Committee of Adjustment

Purpose

The Ontario Planning Act grants authority to Municipal Councils to appoint committees to approve a number of minor applications. Section 45 of the Planning Act permits the Committee of Adjustment to make decisions on Minor Variances from the Zoning By-law and to grant permission for altering or changing a lawful non-conforming use of land, buildings or structures. Section 53 of the Planning Act permits the Committee of Adjustment to make decisions on applications for changes to land configuration in the form of Consents.

The Committee has the power to grant:

Minor Variance

A minor variance is a proposed change to a property which does not conform to the requirements of the Zoning By-law. A minor variance approval allows the property owner to obtain a building permit even though their property does not comply precisely with the Zoning By-law. Under Section 45(1) of the Planning Act there are four tests that a minor variance must meet:

Is the application minor?
Is the application desirable for the appropriate development of the lands in question?
Does the application conform to the general intent of the Zoning By-law?
Does the application conform to the general intent of the Official Plan?

Permission

A Legal Non-Conforming Use exists when the zoning for the property does not permit its current use. Where land, buildings or structures have been lawfully used for a purpose now prohibited by the Zoning By-law, the Committee of Adjustment can grant permission to enlarge the buildings or structures, or may permit a similar or more compatible use, subject to certain conditions.

Consent

The Committee of Adjustment has also been authorized by Council to grant consents. A consent approval enables certain transactions to occur relating to the subdivision of land. These transactions can include:

the creation of a new lot;
leases over 21-years;
mortgage or partial discharge of a mortgage;
foreclosure or exercise of power of sale;
establishing rights-of-ways and easements over 21-years;
adding land to an abutting lot (lot line adjustments, lot additions and lot extensions); and
corrections to deeds or property descriptions.

Apply for Consent Apply for Minor Variance

Composition

The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Council has appointed a Committee of Adjustment consisting of five (5) residents of the Town.

Lead Department

Applications are made through the Planning & Development Services Department. A pre-consultation meeting with Planning staff is required prior to submitting an application in order to obtain proper Zoning By-law requirements and to determine if an application conforms to the Official Plan and/or Consent policies of the Town. Failure to follow this procedure may result in the application being delayed due to improper information being submitted.

To inquire about minor variances or consents or to obtain application forms, please contact the Community Planning Division.

Hearing Schedule

The Committee of Adjustment hold monthly public hearings to consider applications for Minor Variances, permissions and Consents. Please consult the hearing schedule below to see when the next hearing is being held or contact the Office of Community Planning.

Please Note: all applications must be deemed complete by the planner before the application submission deadline for the applications to be on the Committee agenda.

2026 Hearing Schedule
Committee Hearing Date	Application Submission Deadline
January 28, 2026	January 2, 2026
February 25, 2026	January 26, 2026
March 25, 2026	February 23, 2026
April 22, 2026	March 23, 2026
May 27, 2026	April 27, 2026
June 24, 2026	May 25, 2026
July 22, 2026	June 22, 2026
August 26, 2026	July 27, 2026
September 23, 2026	August 24, 2026
October 28, 2026	September 28, 2026
November 25, 2026	October 26, 2026
December 16, 2026*	November 16, 2026
*Hearing moved to third Wednesday of the month due to holiday office closure.

Terms of Office

All citizen members of the Committee will hold office for a term coinciding with the term of Council and remain in office until their successors are appointed. Where a member ceases to be a member before the expiration of his or her term, Council will appoint another eligible person for the unexpired portion of the term.

Remuneration

Remuneration is paid to the Committee members in accordance with By-law 2011-095.

Members

Fahim Ahmed
Gavin MacLean
Jonathan Volpe
Rick Turner
Stephanie Sinclair

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