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County stands its ground on growth plan

BY Laurie Watt, Staff June 30, 2009 17:06

Simcoe County is continuing to defend its vision for growth - despite direct provincial intervention to put growth in Alliston, Bradford, Collingwood, Barrie and Orillia.

On June 4, Municipal Affairs Minister Jim Watson introduced Bill 196 - which adds 2,293 hectares of Innisfil to Barrie. As well, the province released a paper on how the area should grow - a paper that's in stark contrast to the county plan which spreads growth throughout the county.

"They've tried to break us apart. For somebody who hasn't got much to start with, it meant a lot. We were satisfied (with the county plan)," said Tom Walsh, Adjala-Tosorontio's mayor. "We should stand up and be counted. You can only bend over so long (so) they can shove it to ya."

County councillors agreed Ontario fails to understand the nature of resort communities - which are growing due to aging baby boomers opting to retire to their summer homes. These additional residents haven't been included in projections, and already, their impact is being felt in coastline communities like Collingwood and Tiny Township.

But there, the consensus ended. Collingwood, New Tecumseth and Midland mayors led the charge to work with the province, while Essa Mayor David Guergis rallied the ranks of the dissatisfied — those who lost population and job allocations.

"The City of Barrie has lost some great manufacturing facilities and being a neighbour of Barrie, we did have people driving in to General Tire, Molson and other factories now closed. Now we have the exact opposite. We have people driving from Barrie (to work)," he said.

"It's a ridiculous plan," Guergis said of the province's Simcoe Area: A Strategic Vision for Growth. "I don't trust them (the province)."

Senior provincial bureaucrats detailed the vision with CAOs and planners throughout the county last Thursday. Some raised concerns about populations already being over targets set for 2031.

The county has consistently said the province rewarded Barrie, which has played the political game better than the rest, and which has a cabinet minister as MPP.

"We were in a very inequitable situation. We need a voice and we need to be understood," Warden Tony Guergis said. "We have an imposed solution that doesn't reflect any of our voices."

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