A 1,000-home development on the site a historic golf course in Perth, Ont. was approved by the Ontario Land Tribunal on Tuesday. Ottawa-based developer Caivan submitted a proposal to redevelop the Perth Golf Course into a 1,061-unit residential community. The development would feature detached homes, townhouses, stacked townhouses and one block of affordable housing. The proposal also includes plans for 2.2 hectares of parkland and transportation infrastructure improvements. Caivan initially submitted a redevelopment application in 2023 but appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal after the municipality failed to reach a decision in the allotted amount of time. The land tribunal says individuals participating in the tribunal expressed concerns regarding the initial proposal’s ecological impacts, lack of affordable housing, archeological impacts, transportation impacts and economic impacts to downtown Perth. In 2025, the tribunal led a mediation process, through which a revised proposal was created. The course is located in the southwest end of the city and according to the Perth Golf Course’s website, it opened in 1890 before closing in 2024. The front half of the golf course will be preserved as a private nine-hole course. Statistics Canada recorded the population of Perth at 6,469 in 2021. The land tribunal says the development will take place over multiple years.
