An Official Community Plan (OCP) is the long-term vision and consolidation of Council’s objectives for land use, as well as the form and character of development. In simple terms, an OCP shows the future vision of a community and guides all land use planning and development towards this vision. Furthermore, the OCP identifies land use designations and types of development that Council considers appropriate.

Over the past few years, the Province of BC has mandated municipalities to include additional information and update regulations related to housing in Official Community Plans for all communities. Municipalities are required to review and update their OCPs and zoning bylaws by December 31, 2025, to reflect housing needs identified in their most recent Housing Needs report. These updates are intended to ensure that a community's OCP and zoning bylaws permit the number of housing units needed in the 20 year projections provided in the Needs Report.

The City is currently undertaking these required changes to our OCP, but also taking the opportunity to integrate other recent plans that Council has adopted into our OCP, look for opportunities to make the document more accessible and reader friendly, as well as other improvements.

As we move ahead with amendments to the OCP, we will share information here to help the community better understand these changes, and what they mean to you as residents.