Let Midhurst Secondary Plan Stay in Limbo

Letter to the Springwater News

The Midhurst Landowners Group hosted a second community information meeting at the County museum on March 25^th.  The presenters seemed sincere, professional and well-intentioned.  I overheard one of them say, “We are excited about being a part of your community.”  With all due respect, they weren’t invited by the citizens, and they want to be much more than a part of the community – they want to change it profoundly.

The Midhurst Secondary Plan was quickly rushed through Springwater Council when Tony Guergis was mayor; it was later ratified at the County level with the support of both Mayor Collins and Deputy Mayor McLean. However, long before  that happened, the people of Midhurst had made it clear to their elected representatives at a public meeting on March 30, 2006 that they did not want to see their village grow much beyond 5,000 people over the next two decades.

As well, the Springwater  Growth policy developed in 2004 was to increase the population in the Township by no more than 6,500 across the whole of the Township (not just Midhurst) over a twenty year period.  Also, Section 18 of the Township’s Official Plan then and today indicates that Springwater wants to preserve its rural character, prevent uncontrolled growth, and prevent the intrusion of land uses which are not compatible with rural activities.  Furthermore, those who want to preserve first-class farmland also object to the fact that most of the Midhurst Secondary Plan would be built on prime farmland.  Finally, there are many people concerned about the impact of wastewater from a large subdivision on Willow Creek and the Minesing Wetlands.

The presenters were asked where the jobs would come from for the people who might buy the proposed homes. There was not a clear and confident answer to this question; one presenter argued that employers will be attracted to a community if they know there are homes for their potential workers.   This seems like a bit of a gamble to me, a case of just have faith – if we build the homes, the jobs will follow.

Geranium is one of the corporations involved in the Midhurst Secondary Plan.  It is also involved in similar projects in Big Bay Point, Bond Head and Hillsdale.  The Hillsdale subdivision plans were approved by the Township six years ago, but no development has happened since.  On April 9^th, the Midhurst Landowners Group intends to ask the Ontario Municipal Board to make Springwater Township re-zone the lands they want to build on from agricultural to residential.   The developers’  attempt to get subdivision approval through the OMB represents an attempt to do an “end run” around the Township’s  planning authority, i.e. they don’t want to work with the Township, but rather are taking the legal approach where they have an advantage because they can outspend the Township through their expensive lawyers and planners.

With the possibility that this mega-development could remain in limbo because the Ontario economy is not growing, I say what’s the rush?   Let the land stay zoned as agricultural now.  There’s no urgency to create a new city.

Katy Austin,

Elmvale