Oxford County announces new planning director

Oxford County’s new director of community planning will be a familiar face to the folks in his department.

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After spending much of his 30-year career in Oxford County’s community planning office, Paul Michiels will be taking the helm as of July 1.

“As I step into the role of director, my priority is to continue to provide strong direction and leadership for the county’s planning team and strengthen relationships with our area municipalities and other community stakeholders so that we can continue to work together to ensure Oxford and its communities remain vibrant and sustainable,” Michiels said in the release announcing his new role.

“With the many recent provincial changes and significant growth the county is experiencing, there is much that will need to be done to achieve that vision and I look forward to the challenge.”

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In taking on this new position, Michiels will lead a department comprising 20 professional planners, as well as technical and administrative support staff. The planning office provides a full range of land-use planning services for Oxford and its eight member municipalities. These duties include reviewing all development applications, official plan and zoning by law development and updates, special projects and studies, and maintaining land use-related data and mapping.

With Oxford’s status as one of the fastest growing municipalities in Ontario, the job is a busy one, with more than 500 development applications annually on top of planning-related studies and other initiatives, county officials said.

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“Over the past few years, a number of significant legislative changes, combined with Oxford having one of the fastest growth rates in Ontario, has heightened the focus on how we grow our communities,” said Ben Addley, Oxford County’s top administrator.

“Paul has been a key part of our provincial advocacy, how we work with our neighboring municipalities to do this, and how county council is briefed to make fundamental decisions about growth. Having worked closely with Paul over the last couple years, I know his passion for excellence in community planning and his extensive knowledge of the county’s varied communities and interests will serve the residents of Oxford well as we continue to plan together for our future.”

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Michiels began his Oxford career as a development planner, providing advice and development review services for many of the area municipalities within the county. After a stint in a senior policy planner role, Michiels was promoted in 2010 to manager of planning policy, where he led the county’s planning policy team and oversaw a number of county-wide planning initiatives. This work included official plan reviews, growth studies and source-protection planning while helping guide Oxford and its lower-tier municipalities through a number of provincial legislative and policy changes.

Michiels is succeeding Gord Hough, the county’s longtime planning director, who is retiring after more than two decades working for Oxford County.

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