Hamilton's urban boundary and Elfrida: what has been decided, what is still open and where to check

The short answer

As of October 25, 2026, Hamilton's urban boundary has not been moved on a map. What has changed is the legal footing. On August 17, 2026, the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) ordered that, for the purposes of three appeals, there is a demonstrated need for at least 1,600 gross developable hectares of additional urban land in Hamilton. The decision says which specific lands should meet that need, and whether any individual expansion is appropriate, is for separate later hearings it calls Part Two.

Why this is happening

In 2021 Council chose a No Urban Boundary Expansion strategy and adopted it in June 2022 through Urban Hamilton Official Plan Amendment 167 and Rural Hamilton Official Plan Amendment 34. In November 2022 the Province approved those amendments with changes that added about 2,200 hectares to the urban area. The Province reversed that in December 2023 through Bill 150, which the City says deems those modifications never to have been made. Two later provincial changes opened a new route: Bill 185 and the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024 (in effect October 20, 2024) let landowners propose urban boundary expansions of any size outside the Greenbelt and appeal a refusal or a non-decision to the Tribunal.

Where each proposal stands

The City's page for the Elfrida secondary plan application describes the area as bounded by Mud Street and a hydro corridor to the north, Second Road East and Hendershot Road to the east, Upper Centennial Parkway and Trinity Church Road to the west, and Golf Club Road to the south. It notes that the lands are not inside the urban boundary and would need to be brought in before a secondary plan application is considered.

What the Tribunal decided, and what it did not

• It decided one question: how much more residential land Hamilton needs to plan for 2051. It preferred the landowners' experts' evidence on that point and found the need is slightly greater than the land covered by the three landowner groups' applications.
• It did not choose lands. The decision says the remaining policy tests and the merits of each proposed expansion are for the Part Two hearings.
• Its finding is binding in the Upper West Side, Elfrida and White Church appeals, and parties in later hearings may not challenge it.
• It is not a ruling on any Elfrida secondary plan, any rezoning or any building. Those are separate applications.

Where to check for updates

• The City's Urban Boundary Expansion page and its application pages list each file's status and link to Council reports; a notification list covers new applications, complete applications and public meetings.
• The Ontario Land Tribunal's case status and decisions pages, searched by case number: OLT-24-000748 (Twenty Road West), OLT-25-000591 (Elfrida), OLT-25-000613 (White Church).
• The City's News Releases page for statements on Tribunal decisions.
• Planning Committee and Council agendas in eSCRIBE for recommendation reports on any new application.