Delta's new council promises to open Official Community Plan review in first 90 days
Mayor Melissa Granum and council have pledged to begin an immediate public review of Delta's Official Community Plan, adopted in July 2024, with sessions in all three communities. The first regular council meeting is November 16.
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Delta's new City Council has pledged to open a public review of the city's Official Community Plan before its first 90 days in office are done. The plan, adopted less than 18 months ago, governs what can be built across Ladner, Tsawwassen and North Delta. The first regular meeting of the new council is Monday, November 16, at 7 p.m.
Mayor Melissa Granum and the six councillors were sworn in on November 2. The mayoralty and council majority belong to Delta First, which made the OCP review one of the central pledges of its campaign. The six councillors are Alexander Fischer, Tammy Hansen and Jat Puri of Delta First, and Sylvia Bishop, Daniel Boisvert and Alicia Guichon.
What the OCP is
Delta's Official Community Plan is both a policy document and a bylaw. The City of Delta's Plans and Strategies page describes it as a document containing "long-term objectives and policies that guide decision-making regarding land use, development, services, amenities and infrastructure." Council adopted the current version on July 8, 2024.
The plan covers every part of the city: Ladner, Tsawwassen and North Delta. It sets out where housing can be built and at what density, how commercial and industrial land is used, what infrastructure is needed, and which areas carry heritage or environmental protections. All rezoning and subdivision applications must be consistent with it.
Under section 473 of BC's Local Government Act, an OCP must include statements covering housing needs 20 years forward, land use policies, infrastructure needs, greenhouse gas reduction targets, and affordable housing policies.
What the new council pledged
Delta First's First 90 Days plan, published before the election, commits the new council to "undertake an immediate public review of the Official Community Plan." The plan says sessions will be held in Ladner, Tsawwassen and North Delta.
The party has not published a scope for the review or a list of specific policies it wants to change. At the November 2 inaugural meeting, Mayor Granum told the North Delta Reporter that the council would bring "compassion and a determination to work together" and said a healthy council should "challenge ideas, ask difficult questions, and bring different perspectives to the table."
The OCP review promise is tracked at #promise-ocp-public-review. The council's citizen advisory committees promise, which would create a formal resident input process in five areas including urban planning, is tracked at #promise-citizen-advisory-committees. The two promises together describe how the council says it wants to hear from residents on growth decisions.
What a review requires
Under BC law, a council cannot amend an OCP without a public process. Section 475 of the Local Government Act requires that any government proposing to amend its OCP must provide consultation opportunities with neighbouring governments, affected parties, and the First Nation whose traditional territory the plan covers. For Delta, that is the Tsawwassen First Nation. The city must also consult with the Delta Board of Education under section 476.
Any amendment then requires a public hearing, where residents can speak before council votes. The council votes on each reading of the amending bylaw. The process applies whether the change is a single-policy amendment or a full revision.
The Local Government Act also requires a local government to consider its most recent housing needs report when developing or amending an OCP. Delta updated its Housing Needs Assessment in September 2024, drawing on data from more than 50 datasets and over 1,600 community inputs. That assessment would inform any review.
Other related planning documents
Delta's Plans and Strategies page lists several documents alongside the OCP. The Agricultural Plan was updated and adopted on July 24, 2023. Delta has a large amount of farmland protected under BC's Agricultural Land Reserve, and the Agricultural Plan sets out how the city supports its farming sector. The Housing Action Plan was adopted in November 2021.
Mayor Granum also pledged to challenge provincial housing legislation and to use the City's existing authority over height, setbacks, parking, trees and building design. The Province introduced rules requiring municipalities to allow higher-density housing in certain areas, and the new mayor said she would press the Province to restore public input and give Delta more flexibility. This is tracked at #promise-challenge-bill-44-use-local-powers.
What council will do first
The first regular meeting of the new council is November 16 at 7 p.m. at the North Delta Centre for the Arts, 11425 84th Avenue. The agenda is published at delta.ca/city-hall/delta-council on the Monday before each meeting. The council has not announced whether the OCP review will be on the November 16 agenda.
The 90-day window for the commitments the council called its first priorities runs through early February 2027. The promise tracker for Delta will be updated each time the council acts on a commitment.
What residents can do
Residents can attend the November 16 council meeting, which is open to the public. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. If the council restores the public question period as it has pledged, residents will be able to ask questions directly. When a public review of the OCP is opened, the law requires the city to give residents a formal opportunity to speak before any change is adopted. The city's Plans and Strategies page at delta.ca/plans-strategies holds the current OCP and other planning documents.
Questions this story answers
What is Delta's Official Community Plan?
Delta's Official Community Plan is a bylaw that sets out long-term objectives and policies guiding decisions on land use, development, services, amenities and infrastructure across Ladner, Tsawwassen and North Delta. It was adopted by Delta City Council on July 8, 2024. The plan designates which areas can be developed and how, sets housing policies, and identifies heritage conservation areas. Under the Local Government Act, it is the main guide for all growth decisions in the city.
Why is the new council proposing to review the OCP so soon after it was adopted?
Delta First, the party that holds a majority on the new council, pledged before the election to undertake an immediate public review of the OCP. The party's First 90 Days plan says it will hold public sessions in Ladner, Tsawwassen and North Delta. The plan was last adopted in July 2024, less than two years before the election. Delta First's platform does not explain what specific changes it wants, but its candidates campaigned on giving residents more direct input into how their neighbourhoods grow.
What does the OCP cover?
The OCP covers all land use and development decisions across Delta. It includes policies on housing density, where new homes can be built, how commercial and industrial land is used, infrastructure, public facilities and services, greenhouse gas reduction targets, and affordable housing. It also designates development permit areas in Ladner Village, the North Delta Scott Road corridor, and Tsawwassen, and identifies heritage conservation areas. All rezoning and subdivision decisions in Delta must be consistent with the OCP.
What is the process to change the OCP?
To amend Delta's Official Community Plan, the city must consult with affected parties, neighbouring governments and the Tsawwassen First Nation, as required by section 475 of the Local Government Act. It must also consult with the Delta Board of Education under section 476. Any amendment requires a public hearing, where residents can speak before council votes. The council then votes on each reading of the amending bylaw. This process applies whether the change is a small amendment or a full review.
What are the specific areas the new council says it will review?
According to the Delta First First 90 Days plan, the council will hold public sessions in Ladner, Tsawwassen and North Delta. The party has not published a scope for the review or a list of which OCP policies it wants to examine. The existing OCP includes separate development permit area rules for each neighbourhood, so the review could address each community's specific growth questions.
What other planning documents does Delta have besides the OCP?
Delta has several related planning documents listed on its Plans and Strategies page. The Agricultural Plan was updated and adopted on July 24, 2023. The Housing Needs Assessment was completed in 2020 and updated in September 2024 using data from more than 50 datasets and over 1,600 community inputs. The Housing Action Plan was adopted in November 2021. Any OCP review must take the most recent Housing Needs Assessment into account under section 473.1 of the Local Government Act.
When is the next Delta City Council meeting where the OCP review could come up?
The first regular meeting of the new Delta City Council is Monday, November 16, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the North Delta Centre for the Arts, 11425 84th Avenue. The agenda is published on the Monday before each meeting at delta.ca/city-hall/delta-council. The council has not announced whether the OCP review will be on the November 16 agenda.
What role does the Tsawwassen First Nation play in an OCP review?
Under section 475 of BC's Local Government Act, a local government proposing to amend its OCP must provide consultation opportunities with First Nations whose traditional territory includes the land the plan covers. Delta's land is in the traditional territory of the Tsawwassen First Nation. Any review or amendment of Delta's OCP would require the city to consult with the Nation. The Tsawwassen First Nation signed a final treaty with the Province and Canada in 2009, and its land sits within Delta's boundaries.
What is the new council's housing commitment alongside the OCP review?
The Delta First First 90 Days plan also includes a commitment to develop a strategy for non-market and affordable housing supply. The council has also pledged to commission a legal analysis of provincial legislation on housing density, which refers to rules the Province introduced requiring municipalities to allow higher-density housing in certain areas. The Housing Needs Assessment updated in September 2024 gives the data foundation any housing strategy would draw on.
Who sits on the new Delta City Council?
Mayor Melissa Granum and six councillors were sworn in on November 2, 2026. The councillors are Alexander Fischer, Tammy Hansen and Jat Puri, all of Delta First, plus Sylvia Bishop and Daniel Boisvert of One Delta and Alicia Guichon of Achieving for Delta. Delta First holds four of the seven seats, giving it a majority. All seven were sworn in on November 2 at a ceremony where Justice Tina Dion administered the oaths, as the North Delta Reporter reported.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- City of Delta: Plans and Strategies page, including OCP adopted July 8, 2024delta.ca
- Delta First: First 90 Days plan, the party's own account of its commitmentsdeltafirst.ca
- North Delta Reporter: Delta's mayor promises transparency, co-operation during inaugural address, by James Smith, November 4, 2026northdeltareporter.com
- BC Local Government Act, Division 4: Official Community Plans (sections 471-478), BC Lawsbclaws.gov.bc.ca
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