Innisfil Heights officially recognized by province

However, the town’s anticipated population growth projections have been lowered
By Chris Simon Innisfil Scope October 27 2010
The Innisfil Heights industrial employment area is finally being recognized by the province.
After years of failed negotiations and difficulty gaining the ear of the provincial government, Innisfil has finally made headway over its proposed strategic industrial employment area. On Thursday, the provincial government released a proposed amendment to the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

Innisfil Heights is included amongst four designated employment zones in the amendment — joining similar sites in Bradford West Gwillimbury, Rama Road and the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport area — recognition that could eventually bring thousands of jobs to the town.
“That’s just wonderful,” said an elated mayor Brian Jackson Thursday afternoon. “That’s stage one. Stage two is how do you service the darn thing? It’s nice to have a designation on the map, now it’s about how we get it serviced and make things grow out there. It’s just one less hurdle we have to clear.”
The proposed amendment focuses on four key areas for ensuring sustainable long-term growth in the region. It will help identify urban nodes where growth and intensification can be focused, provide updated population and employment forecasts for all communities in the Simcoe County area, and require municipalities to assess the land they need to meet their forecasted growth by 2031, and manage the supply of space available for development.
The amendment forecasts Innisfil’s population to grow to 56,000 residents by 2031, a decrease of several thousand people when compared to earlier projections. However, the town is also expected to provide employment for 13,100 people over the next two decades, a target left unchanged from previous plans.
“It will have some significant effects on planning for the town,” said Innisfil’s planning manager, Ross Cotton. “In some ways it’s helpful, in others it’s not. They’ve reduced our population, so we’ll certainly have to have a look at how growth will happen, in particular in the Alcona area. They’ve identified the boundary of Innisfil Heights, unfortunately, that boundary reflects the employment areas that existed when it was approved by the province in 1993. It hasn’t helped us in terms of the expansion of the employment area, as we had anticipated.”
Town officials also hoped the province would identify Alcona as an urban node, a designation that would have potentially expanded existing settlement areas, to allow for future growth. However, that was left out of the proposed amendment, said Cotton.
“They’ve set an intensification target for us of 40 per cent. We feel we cannot achieve any more than 22 per cent,” he said. “For us, it’s somewhat of an unrealistic target.”
The county’s entire population is expected to grow from 437,100 in 2006 to 667,000 by 2031. About 254,000 jobs would be created in the region over the next two decades.
“The proposed amendment seeks to implement the growth plan, while balancing the diverse needs of the county and local municipalities in such a way that all residents may realize the benefits of future growth,” said Minister of Infrastructure Bob Chiarelli. “At the same time, the amendment (would) protect the environment from the potentially harmful effects of unmanaged growth.”
If the amendment passes as anticipated, municipalities will be expected to conform. After that, the province will likely develop an infrastructure and service delivery plan, and conduct a transportation study for the entire region, he said.
It seems the province has taken concerns expressed by county municipalities seriously, says warden Cal Patterson.
“We are pleased to see that many of the county’s comments have been incorporated in the province’s proposed amendment,” he said. “There is more work to be done, but we look forward to participating and moving ahead.”
While the recognition is a positive step forward, a more thorough financial plan for servicing Innisfil Heights will still be needed. That could include infrastructure negotiations with the City of Barrie, said mayor elect Barb Baguley.
“It’s a bright light for us to proceed with our goals and ambitions to have employment within our own community,” she said. “That area is expanding and being recognized for the potential it has always had. I really believe in a good neighbours policy. There’s no reason why for something that would serve the good of the entire region, we shouldn’t have a cooperative effort to solve the difficulties. The idea of cooperative servicing on a fee for service basis … we would be looking to the city to sit down and talk about how we could best boost the economy of this entire region. Inter-municipal servicing arrangements … aren’t new.”
A joint servicing agreement only makes sense, since the employment zone would benefit the entire region, said Jackson, who was elected as Barrie’s Ward 9 councillor Monday.
“Part of my platform was to create a better working relationship with our neighbours,” he said. “I’ll be working hard to do that. From my personal point of view, it’s quite logical to investigate that opportunity. (But) I don’t know where (Barrie) will go.”
Town staff are expected to present a report to the new term of council in December. The province is seeking feedback on the proposed amendments by Jan. 31.