County of Essex Official Plan wins prestigious award

The County of Essex is excited to announce that the Ontario Professional Planners Institute has recognized the County’s new Official Plan with the prestigious 2025 Plan Ontario Vision Award of Excellence.

The plan, called One Land, One Climate, One Future, Together, featured extensive community engagement and was completed by Rebecca Belanger, the County’s Manager of Planning Services, along with consultants including Mary Lou Tanner from NPG Planning Solutions, and Larry Silani, from MillarSilani Consulting. 

“We had a fantastic team of experienced, professional planners committed to thoughtful urban planning and meaningful public consultation and we are honored and humbled to have our efforts recognized by our peers,” said Belanger. “We are proud of this Official Plan and its aspirational vision for the County of Essex as a welcoming, thriving community that values greenspace, connected communities, agricultural lands and continued economic diversification and development.”

Belanger and her team will receive the coveted award Thursday evening (Sept. 18) at the Ontario Professional Planners Institute’s annual PlanOn Gala in Kitchener. The PlanOn Vision Award of Excellence is the highest annual honour OPPI can bestow.

The County’s Official Plan is one of only six projects across Ontario to be honoured with a 2025 PlanOn Vision Award of Excellence from OPPI. Other winners are from Guelph, Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area.

“This recognition from the Ontario Professional Planners Institute is an honour for the County of Essex and a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our planning team and their expert consultants,” said Warden Hilda MacDonald. “The Official Plan lays the groundwork for a sustainable and prosperous future, protecting the priorities and values of our residents and ensuring the County remains an exceptional and welcoming place to live, work and play.”

CAO Sandra Zwiers likewise praised the dedication of Belanger and her team, emphasizing their commitment to public engagement and professional planning principles.

“Official Plans articulate the aspirations of residents for future growth and development in the community they call home and this team deserves praise for going above and beyond to connect with the residents of Essex County and ensure their opinions were heard,” said Zwiers. “I’m proud of our team and this prestigious award is a testament to their hard work, professionalism and dedication.”

The Ontario Professional Planners Institute said the selection process this year was difficult because of the large number of quality submissions and praised the County’s Official Plan submission for its emphasis on complete communities and public engagement. 

“This plan is a land stewardship plan to protect the agricultural and natural heritage systems in Essex County while addressing significant growth,” said the OPPI on its website. “The growth is focused on complete communities – a full range of housing and jobs, active transportation focused, transit-ready, at greater housing and employment densities to minimize the impact on the agricultural and natural heritage systems. The Official Plan is a hallmark of County collaboration with lower-tier municipalities and First Nations – integrating the community growth needs of all within a framework of communities.”

The goal of all Registered Professional Planners, such as the County’s Belanger, is to plan successful and livable urban, suburban and rural communities while balancing short-term and long-term public needs over the next two, 10 or 30 years. That includes considering where people live, work, go to school and spend their free time. Informed thinking along these lines takes into consideration how to use space effectively, and how elements such as road networks, parks and walkways work together to get people from their homes to their destinations in a thoughtful manner.

The County’s Official Plan was approved by County Council on Nov. 6, 2024.

Learn more on the County’s Official Plan webpage!