public Input section of this webpage below.



  • Deadline for public feedback on Draft 2 planning documents

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    Thank you for taking the time to engage with this project! If you were unable to share your input on Draft 2 at one of our in-person open houses, please make sure to get your feedback in by 5pm on April 9th! You can submit a comment using the public input tool on our Engage site or send us an email at planning@modl.ca.

  • Draft #2 Public Engagement Slides

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    Here you can watch a recording of the open house presentation slides which provides an overview of the project, highlights the key changes in Draft #2, and explains the approvals process and next steps.



  • Upcoming Open Houses

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    There are several open houses remaining to discuss Draft #2 of the planning documents.

    • March 25 – Virtual Open House | 1–2 p.m. Please email planning@modl.ca to register for the virtual open house.
    • March 30 – Municipal Services Building (Drop in) | 3–7 p.m.
    • April 1 – Northfield Fire Hall | 6–8 p.m. (presentation 6:30)
    • April 8 – Big Tancook Island Recreation Centre (Drop-in) | 11:30–1:00 p.m.

    If you cannot attend a meeting, we welcome your input on our Engage site, here.

  • Upcoming Open Houses

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    The second drafts (Draft #2) of the municipal-wide land use planning documents were presented at a Council meeting on March 10, 2026. You can watch the presentation here. There will be additional opportunities to discuss Draft #2 at several upcoming open houses:

    • March 12 – LaHave Fire Hall | 6–8 p.m. (presentation 6:30)
    • March 18 – Municipal Services Building (Drop in) | 3–7 p.m.
    • March 19 – New Germany Legion | 6–8 p.m. (presentation 6:30)
    • March 23 – Municipal Services Building (Drop in) | 3–7 p.m.
    • March 25 – Virtual Open House | 1–2 p.m.
    • March 30 – Municipal Services Building (Drop in) | 3–7 p.m.
    • April 1 – Northfield Fire Hall | 6–8 p.m. (presentation 6:30)
    • April 8 – Big Tancook Island Recreation Centre (Drop-in) | 11:30–1:00 p.m.

    At these events, you can speak directly with our planning team to learn about how the draft planning documents relate to your property and community. Each event will have a kid’s zone with colouring and other activities for those who need support with childcare while attending a meeting.

    If you cannot attend a meeting, we welcome your input on our Engage site, here.

    Hope to see you soon!

  • Draft #2 Planning Documents Ready for Public Review

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    The Municipal-Wide Land Use Planning project has been an ongoing effort to introduce land use regulations (zoning) across the Municipality, as required by the province. Over the past year, residents shared their experiences, concerns, and ideas, helping Council provide clear direction to staff. The Municipality is now pleased to share the second drafts (Draft #2) of the planning documents for public review. You can review the draft Municipal Planning Strategy here and the draft Land Use By-law here along with supporting documents on the right hand side of this page under 'Information Handouts', including FAQs. You can also check out our Interactive Zoning Map to see which zone your property falls within for Draft #2. We invite you to explore the latest version of the plan, view the updated mapping, and speak directly with our planning team about how the draft may relate to your property and community.

    The drafts will be discussed at an upcoming Council meeting at 6pm in Council Chambers on March 10, 2026. All are welcome to attend.

    There will be additional opportunities to discuss Draft #2 at several upcoming open houses:

    • March 12 – LaHave Fire Hall | 6–8 p.m. (Presentation 6:30)

    • March 18 – Municipal Services Building (Drop-in) | 3–7 p.m.

    • March 19 – New Germany Legion | 6–8 p.m. (Presentation 6:30)

    • March 23 – Municipal Services Building (Drop-in) | 3–7 p.m.

    • March 25 – Virtual Open House | 1–2 p.m.

    • March 30 – Municipal Services Building (Drop-in) | 3–7 p.m.

    • April 1 – Northfield Fire Hall | 6–8 p.m. (Presentation 6:30)

    • April 8 – Big Tancook Island Recreation Centre (Drop-in) | 11:30–1:00 p.m.

    Thank you and we hope to see you soon!

  • Update on the Municipal-Wide Land Use Planning Project!

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    The Municipal-Wide Land Use Planning Project has been an ongoing effort to introduce land use regulations (zoning) across the municipality, as required by the province. The Municipality is now pleased to share an update on this work.

    Important Update: The second drafts of the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law are now complete, and these documents will be available to residents and the public within the next two weeks.

    The changes made to these second drafts reflect the direction given by Council that was based on resident feedback from earlier public engagement. Over the next few months, there will be opportunities for residents to help shape the final planning documents. Ongoing community involvement is very important throughout this process.

    Lastly, at an upcoming Council meeting at 6pm in Council Chambers on March 10, 2026, the second drafts and an overview of planned public engagement will be formally introduced. Please stay tuned for project updates!

  • Direction Report #3 - December 16

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    Council has held three Direction Report sessions as the Planners prepare Draft 2 of the MPS and LUB. On Tuesday, December 16 beginning at 9am you can watch the fourth and final session on YouTube or attend in Council Chambers. Read Direction Report 3.

    The purpose of these reports is to support informed decision-making by identifying where policy adjustments may be warranted before preparing Draft 2 of the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law.

  • Direction Report #2 Continues December 9

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    Council has held two Direction Report sessions as the Planners prepare Draft 2 of the MPS and LUB. On Tuesday, December 9 beginning at 9am you can watch the third session on YouTube or attend in Council Chambers. Another session is booked for Tuesday, December 16; however, additional sessions may still be required as Council considers each topic.

    The purpose of these reports is to support informed decision-making by identifying where policy adjustments may be warranted before preparing Draft 2 of the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law.


  • Direction Report #2

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    On November 25, 2025, the first of three Direction Reports was discussed at a Council workshop. The next session will be held on Tuesday, December 2rd at 1:00 pm in Municipal Council Chambers. Watch the December 2 session on YouTube.

    The second Council Direction Report focuses on zoning. Each section of the report provides an overview of the topic, a summary of feedback, and policy direction options for Council to consider. The report is available in the Documents section on the right-hand side of this page.

    Direction Report #2 covers the following zoning related topics:

    • Environmentally Protected Areas
    • Built-up Areas
    • Future Uses

    The final council workshop will be held on December 16, 2025, to discuss additional topics. The purpose of these reports is to support informed decision-making by identifying where policy adjustments may be warranted before preparing Draft 2 of the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law.

    Staff have outlined several options for each topic from which Council may provide direction to guide the preparation of Draft 2, anticipated for release in February 2026. This will be followed by a final round of public information sessions prior to adoption and submission to the province for final approval.

  • Direction Report #1

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    On October 27, staff presented a What We Heard Report to Council on the public input on Draft 1 of the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law.

    Three Council Direction Reports will be coming to Council in November and December. The first meeting is this Tuesday, November 25, 2025 at 1pm. You can read the report in the Documents widget. Watch the session on YouTube.

    This first Council Direction Report provides an overview of several key topics that generated notable public feedback, either contentious or strongly supported, during the engagement period. Each section includes an overview of the issue, a summary of public, stakeholder, and Council feedback (from previous discussions), and policy direction options for Council’s consideration.
    This report covers the following topics:


    󠁯•󠁏󠁏 Livestock Operations
    󠁯•󠁏󠁏 Agricultural Land Protection
    󠁯•󠁏󠁏 Home-Based Businesses
    󠁯•󠁏󠁏 Recreational Vehicles
    󠁯•󠁏󠁏 Campgrounds and RV Parks
    󠁯•󠁏󠁏 Inland Watercourses
    󠁯•󠁏󠁏 Inland Wetlands


    In the coming weeks, additional Council workshops will also be held, discussing other topics that focus on zoning and other land-use related issues. The purpose of these reports is to support informed decision-making by identifying where policy adjustments may be warranted before preparing Draft 2 of the MPS and LUB.


    Staff have outlined several options for each topic from which Council may provide direction to guide the preparation of Draft 2, anticipated for release in February 2026. This will be followed by a final round of public information sessions prior to adoption and submission to the province for final approval.

Page last updated: 31 Mar 2026, 11:33 AM