Committee of Adjustment

The Committee of Adjustment is a quasi-judicial tribunal appointed by City Council and is independent and autonomous from City Administration. City Council appoints the Committee Members, who are residents of the City of Timmins. The term of the Committee runs with the term of Council and Committee Members are permitted to sit for two terms.

The Committee’s mandate is to:

    • Consider and make decisions on applications for Minor Variances from the provisions of a Zoning By-law
    • Consider and make decisions on applications for Consent to “sever” a property or for any agreement, mortgage or lease that extends for more than 21 years (under Section 53 of the Planning Act)
    • Consider and make decisions on applications for Permission, which deal with the enlargement or extension of a building or structure that is legally non-conforming, or a change in non-conforming use
    • Consider and make decisions on applications for Validation of Title.
    • Consider and make decisions on Dangerous Dog appeals
    • Consider and make decisions on Property Standards appeals 

For more information on the Committee of Adjustment, Property Standards Committee and Dangerous Dog Appeal Committee, check the links at the left-hand side of the page.

The Role of City Staff

Applications are processed by City staff according to the rules and regulations set out in the governing provincial legislation.

Staff is available to discuss, with the general public, community representatives, lawyers and architects, matters related to application submission requirements as well as details of applications being processed. However, it is not the responsibility or position of staff to assess the merits of an application as this is the role and responsibility of the Committee.

The Committee must review all of the documentation before it, keeping in mind the four basic principles for approval, and render an independent decision.

For further information about the Committee of Adjustment please e-mail Keshia Horbul or call the office at 705-360-2600 extension: 2467 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Making presentations to the Committee

If you wish to appear at a Committee Hearing to either speak in support or in opposition to an application or appeal, there are some procedural matters to be aware of:

    • When you arrive at the Public Hearing take a seat in the hearing room. Wait for the application or appeal you are interested in to be called by the Committee Chair and then move to the front of the room and sit at the table provided.
    • The first person to speak is the applicant, appellant or their representative, who will briefly explain the case and answer any questions posed by the Committee members. The Committee will then hear from any others that wish to speak. Remember to address your concerns to the Chair of the Committee, not the applicant or appellant and do not repeat what others have said, but focus on adding new information. For a group, a spokesperson should be appointed to express its views. The applicant/appellant will then have an opportunity to respond. The Committee has adopted a five minute rule and would ask that all presentations be limited to five minutes or less and any exceptions will be at the discretion of the Committee Chair.
    • The Committee may adjourn an application or reserve its decision.
    • After the Hearing, the Committee will issue a written Decision on each application that was heard.

Anyone wishing to receive a copy of a Committee of Adjustment decision must provide the Secretary-Treasurer with a proper mailing address.

Committee of Adjustment Meeting Dates

 Please see the City of Timmins Council and Committee Meeting Portal

Council Portal

Download Forms:

Consent Application
Minor Variance Application
Fence Variance Application

Application Fees:

Please click the following link to see the user fee by-law indicating the application fees

Link to Fees