Land Use

The municipality has 22 Land Use By-laws, each specific to a plan area within the region.

What kind of complaints does the municipality receive?

  • Additional residential units
  • Commercial activity/home based business occurring within a non-permitted zone
  • Commercial activity/home based business operating without a permit
  • Structures built without a permit

If I have a Land Use complaint, what should I do?

  • You can call 311 to report a Land Use violation. You will be asked to provide the following information:
  • Civic address of the property in violation
  • Description of the violation
  • Your name and contact information in the event you wish to receive an update on the complaint investigation
  • You may be asked to provide a witness statement

Be aware all information provided is subject to Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy legislation (FOIPOP) and legal disclosure. During the investigation, your information is kept confidential. However, if the matter proceeds to prosecution, all information relating to the investigation, including the identity of complainants and witnesses must be shared with the defense.

How will a Compliance Officer respond to the complaint?

The Compliance Officer will initiate in investigation which may include site inspections, evidence gathering and prosecution if required. The goal is to have the property owner comply with the specific land use legislation and to understand their obligation to maintain their property.

How is compliance achieved?

Buildings and Compliance seeks to achieve compliance when the activity ceases to exist, a permit is issued for the business or the structure is removed.

Failure to comply with municipal Land Use By-Laws may result in the matter being forwarded to Municipal Legal for prosecution.