Email this pageNortheastern Ontario Planning Boards

What are Planning Boards?
Planning boards are created by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing under the Planning Act. They perform a variety of land-use planning services within their planning areas, such as official plan and zoning by-law administration and land division. In northeastern Ontario, there are sixteen planning boards.

Different Types of Planning Boards
There are three different types of planning boards; boards comprised of one or more member municipalities including unincorporated townships, boards comprised of two or more member municipalities with no unincorporated territory, and boards comprised of solely unincorporated territory.

Board Membership
When a planning board is created by the Minister, the establishing order defines its geographic area and board membership composition. Where there are member municipalities, respective Councils appoint members to the planning board. In the case of a Planning Board whose geographic area includes unincorporated territory, the Minister determines the number of representatives and appoints them for a three-year term to coincide with municipal elections terms.

The Provincial appointments are subject to the public appointment process for agencies, boards and commissions.

Planning Board Funding
Planning boards derive their operational funding from a combination of planning fees, member municipality apportionments and in the case of boards whose planning areas also include unincorporated territory, additional funding from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to cover the costs of delivering planning services to those areas.

Delegated Approval Authority
Most Planning Boards have been delegated various authorities under the Planning Act, including the authority to subdivide private lands through either the subdivision or consent (severance) processes. Planning boards also act as municipalities under certain specific sections of the Planning Act, and can adopt zoning by-laws and Official Plans in absence of municipal jurisdictions to assist in guiding development. For more information on approval authority, consult the map of Planning Approval Authorities, or contact your local planning board, or the Northeastern Municipal Services Office.

Planning Boards and Their Respective Geographic Areas of Jurisdiction

Algoma District

Bruce Mines-Plummer Additional Planning Board
c/o Township of Plummer Add’l
38 Railway Crescent
R.R. #2
Bruce Mines, ON P0R 1C0
Contact: Wendy Maguire, Secretary-Treasurer
Telephone: (705)785-3479
Fax: (705)785-3135

Desbarats to Echo Bay Planning Board
c/o Township of Tarbutt & Tarbutt Additional
R.R. #1, 135 Barr Road South
Desbarats, ON P0R 1E0
Contact: Debbie Dunn, Secretary-Treasurer
Telephone: (705)782-6776
Fax: (705)782-4274

St. Joseph Island Planning Board
c/o Box 187
Richards Landing, ON P0R 1J0
Contact: Mike Jagger, Secretary-Treasurer
Telephone: (705)246-2625
Fax: (705)246-3142

Sault Ste. Marie North Planning Board
669 Wellington St. East
Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2M6
Contact : Doug Kinney, Secretary-Treasurer
Telephone: (705)254-6649
Fax: (705)946-4286

Cochrane District

Cochrane & Suburban Planning Board
P.O. Box 490
Cochrane, ON P0L 1C0
Contact: Pierre Demers, Secretary-Treasurer
Telephone: (705)272-4361
Fax: (705)272-6068

Hearst Planning Board
c/o Hearst Town Hall
P.O. Bag 5000
925 Alexandra Street
Hearst, ON P0L 1N0
Contact: Janice (Jan) Newsome
Telephone: (705)372-4341
Fax: (705)362-5902

Kapuskasing & District Planning Board
88 Riverside Drive
Kapuskasing, ON P5N 1B3
Contact: Yves Labelle, Secretary-Treasurer
Telephone: (705)337-4269
Fax: (705)337-1741

Smooth Rocks Falls Planning Board
P.O Box 249
Smooth Rock Falls, ON P0L 2B0
Contact: Pat Cyr, Secretary-Treasurer
Telephone: (705)338-2717
Fax: (705)338-2584

Manitoulin District

Manitoulin Planning Board
Post Office Building (46 Meredith Street, 2^nd Floor)
P.O. Box 240
Gore Bay, ON P0P 1H0
Contact: Elva Carter, Secretary-Treasurer
Telephone: (705)282-2237
Fax: (705)282-3142

Nipissing District

East Nipissing Planning Board
c/o Township of Papineau-Cameron
Box 630
4861 Hwy #17
Mattawa, ON P0H 1V0
Contact: Sandra Morin, Secretary-Treasurer
Telephone: (705)744-5610
Fax: (705)744-0434

Parry Sound District

The Archipelago Area Planning Board
9 James Street
Parry Sound, ON P2A 1T4
Contact: Jackie Hubbs, Secretary-Treasurer
Telephone: (705)746-4343
Fax: (705)746-7301

Central Almaguin Planning Board
1713 Highway #11
P.O. Box 1120
Sundridge, ON P0A 1Z0
Contact: Diana Georgie, Secretary-Treasurer
Telephone: (705)384-5819
Fax: (705)384-5892

North Almaguin Planning Board
P.O. Box 57
Powassan, ON P0H 1Z0
Contact: Judy Gauthier, Planning Administrator
Telephone: (705)752-1410
Fax: (705)752-3116

Parry Sound Area Planning Board
4 Church Street
Parry Sound, ON P2A 1Y3
Contact: Glenn Robinson, Secretary-Treasurer
Telephone: (705)746-5216
Fax: (705)746-6558

Southeast Parry Sound District Planning Board
172 Ontario Street
P.O. Box 269
Burk’s Falls, ON P0A 1C0
Contact: Linda Moyer, Secretary-Treasurer
Telephone: (705)382-0739
Fax: (705)382-0739

Sudbury District

Sudbury East Planning Board
5 Dyke Street, Suite C (Hwy 539)
P.O. Box 250
Warren, ON P0H 2N0
Contact: Jeff Kolibash, Director of Planning/Secretary-Treasurer
Telephone: (705)967-2174
Fax: (705)967-2177

Where do YOU live?

Do you live in an unincorporated area and are unsure whether or not a planning board may have jurisdiction? Find the District in which your unincorporated (or geographic) township is located (ie. Algoma District; Parry Sound District). Look for the name of the geographic township in which you live, from the list below, and click on the link for planning board contact information.

If you do not see the name of your geographic township, your geographic township does not have planning board coverage. Please contact MSO-NE for more information.

Algoma District

Anderson, Archibald, Aweres, Dennis, Deroche, Duncan, Fenwick, Fisher, Gaudette, Havilland, Herrick, Hodgins, Home, Jarvis, Kars, Kincaid, La Verendrye, Ley, Marne, Nicolet, Palmer, Peever, Pennefather, Rix, Ryan, Shields, Slater, Smilsky, Tilley, Tupper, Vankoughnet