More detailed analysis is likely needed following a land-needs study looking at Barrie’s boundary expansion plans.
The city, the townships of Oro-Medonte and Springwater, along with the County of Simcoe, released a joint statement to that effect Friday evening.
The statement said there will be more talks to find acceptable approaches to address growth pressures in the area — discussions supported by the Office of the Provincial Land and Development Facilitator, a provincial agency.
In September, the County of Simcoe, Springwater, Oro-Medonte and Barrie retained Hemson Consulting to complete a joint land-needs analysis and study, intended to determine the need for additional employment and/or residential land within and around the City of Barrie, Oro-Medonte and Springwater.
The study is now complete, available on each municipality’s website, and will be presented and discussed at upcoming council meetings for each municipality on Dec. 11.
The report says Barrie "likely has sufficient employment area land" to meet long-term demand through 2051, although a "short-term gap" exists for shovel-ready parcels.
"The city is prioritizing infrastructure expansion in south Barrie to address this issue. Annexation of additional lands would not resolve the immediate shortfall due to multi-year timelines for land-use and infrastructure planning and development," the report adds.
It also says south Barrie holds "a competitive advantage over proposed boundary adjustment lands in Oro-Medonte and Springwater due to superior infrastructure, proximity to hubs and fewer constraints."
Both Oro-Medonte and Springwater have "sufficient" long-term employment area land up to 2051, states the report.
"However, accelerated housing growth in Springwater’s Midhurst Secondary Plan Area may necessitate expedited designation of additional employment lands to maintain balanced community development," it says.
Each council will now be asked to receive the study and consider re-engaging Hemson to prepare a work plan to complete a more detailed analysis of the options for further consideration by all involved. This work plan will serve as a foundation for further discussions.
The three municipalities want to find solutions for managing growth that strengthen their respective communities and provide opportunities for all residents, the statement said.
This past March in Barrie, while delivering housing money to the city, Premier Doug Ford asked the surrounding municipalities to "work together."
“Forget about this invisible border that happens,” he said at the time. “They have the capacity, the infrastructure here in Barrie no matter if it’s water or wastewater, and the other ones don’t. They can benefit. These municipalities can benefit and I do not know why they’re not co-operating.
“I encourage you to co-operate — it’s going to benefit your community, it’s going to benefit everyone’s community and it’s going to drive prosperity,” Ford added.
In November 2023, Nuttall made a presentation to a provincial standing committee that included a proposal to expand Barrie’s boundaries into Oro-Medonte and Springwater townships, saying it was required because the city does not have enough employment land.
Both township councils essentially balked at Nuttall’s plan, although the three municipalities, along with the County of Simcoe, have held ongoing closed-door talks since then.
