Welcome to the Niagara Escarpment Commission

An agency of Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources, the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) works on behalf of the people of Ontario to preserve the Niagara Escarpment as a continuous natural landscape – a vital corridor of green space through south-central Ontario.  

The NEC is comprised of 17 members and a Chair; 8 representing municipalities and 8 representing the public-at-large. The Commission meets on the third Thursday of the month to consider Development Permit Applications, Plan Amendments and comments on development proposals. Please contact the Commission secretary for meeting information.

The Niagara Escarpment is a protected area under the Province of Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act, 1973, and the Niagara Escarpment Plan (NEP) Canada’s first large-scale environmental land use plan. 

The Niagara Escarpment Plan outlines land use designations, development criteria and related permitted uses, including farming, forestry and mineral resource extraction. It also provides the framework for a string of more than 130 existing and proposed parks and open spaces linked by the Bruce Trail, Canada’s oldest and longest continuous footpath.

Designated a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 1990, the Niagara Escarpment is an internationally recognized landform and is the cornerstone of Ontario’s Greenbelt. A landscape of rich biodiversity, home to hundreds of Ontario's Species at Risk, vital watersheds, agricultural areas and 450-million year old geological history, the Niagara Escarpment is a treasure to protect for future generations of Ontarians.

Recent updates

• New Niagara Escarpment Plan updated, January 25, 2012
• Leading Edge Conference proceedings - summary presentations online
• The Niagara Escarpment Plan awarded OPPI's "Len Gertler Award of Distinction"

Doing business with the NEC?

• The NEC's Georgetown office covers Niagara Region north to Dufferin County; our Thornbury office cover Simcoe north to Bruce County.
• Do you need a Niagara Escarpment Development Permit? View our Do I Need a Development Permit? booklet for more information.

View or subscribe to our newsletters to learn more about the NEC's work:

• Fall 2011
• Summer 2011
• Winter 2011
• Summer 2010
• Spring 2010
• Fall 2009
• Spring 2009
• Winter 2009