Niagara Escarpment Commission

Commission de l'escarpement du Niagara
Agency overview
Formed	1973 (1973)
Type	Crown agency
Jurisdiction	Government of Ontario
Headquarters	Thornbury, Ontario and Georgetown, Ontario, Canada
Minister responsible	John Yakabuski, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry
Agency executive	Rob Nicholson, Chair
Key document	Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act
Website	www.escarpment.org

The Niagara Escarpment Commission (French: Commission de l'escarpement du Niagara), founded in June 1973 by the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act (last revised 2012), is an agency of the Ontario government. Its mission is to "conserve the UNESCO-designated Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve as a continuous natural environment and scenic, working countryside".^[1] The Niagara Escarpment Commission published the first Niagara Escarpment Plan in 1985. This plan is reviewed and updated every five years, with the most recent version of the plan published in 2017.^[2]

The Niagara Escarpment Commission has essentially the same powers and responsibilities as a municipality, including control over zoning and bylaws.

The Commission staff are split between two geographical offices:

• (MTO Complex) Owen Sound, Ontario - north
• (Guelphview Square) Georgetown, Ontario - south

Commission

• 8 Public Members at Large including the Commission Chair
• 8 municipal representatives from:
  • Bruce County - Escarpment runs on the eastern edge of the county
  • Dufferin County - Escarpment runs on the eastern edge of the county
  • Grey County - Escarpment runs on the eastern edge of the county
  • Simcoe County - Escarpment runs on the western edge of the county
  • Halton Region - Escarpment runs on the western edge of the region
  • Peel Region - Escarpment runs on the western edge of the region
  • Niagara Region - Escarpment runs on the northern edge of the region
  • City of Hamilton - Escarpment runs through the city