Regional Official Plan

ROP 2051

Get Involved! Visit the ROP Review Community Engagement Page

It takes careful planning and long-term vision to achieve and maintain the quality of life for which Waterloo Region is famous.

The Region of Waterloo works in partnership with the Province of Ontario and the seven Area Municipalities to put planning policies in place that guide decisions related to how our community grows and develops. These policies affect all aspects of our life, including our social, economic, heritage and natural environments.

This work is done using key legislation and policy documents such as the Regional Official Plan, the Ontario Planning Act, the Provincial Policy Statement, and the Places to Grow Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

The Regional Official Plan (ROP)

On Dec. 22, 2010, the Province of Ontario approved the new Regional Official Plan (ROP) with modifications. The new ROP is the Region's guiding document for directing growth over the next 20 years.

Key elements of the Regional Official Plan are:

  • a fixed border between rural and urban areas;
  • directing growth to make better use of land and municipal services within the built up areas of the Region;
  • increasing transportation choice, including the creation of a rapid transit system;
  • protecting our drinking water and significant environmental areas; and
  • increasing the quality of life of citizens in Waterloo Region.
 Regional Official Plan (ROP) Review

Waterloo Region is growing. Our population is expected to grow to 835,000 people and 404,000 jobs by the year 2041. To plan for this growth, the Region is reviewing the Regional Official Plan (ROP). This review will look at: 

  • how and where our cities and towns might grow;
  • how to protect farmland;
  • how to protect our environment and plan for a changing climate;
  • what housing types and job opportunities we need for residents; and
  • how people and goods will move across our region.

Where can you find the most up-to-date information on the Regional Official Plan Review?

Please visit www.engagewr.ca/regional-official-plan.  There, you will find the following:

  • Project updates; 
  • Ongoing surveys;
  • Interactive mapping activities;
  • Presentation slide decks and videos;
  • Open House display boards;
  • A timeline of the ROPR project;
  • Links to relevant reports and bulletins;
  • An FAQ document; 
  • Sign up for ROPR update notifications; and,
  • much more

Please contact regionalofficialplanreview@regionofwaterloo.ca if you have any questions or require any information about the Regional Official Plan Review project. 

Why are we reviewing the Regional Official Plan?

Under the Planning Act, we're required to review the existing Regional Official Plan (ROP) every five years. Since the approval of the current ROP (June 2015), the Province has completed several significant Provincial policy initiatives, including:

  • A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2019 (Growth Plan);
  • Provincial Policy Statement, 2014 (PPS)

The ROP Review will fulfill the requirements of a Municipal Comprehensive Review of the Growth Plan and ensure that the ROP is consistent with the PPS.

The ROP Review will inform the development of new or updated Regional Official Plan policies. It is expected that updated policies will be drafted throughout 2019 and 2020, leading to a draft release Regional Official Plan Amendment in mid 2020. 

All future land-use development, transportation and infrastructure within Waterloo Region, must conform to the policies, goals and objectives of the ROP.

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