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Town’s future creates lively debate

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In Innisfil
Nov 6th, 2010
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By Bruce Hain Simcoe.com November 3 2010
INNISFIL – What will Innisfil look like two, five or 10 years from now?
Dozens of invited participants, including the newly elected town council and several people representing community interests, gathered to discuss the town’s future last Saturday at the Innisfil Administration Centre.
Town CAO John Skorobohacz welcomed the approximately 90 attendees.
Looking out onto the crowd in the council chambers, Skorobohacz said, “This speaks volumes about the commitment you have to our community. The members of your new council are sitting in and they want to hear what you have to say.”
The federal government granted $375,000 to conduct the “Inspiring Innisfil 2020” program.
The town hired a consulting firm to guide the initiative “to develop economic strategy and planning,” Skorobohacz said. “We hired McSweeney & Associates from 17 consultants that made submissions to the town. They have already held a number of public information sessions, open houses and interviewed dozens of people in person, or by telephone. They will present a draft document to council in January 2011.”
“Innisfil is a story of the little town that wasn’t,” Eric McSweeney said in his opening remarks. “Our goal is to write a story that will be played out in the next 10 years. You are the writers. We need your input.”
Data collected already by McSweeney & Associates reveals three main areas of interest, he said.
“People want to maintain the rural, small-town lifestyle of Innisfil and protect the natural environmental setting,” McSweeney said. “People enjoy the fact they can drive through the farm fields and be near Lake Simcoe. Also, Innisfil’s physical location within the province is important – the proximity to Hwy. 400, the GTA and Barrie and the GO train.
“We are living in very challenging economic times,” said consultant Gord Hume. “We need to get the federal and provincial governments to understand it is our towns and cities where economic prosperity occurs. Our current federal government does not have an urban agenda at all. The challenge is to build your town into an attractive place for entrepreneurs and innovators.”
Hume stated, “We are in a ‘CRINK’ (Creative, Innovative, Knowledge based) economy. It is where most of the new jobs will come from. Wealth creation is now a fundamental goal of local governments. Hope is not an economic development strategy.”
Innisfil, Hume added, “is a community in transition. Canada’s face is changing. Today, 80 per cent of new immigrants go to Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver. This will change. Innisfil will not be immune. Diversity is a strength.”
Since being designated a “Town” 20 years ago, Innisfil has undergone “a shift from agricultural to rural to a small town,” Hume said. “This will keep occurring. There are real opportunities to build art and cultural activities within Innisfil.”
To date, the feedback received by the consulting team reveals Innisfil suffers from a “lack of identity and an inward focus on its communities,” Hume said. “There is also a lack of connectivity between communities and a lack of external relationships with Queen’s Park or Ottawa. There is no visible ‘heart’ or downtown in Innisfil and there are many conflicting views as to growth.”
Many of the residents surveyed spoke of their “lack of confidence and trust in the Town’s administration and elected representatives,” he added. “There’s a strong sense of the lack of public input in decision making.”
Advancing public transportation and business development, not only along Hwy 400 but the Yonge Street corridor is important to many residents, too.
Hiring an economic development officer was advocated time and time again in the break out groups’ reports, the consultants noted. In addition, Town staff needs to receive training to deliver a consistent message to the public as well.
At the day’s conclusion, Mayor-elect Barb Baguley said the goal of the Inspiring Innisfil initiative “is fabulous. It gives ownership to the people to help guide council.”
Coun. Rod Boynton added, “Innisfil needs to find its identity. It was rural but quickly is becoming urban. To have a summit like this is wonderful because it comes from the people, not council or our staff. I think people really rose to the challenge. I’m proud of them.”
McSweeney said the day was “like the pinnacle of the public consultation process. We’ve had the key thought leaders of Innisfil come in and reach for the future. This will provide the fuel that allows us to develop a strategy.”

 

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