King Township Council Meeting - January 26, 2026
- JA
- Jan 31
- 6 min read
Monday’s Council meeting featured an update on King Township’s 2025 climate initiatives and a review of the Community Grant Program. Council also approved a new zoning by-law for a property in King City and supported the relocation of a historic barn to ensure its long-term preservation.
Quick Links
Mayor's Comments
Congratulations to staff on doing an incredible job during our significant weather events. This past weekend they cleared 13cm following the 22cm the week prior. It was also very nice to see residents thank staff on social media. A reminder, that parking on the street while snow is being cleared will result in a $100 fine.
King Township was officially recognized as an Age-Friendly Community by the Government of Ontario at the ROMA conference. This award acknowledges the township’s efforts to improve services, infrastructure, and social spaces for residents 55+, aligning with their 2023–2026 Corporate Strategic Plan to support aging in place.
Embrace the winter weather and visit Cold Creek for outdoor fun. Rent cross-country skiis ($20 a pair and includes skiis, poles and boots) and snowshoes ($10 a pair and includes snow shoes and the option of poles). Visit the website for more.
Monday marked the one year anniversary of the official opening of King Township’s Zancor Centre, Canada’s first zero-carbon, combined aquatics and ice sports facility. Over the past year Zancor Centre has become a community hub offering sports, swimming, skating, hockey, fitness classes, camps and more to residents.
King is hiring various season positions: camp councilors, park workers, outdoor program facilitators, etc. Get your application in by March 13th. Visit the website to see all the positions that are available: King.ca/employment.
Congratulations to King Staff members reaching major milestones:
Samantha Fraser, Director of Public Works, has been with King for 5 years & Gaspare Ritacca, Manager of Planning and Development, has been with King for 25 years.
Climate & Environment Year in Review
King's climate action is divided into corporate and community initiatives. On a corporate level, King had a 9% decrease in emissions from 2023 by introducing enhanced lighting, energy transition, emission tracking software, and more.
On the community level, the same level was maintained
King coordinated the following initiatives:
13,831 Trees, Shrubs and Wildflowers Planted
1600 Tree Sapling Giveaways
3298 m2 of Invasive Species Management
King Invasive Species Strategy
King Township Technical Forest Study
53 Environmental Outreach Initiatives & Programs
25 Nature Based Programming for Youth
Green Yards Program (47 Rain barrels & Composters, 450 Wildflowers)
2 Resilient Agriculture Workshops with 70+ total attendance
Battery Recycling Program (1187 lbs collected)
Community Electronic Recycling Events (18,670 lbs collected)
Textile Diversion Program (109,708 lbs diverted)
180+ FoodCyclers Sold (38.4 Mt of waste diverted)
Launched Electric Vehicle Education (Event 50+ attendance)
Electric Vehicle Charging Network has saved 72,005kg/CO2e of GHG savings
Powering King: Community Energy Expo with over 150+ attendance
Currently Creating the Natural Asset Inventory
Staff secured $190,000 in external grant funding to supplement resources available through the operating budget. To support Council’s climate and environment-related priorities under the Corporate Strategic Plan, Council approved a total of $450,000 in capital funding for 2024 and 2025.
With the addition of grant funding, the total value of projects delivered reached $699,491. This represents $249,491 in environmental initiatives that were effectively funded through grants, enabling the department to advance more projects than would have been possible using municipal funding alone.
King's Community Grant Program
Over the past two years, King Township’s Community Grant Program has been modernized to better connect with local organizations. Since launching a centralized microsite and updated intake process in 2024, the program has seen a significant increase in applications, in-kind service requests, and overall community engagement.
Improved accessibility and visibility played a major role in this growth. The Township expanded outreach through social media, posters in community hubs and municipal facilities, and digital advertising in arenas. These efforts drove higher traffic to the microsite and increased participation across all funding streams. Requests for in-kind support such as facility use, promotional help, and marketing also rose, reflecting broader community needs beyond direct financial grants.
The program supported a wide range of initiatives in 2024 and 2025, including:
• King Township Food Bank: Funding for its Back-to-School Program providing backpacks, school supplies and gift cards, and additional support in 2025 to assist with relocation to its new Schomberg Main Street site.
• Nobleton Public School: Funding to cover transportation for a free Junior A hockey game, ensuring equitable student access and encouraging youth engagement.
• Schomberg Community Farm: Support for a free farm-to-table event promoting inclusion and nature-based learning, along with infrastructure upgrades such as a lawn mower and water pump system.
• Kingsland Community Gardens: Funding for pollinator habitat development, fruit trees, native plants, soil, irrigation improvements, and the creation of a shared tool library.
• Schomberg Agricultural Fair: Continued funding support in both years.
Looking ahead to 2026, the Township plans to build further capacity by expanding funding and in-kind opportunities, increasing community engagement, responding to emerging needs, and continuing to strengthen partnerships with local organizations.
Comprehensive Development Plan, 2018-2022 King Road
Council approved a major zoning change and development plan for 2018–2022 King Rd. The proposal allows the first phase of a much larger redevelopment area known as the King Square Block Plan to proceed.
The initial project (labelled F-1 above) is a six-storey commercial building featuring a veterinary clinic on the ground floor and office space above, with a total floor area of about 2,570 square metres. The existing house on the site would be demolished to make way for the new building. While zoning would normally require 106 parking spaces for this type of development, the site plan includes only 14 spaces, with the proponent proposing to accommodate the balance in the neighbouring building.
This building is intended to be the first step in a long-term plan to redevelop a 3.4-hectare block bounded by King Road, King Boulevard, William Street and Dew Street. The broader plan envisions a mix of residential, commercial and open space uses, with up to 649 residential units over time, ranging from three to six storeys in height.
A key feature of the plan is a new mid-block private road running east-west through the site, designed to manage traffic, provide access to underground parking, and create a buffer between higher-density buildings near King Road and lower-density neighbourhoods to the north.
Notice of Intent to Demolish (Relocate) 13840 10th Concession
Council supported the request to relocate a historic barn located at 13840 10th Concession, a property listed on the Township’s Municipal Heritage Register since 2015.
A structural assessment found the barn’s foundation and key support elements to be in poor and unsafe condition, with failing walls, deteriorated wood supports, and groundwater issues. Engineers advised that a new foundation is needed to preserve the structure long-term. The owners plan on moving the barn approximately 30 to 50 metres northwest, keeping it within its original farmstead setting and allowing its traditional bank-barn form to be maintained.
Township staff and the Heritage Advisory Committee supported the relocation and agreed that designation under the Ontario Heritage Act should be explored after the barn is safely relocated, rather than delaying urgent stabilization work
New Business
Schomberg Community Skate will be February 14th at the Dufferin Marsh.
February 16th is the Great Backyard Bird Count. In as little as 15 minutes notice the birds around you. Identify them, count them, and submit your counts to help scientists better understand and protect birds around the world. Meet at the bulletin board on Dr. Kay.
York Region Economic Strategy Division is hosting a workshop on farm succession planning on February 17th from 10:30am - 1:30pm with lunch provided at the York Region Administrative Centre in Newmarket. Get practical strategies to start meaningful conversation with family members, resources to insure smooth transition and new approaches to succession based, and collaboration and real world experience. Register here.
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