SPRINGWATER — While Daniel Mathieson’s appearance at Springwater Township’s council meeting last night was not on the agenda, the chair of the Office of the Provincial Land and Development Facilitator (OPLDF) provided additional clarity to the ongoing Barrie boundary expansion proposal.
Mathieson, who joined the meeting virtually from his vehicle, which was parked on the shoulder of the highway on his way home, answered councillors’ questions candidly and without hesitation.
“Why the Sept. 30 deadline?” Coun. Danielle Alexander asked, referring to the date provided in an update letter that was sent to Springwater Mayor Jennifer Coughlin and copied to the mayors of Barrie and Oro-Medonte, as well as Simcoe County's warden, earlier this week by Jeffrey Schelling, deputy facilitator at OPLDF.
“There are a number of reasons,” Mathieson said. “It doesn’t mean the minister will make a decision on Oct. 1.
"If there was an argument to be made, and we’re open to the discussion on why that date needs to be moved, we’re open to it," he added. "We are not time down, per se, but we do have files that we work on over time and we consider moving them forward."
Part of the reason relates to the upcoming election.
“We do want to make sure we have a lot of time that if there is a boundary adjustment that would take effect prior to the municipal election in 2026, that we would have enough time to make any of those adjustments with regards to voter lists and other considerations that would be relevant.” Mathieson said.
Coun. Anita Moore has been an advocate of a regional solution to Barrie’s request. She wanted to know if the regional needs can be met and satisfied without a boundary adjustment, and would there be consideration then that a boundary adjustment would not be required.
“I will say that all relevant information will be reviewed,” Mathieson responded. “It will be taken into consideration and the recommendation will reflect the best interests of the provincial priorities, the member municipalities and the communities in the long term.”
Moore also wondered why the number of hectares being considered was not consistent. In the proposal Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall presented to Springwater council at its May 21 meeting, Barrie’s proposed expansion area was pegged at 1,769 hectares with preliminary analysis suggesting approximately 733 hectares may be developable.
In the letter to Coughlin from Schelling, it was noted that future expansion of Barrie’s municipal boundary should address both community and employment area needs, encompassing up to 930 hectares of developable land — approximately 630 hectares for community areas and 300 hectares for employment areas.
“I would say that when these processes start, some communities have their idea of what they need to meet their needs,” Mathieson said. “We also then have the independent review of someone like Hemson, who comes in and collects multiple sources of data, looks at provincial trends, looks at population, looks at employment, looks at density, all of these things, and they come back with a recommendation.”
Mathieson said “there’s no science between the two” and noted two consultants can have different recommendations “depending on who they’re retained by.”
He said Ontario’s ministry of municipal affairs and housing looks at their underlying assumptions to see how they marry up with provincial policy and the assumption the province is using.
“We try to thread a very fine needle between the two of them,” he said.
Deputy Mayor George Cabral had a number of questions. His first dealt with the two options that were delivered via the Hemson report — one was for land to go to Barrie via annexation, and the other was for no boundary adjustment.
Cabral wanted to know if those two options were still on the table.
“We have not chosen a considered path,” Mathieson answered. “But that’s the importance of our dialogue going forward and having all groups at the table and continuing to acquire new information that comes available from different sources, so that we do make a determination or a recommendation to the minister and the minister considers it that we have been able to provide him all relevant and pertinent information to back up any type of recommendation we’d make.”
Another Cabral question was equally direct. In Schelling’s letter to Coughlin, Cabral noted a reference to section 173 of the Municipal Act — proposal to restructure — and wanted to know if it was already "fait accompli."
“At what point should this section of the Municipal Act be considered to be set in motion, or has it already been set in motion prior to today’s meeting?” Cabral asked Mathieson.
“No, it has not been set in motion,” Mathieson said. “Section 173 allows us, when there is a decision which is covered under the Municipal Act, whether it’s made under strong mayor powers or by council as a whole.
“That then sets in place section 173, enabling Municipal Affairs and Housing staff and provincial land development facilitators to start moving that direction that has not occurred. And it is not contemplated to occur at this time,” he added.
Coun. Matt Garwood was concerned that the Sept. 30 deadline would not provide enough time for the public to provide comments and make their voices heard.
Garwood noted that the letter to Coughlin included the provincial government’s commitment to transparency and openness — “we believe full participation in the process is the best opportunity for the township to advocate for its own interests and optimize outcomes for its own constituents” — but he wanted confirmation that residents would be heard.
“Yes, our intent will be to give all parties an opportunity to review our work prior to our recommendation being submitted,” Mathieson said. “That’s why it’s important that we make sure that everyone wants to continue to be part of the process, so we can sit down and lay out a work chart and a timeline that allows us to do so.
“It’s only when we can get all of the information and understand who all of the parties are and make sure that everyone’s at the table. It’ll be the most effective for all outcomes to be reviewed,” he added.
Coughlin wanted to know if a timeline had been established for the next stage of the Hemson report.
“At this time, your worship, no,” Mathieson said.
Earlier this week, Nuttall said the letter from the OPLDF reflects the direction of the city’s ongoing discussions with the province over the past two years.
“We are encouraged to see a firm date of Sept. 30 set to reach a resolution, as it is a positive step towards a mutually beneficial outcome,” Nuttall said in an email to BarrieToday on Tuesday morning.
Nuttall also said he looks forward to continuing discussions with all partners involved.
On Nov. 6, 2023, Nuttall presented an update on Barrie's housing targets to the standing committee on heritage, infrastructure and cultural policy during a meeting in Barrie. As part of that presentation, the mayor highlighted why the city requires additional employment land so more residents can have jobs closer to home.
According to Nuttall, the City of Barrie is in dire need of land that would be suitable for large-scale manufacturing and industrial development. He said Barrie needs space to grow as a community and it needs space to bring in jobs from outside the region.
Nuttall also said the city was eyeing industrial land outside its municipal borders for the purpose of job creation. It came to light that Barrie was looking at land in neighbouring Oro-Medonte, near Highway 400 and Highway 11, as well as land in Springwater along the city's western border, near Midhurst and around Little Lake.
