An aerial photo of Mavillette Beach and the text "Planning Our Municipality: Creating a new Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law"

Context and Process: 

The Municipality of the District of Clare is updating their Municipal Planning Strategy and the associated Land Use By-law to comply with the Province’s Minimum Planning regulations. To do so, we have teamed up with Stantec Consulting Ltd.

All updates concerning this exercise will be added to this page.

The Municipality last updated its Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw documents more than a decade ago. The last review of the Municipality of the District of Clare’s Municipal Planning Strategy was completed in July 2010 and the Land Use By-law was last amended in July 2012.

While the immediate requirement for review arises from the province’s recently proclaimed Minimum Planning Regulations, the revision of the plans and bylaws for the Municipality of the District of Clare will provide an opportunity to articulate a new vision reflecting current circumstances related to the growth, sustainability, socioeconomic, environmental, and cultural well-being of people living in our community.

What is a Municipal Planning Strategy?

The Municipal Planning Strategy is the Municipality’s long-term, high-level policy document. It:

  • Guides all aspects of development and land use within the Municipality’s planned area.
  • Sets policy for where growth and different land uses can occur.
  • Includes policy on the environment and transportation.
  • Serves as a reference for all other planning documents, which must be consistent with the MPS.
Provincial Statements of Interest:

The Province of Nova Scotia requires that Municipal Planning Strategies be reasonably consistent with the following five statements of provincial interest:

  1. Drinking water
  2. Flood risk areas
  3. Agricultural land
  4. Infrastructure
  5. Housing
Key Features of the MPS:
  • Guides the Municipality’s development and growth.
  • Provides a strategic plan for protecting and enhancing residents’ quality of life.
  • Serves as a decision-making tool for land-use interventions with social, economic, and environmental impacts.
  • Establishes a vision for the next decade and can be updated as the Municipality changes.
  • Aligns all municipal planning policies and by-laws.

What is a Land Use By-law?

The Land Use By-law implements the MPS through regulations that manage development and land use.

  • Zoning divides the municipality into zones, authorizing or prohibiting specific land uses to minimize conflicts.
  • Clear regulations protect different types of land in different ways.
Key Features of the LUB:
  • Promotes well-planned municipal development.
  • Enhances quality of life, safety, and privacy while reducing nuisances.
  • Respects the community’s unique characteristics.
  • Guides construction quality, signage, and landscaping.
  • Considers natural and physical aspects of the land.

Project Updates

September 2024 Update
  • The Municipality began reviewing and updating the MPS and LUB with Stantec.
  • Updates are required to comply with the Province’s Minimum Planning Requirements (Bill 58, Municipal Government Act) and to align with the five provincial statements of interest.
Accomplishments to Date
  1. Stakeholder Interviews and Meetings (Fall 2023 / Winter 2024)
    • Interviews with private and public sector stakeholders informed the What We Heard Report.
  2. Private Sector Meeting (Summer 2024)
    • Focused on how updated MPS and LUB could affect local businesses.
  3. Public Workshop (January 2024)
    • Held at Little Brook Fire Hall with ~60 attendees.
    • Participants discussed community strengths, issues, and vision for Clare.
  4. Online Survey (Dec 17, 2023 – Mar 3, 2024)
    • 322 respondents completed a 16-question survey.
  5. Council Meeting (July 24, 2024)
    • Stantec presented the review process and Council discussed priorities for implementation.
  6. May 2025 Open House
    • Held at Clare Curling Club to present earlier drafts.
    • Residents expressed concerns, prompting a thorough review and revisions of the drafts.
  7. May 2025 - December 2025
    • Revision of drafts to better reflect community's preferences. 

Quick links

Click here to download the pdfWhat We Heard Report.

Click here to download the pdfMunicipal Planning Strategy Preparation document (includes information on the minimum planning requirements and the five statements of provincial interest).

Major Themes

During all stakeholder engagement events, several key themes emerged. These included:

  • Housing and affordable housing are key needs in Clare.
  • The municipality has an excellent quality of life.
  • Attracting and retaining young families to Clare is important.
  • Access and views of the water must be preserved.
  • Zoning can be good and bad. It should not be an obstacle to new developments.
  • The current environment is very flexible, and it works for the community.
  • Clare has an Acadian identity and a heritage that needs to be preserved and enhanced wherever possible.
  • Public transportation and active mobility should be a priority in the planning of the municipality for the present and upcoming years.

Minimum Planning Requirements

To comply with Bill 58, the Municipality must ensure the MPS includes:

a. Background and contextual information informing the MPS goals.
b. A map showing intended future uses of municipal lands.
c. Policy statements on:

  • Residential uses
  • Commercial and industrial uses
  • Institutional uses
  • Recreational facilities and public open spaces
  • Resource uses, if present
    d. Policy on procedures for reviewing the MPS, including public consultation and notice.

For more information, see the pdfMunicipal Planning Strategy Preparation document here.

Statements of Provincial Interest

  1. Drinking Water: Protect water quality from contamination by restricting harmful land uses near water sources.
  2. Flood Risk Analysis: Identify floodplains and restrict development in flood-prone areas.
  3. Agricultural Land: Preserve agricultural lands by directing new development to lower-value areas.
  4. Infrastructure: Encourage development within or near existing municipal infrastructure, such as wastewater systems in Belliveau Cove, Church Point, and Meteghan.
  5. Housing: Provide diverse housing types and increase density to address the growing housing demand.

Compliance with these five statements is critical for MPS approval by the Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Contact

If you have questions, or if you would like to provide feedback, contact the municipal office:

  • Phone: 902-769-2031
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.