Oro-Medonte mayor pushes back on Barrie’s boundary expansion plans, calls for focus on housing

Oro-Medonte’s mayor pens an open letter on Barrie’s expansion plans stating the focus should be on housing needs.

The debate over Barrie’s plan to expand its boundary into neighbouring municipalities has taken another turn as Oro-Medonte’s mayor argues that the conversation should shift from employment land to housing.

In an open letter published online, Mayor Randy Greenlaw outlined his sticking points, stating employment land should no longer be at the centre of discussions.

“We need to focus on the key issues, and the key issue is more affordable housing,” he said.

For over a year, Barrie has been negotiating with Oro-Medonte and Springwater Township, seeking to expand its borders northward. Initially, the city’s justification for expansion was a need for more employment lands. However, Greenlaw now says that claim doesn’t hold up.

“Barrie is claiming they need more employment land,” he said. “The report clearly states they have ample employment land.”

Greenlaw is referring to a study by Hemson Consulting, which was released in December as part of its ongoing analysis of Barrie’s push to adjust its boundaries. The report stated the city has enough land to meet employment needs until 2051 but pointed to a potential stagnation in the short term. It indicated the city’s need to address growing housing demand, pointing to Barrie consistently missing its housing targets set for 2031.

• Article | New report shifts focus to housing in Barrie’s boundary expansion debate

“The employment land they’ve approached us about in Oro-Medonte is surrounded by environmentally protected land and established neighbourhoods and communities,” Greenlaw said.

Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall, however, is standing by his push for more employment lands. He points to the same Hemson report as evidence that Barrie needs room to grow.

“The reality is my job is to make sure that the people of Barrie have jobs to go with housing,” Nuttall said.

The report states that up to 930 hectares of land is typical for suburban density forecasting. That finding led Barrie’s council to increase its request for more land in December as negotiations with a provincial mediator continue.

“To be very clear, they wanted a deal done,” Nuttall said. “They wanted to ensure there was capacity for Barrie to grow, to grow housing, to grow jobs, and they wanted a deal that would also benefit Springwater. And already, we’ve done our best to facilitate that.”

Both councils, along with Springwater’s, have agreed to move forward with a third phase of Hemson’s study. However, Greenlaw is calling on the province to first clarify discrepancies in the last report.

“I’m not looking to have a debate or a disagreement over interpretation,” Greenlaw said. “We need to get together collaboratively to find a solution to fulfill the provincial mandate, which is more affordable homes.”

Greenlaw expects to hear from the provincial mediator later this week. With Barrie’s council not set to meet until the end of the month, there may be some breathing room in negotiations before the next round of talks.