Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Brantford and County of Brant have postponed statutory public meetings on a proposed municipal boundary adjustment involving the Brantford Municipal Airport, giving residents and landowners more time to review a revised proposal and a draft restructuring agreement.
The City of Brantford’s statutory public meeting, originally scheduled for July 27, will now take place Aug. 10 at 6 p.m. The County of Brant meeting, originally scheduled for July 29, will be held Aug. 12 at 6 p.m.
Both meetings will take place in their respective council chambers.
The municipalities said the additional time will allow residents to review an updated Airport Boundary Adjustment map released last week and give city and county staff more time to work together on the final details of a proposed restructuring agreement.
The proposed boundary adjustment dates back to May, when the City of Brantford and County of Brant announced they had signed a memorandum of understanding outlining proposed terms for a municipal boundary change involving the Brantford Municipal Airport and surrounding lands.
The municipalities said the adjustment is intended to support long-term planning, governance, servicing and economic development of the airport lands, while providing opportunities for residents, landowners, businesses and other stakeholders to participate before any final decisions are made.
Extensive public engagement was held in May and June, with residents and landowners raising concerns about the potential loss of agricultural land and impacts on the natural environment.
In response to that feedback, both councils agreed to a revised proposed airport boundary adjustment map.
The revised map removes 469 acres of agricultural land from the originally proposed transfer area, reducing the total area proposed for transfer from 1,317 acres to 848 acres.
The updated proposal also removes lands associated with a transportation corridor being considered through the City of Brantford’s West Brant Access Route Environmental Assessment. That study remains underway.
The municipalities said the changes were made directly in response to feedback received during the public engagement process.
City and county staff are now working through the remaining details of a draft restructuring agreement intended to reflect the objectives of both municipalities as well as concerns raised by the public.
The draft agreement will be released publicly before the rescheduled statutory meetings, giving residents time to review the proposed terms before the meetings.
The boundary adjustment process could have implications for the future planning, servicing and development of lands around the airport, making the proposed restructuring agreement a key step before any final decisions are considered.
Both municipalities said they remain committed to transparency and meaningful public engagement throughout the process.
Additional details about the Aug. 10 and Aug. 12 meetings, including how residents can participate and where they can access the draft restructuring agreement, will be released before the meetings.
Residents can continue submitting questions and comments through the City of Brantford’s Let’s Talk Brantford engagement portal.
The city and county said they will continue working toward an agreement that reflects what they have heard from the community and will provide residents with a full opportunity to participate before any final decisions are made.
