Can I keep using my property the way I always have after a zoning bylaw changes and I no longer comply?

Generally, yes. Ontario's planning framework recognizes what's often called "legal non-conforming use," meaning a use that was lawfully established before a zoning bylaw changed can generally continue even though it no longer complies with the new bylaw, so long as the use was genuinely legal at the time it started and has continued without a significant interruption or change since.

This protection is tied specifically to the existing use as it was actually being carried out, not to the property in general, and it does not automatically extend to expanding, intensifying, or changing that use into something different, even if the change seems minor to the owner. It can also be lost if the non-conforming use is discontinued for a meaningful period, since municipalities generally treat abandonment as ending the protection. Because proving the use was legally established and has continued properly can become genuinely contested, especially years later when records are thin, owners relying on this status should keep any documentation showing when the use began and that it has continued, and get written confirmation from the municipality where the status matters, rather than assuming it will simply be accepted without question.