MPS & LUB Review
The Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) is a document that guides land use policies and, indeed, the vision of the municipality over the next decade. The Land-Use Bylaw (LUB) sets out the development regulations for the municipality in harmony with the Municipal Plan.
In 2018, the Province of Nova Scotia enacted mandatory planning requirements to reflect a minimum threshold for land use planning. The amendments also require municipalities to consult with neighbouring communities when adopting or amending their plan.
The new amendments to the Municipal Government Act also ensure that all land use plans adhere to the Statements of Provincial Interest on agriculture, drinking water, flooding, infrastructure and housing. Statements of Provincial Interest outline the province's vision for protecting Nova Scotia's land and water resources and they also address issues related to the growth of communities.
Documents
Drafts- October 18, 2022 |
| pdf 2022 Draft Municipal Planning Strategy (12.84 MB) |
| pdf 2022 Draft Land Use By-Law (4.15 MB) |
| image 2022 Draft Zoning Map (6.03 MB) |
| pdf 2022 Draft Future Land Use Map (10.32 MB) |
Drafts- July 2022 |
| pdf 2022 Draft Municipal Planning Strategy (12.91 MB) |
| pdf 2022 Draft Land Use Bylaw (4.11 MB) |
| pdf 2022 Draft Zoning Map (5.78 MB) |
| pdf 2022 Draft Future Land Use Map (4.63 MB) |
Other Related Documents |
| pdf New Development Priorities (47 KB) |
| pdf What Should the Municipality Prioritize (59 KB) |
|
pdf
Municipal Survey Results
(143 KB)
The current Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-Law with associated mapping are available here: https://saint-marys.ca/municipal-documents.html |
News
2022
October 18, 2022
On October 18th, 2022, the Council of the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s held a Public Hearing to hear feedback on the proposed MPS / LUB. Following the Public Hearing a Special Council Meeting was held, and Council passed the motion to give Second Reading and approve the draft Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw, dated October 18, 2022. Non-substantive amendments included renaming “hobby livestock” to “homestead livestock”; inserting the word “permanent” before the word “dwelling” in Section 4.5; adding a definition for “fowl” and; minor edits in content and form. The next step in the process is to send the documents to the Provincial Director of Planning for approval by the Minister of Municipal Affairs & Housing. Within 90 days of receiving the documents the Minister may approve all or part of the document; approve the documents with amendments; or refuse to approve the documents. Upon approval written notice will be given advising that the documents are in effect, stating where the documents may be reviewed.
September 21st, 2022
Notice of Public Hearing
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, the Council of the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s gave notice of its intention to:
Adopt amendments to the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-Law for the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s. The draft documents, including the accompanying maps, can be found on the municipal website at https://saint-marys.ca/government/mps-lub-review/ or can be picked up at the Municipal Office by calling 902-522-2049, between 8:30 am-4:00 pm Monday to Friday, to request printed copies.
A PUBLIC HEARING on the proposed Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-Law will be held at the Council Chambers of the Municipal Office, 8296 HWY 7, Sherbrooke NS at 6:00 pm, on Tuesday, October 18th, 2022.
The Public hearing is an opportunity for residents of the Municipality to make formal written or oral submissions to Council regarding the proposed amendments. Written submissions will be received by the Municipal Office until 4:00 pm Tuesday, October 18th, 2022. Written submissions shall be addressed to Marissa Jordan, Chief Administrative Officer, at 8296 HWY 7, Sherbrooke NS, B0J 3C0 or by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Anyone wishing to make a formal presentation are also encouraged to advise the Municipality no later than 3:00 pm, Tuesday, October 18th, 2022 so that it can be included on the Agenda for the Public Hearing.
July 21st, 2022
At the Committee of the Whole Meeting on July 4th, 2022, drafts of the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law were presented to Council and given First Reading or approval to proceed to the Public Hearing where residents could provide feedback or consideration for changes to Council. The public hearing was held on July 20th at 6 pm and submissions from the hearing were considered by Council at the Special Council Meeting on July 20th at 7 pm.
After considering the submissions from the Public Hearing in-depth, Council decided to implement substantive revisions to the drafts before approving. Revisions will be made, and new drafts will be presented again in the fall for consideration of a First Reading and eventually another Public Hearing.
July 6th, 2022
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT on Monday, July 4th, 2022, the Council of the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s gave notice of its intention to:
Adopt amendments to the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-Law for the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s. The draft documents, including the accompanying maps, can be found on the municipal website at https://saint-marys.ca/government/mps-lub-review/ or can be picked up at the Municipal Office by calling 902-522-2049, between 8:30 am-4:00 pm Monday to Friday, to request printed copies.
A PUBLIC HEARING on the proposed Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-Law will be held at the Council Chambers of the Municipal Office, 8296 HWY 7, Sherbrooke NS at 6:00 pm, on Wednesday, July 20th, 2022.
The Public hearing is an opportunity for residents of the Municipality to make formal written or oral submissions to Council regarding the proposed amendments. Written submissions will be received by the Municipal Office until 4:00 pm, Wednesday, July 20th, 2022. Written submissions shall be addressed to Marissa Jordan, Chief Administrative Officer, at 8296 HWY 7, Sherbrooke NS, B0J 3C0 or by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Anyone wishing to make a formal presentation is also encouraged to advise the Municipality no later than 3:00 pm, Wednesday, July 20th, 2022 so that it can be included on the Agenda for the Public Hearing.
2021
St. Mary’s existing Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw were last updated in 2006 and require an update by 2021 under the new provincial legislation.
Two public workshops were held in July welcoming residents to participate in a community visioning workshop. The planning consultants for this project, Fathom Studio, lead the workshop session to gather feedback from the community. The public was also invited to provide comments through an online survey which was launched in July 2020 and ran until September 2020.
Council is currently waiting for a copy of the draft MPS and LUB from the consulting company and will proceed through the appropriate adopting process which includes a first reading, public hearing, second reading after which the documents will be submitted to the Provincial Government for approval.