The Township of Melancthon is a small rural municipality located in Dufferin County, Ontario, with a population of approximately 3,132 residents. Melancthon’s rural nature means that it is home to rich farmland, a variety of natural heritage features, and several quaint settlement areas and villages. As a result of the rich farmland in Melancthon, a significant majority of the economic base is agricultural in nature or supports the agricultural work force in Melancthon. Dufferin County, which is the upper-tier municipality where the Township of Melancthon is located, has recently finalized several County Official Plan amendments that were brought forth during the Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) process. In October of 2024, for instance, County Official Plan Amendments Two (2) and Three (3) (herein referred to as ‘OPA 2’ and ‘OPA 3’) received final approval from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH). OPA 2 and OPA 3 were, in large part, related to the updating of population and employment forecasts and land use mapping, respectively. While there still remains one outstanding County Official Plan Amendment (herein referred to as ‘OPA 4’), this is currently in front of MMAH for their final review and approval. Further to the updates made to the County Official Plan, the Provincial Planning Statement (PPS) also recently experienced significant changes. The updates to this provincial planning legislation related to the categories of land use (i.e., rural, agricultural, and employment), settlement areas and expansions, housing, and sewage, water, and stormwater, to name a few. Given the updates to both the PPS and County of Dufferin Official Plan, the Township of Melancthon is now required to bring the Township Official Plan into conformity with these overarching planning policies. As such, the Township is now seeking to retain a planning consultant to lead the updating of both the Township Official Plan and Township Zoning By-law. The retained planning consultant will lead the conformity exercise from start to completion in collaboration with Township Planning.