County Council supports expanding Innisfil heights on to farmand

By Kate Harries AWARE News Network August 29 2012

Simcoe County Council has voted 21-9 in favour of supporting a 65-hectare expansion of the Innisfil Heights employment lands between the 7th and 5th lines. (Details of recorded vote below.)

The area, between the presently designated employment lands and the 5th line, includes Class 2 farmland owned by developers, councillors heard in a presentation from senior Innisfil staff. The proposed servicing route is along the 6th line. The expansion is based on a vision of Highway 400 as Simcoe County’s “main street”, lined with development.

Council was told that while the intent is to ensure that Innisfil Heights will be primarily industrial and not retail, shopping centre developer SmartCentre has already purchased land south of Innisfil Beach Road on the west site of the highway. 

AWARE Simcoe rejects  the highway employment lands vision because it paves over precious agricultural land, undermines the complete communities concept the province once promoted, and increases commuting. Instead, employment should be located in vacant industrial land in the seven primary settlement areas designated by the province.

Innisfil Mayor Barb Baguley said the expansion is “incredibly important to us.” One of the reasons is financial – the cost of installing infrastructure to bring water from Lake Simcoe and take waste water back for treatment is estimated at $65 million. The larger area will make it possible to recoup those costs from employers who locate there, Baguley said.

Bradford West Gwillimbury Deputy Mayor Rob Keffer expressed concern about the loss of farmland, asking whether other less valuable land is available. He also questioned Innisfil’s ability to borrow such a large amount (the province sets limits on a municipality’s borrowing, based on the amount of taxes it brings in).

New Tecumseth Mayor Mike MacEachern said he shares Keffer’s concerns and has his own reservations about the process. “I see us presupposing this is the best expansion area,” he said. 

MacEachern worried that the county – and therefore other municipalities – could end up contributing towards the infrastructure costs and proposed an amendment stating that would not happen. The amendment failed in a 16-14 vote.

Bradford West Gwillimbury Mayor Doug White, a strong supporter of the proposed expansion, said the amendment was moot because infrastructure costs are the responsibility of lower-tier municipalities. However, he noted, the county will be responsible for expanding its roads to support the employment lands.

AWARE Simcoe has objected to the county’s road plans, as outlined in its Official Plan, and proposes that public transit must be the first priority. 

Essa Mayor Terry Dowdall said that “to take good farmland at this moment without anything concrete, I don’t think it’s desirable.” He pointed out that Essa has industrial land available, serviced by a rail line. 

But most councillors agreed with Collingwood Deputy Mayor Rick Lloyd who argued that people from his municipality would be glad to drive to Innisfil if there are jobs there. 

The expansion was authorized by the last Innisfil Council under Official Plan Amendent 1 in 2009 and endorsed by the last County Council that year.

It was appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board by the provincial government.

Innisfil hopes that with county support, it can persuade the province to allow the expansion and withdraw the appeal.  It intends to enlist the support of Provincial Development Facilitator Paula Dill in resolving the issue.

County council voted 21-9 (weighted vote 80-31) in favour of a motion affirming support for the expanded employment lands. 

YEAS: Kramp (Midland); Lawrence (Tiny); Lloyd (Collingwood);  Marshall (Penetanguishene); McKay (Midland); McLean (Springwater); Patterson (Wasaga Beach); Rawson (Tay); Savage (Clearview): Warnock (Tay); 

White (BWG); Baguley (Innisfil); Burkett (Severn); Clarke (Ramara); Cooper (Collingwood); Collins (Springwater); Davidson (Innisfil); Duffy (Rama); Ferguson (Clearview); Hough (Oro-Medonte); Hughes (Oro-Medonte).

NAYS:  Macdonald (Essa); MacEachern (New Tecumseth); Marion (Penetanguishene); Millar (Tiny); Milne (New Tecumseth); Small Brett (Adjala-Tosorontio); Walsh (Adjala-Tosorontio); Dowdall (Essa); Keffer (BWG)

Cox (Severn) and Foster (Wasaga Beach) were absent.