Barrie, Springwater, Oro-Medonte mayors react to Boundary Adjustment Act

Negotiations between Barrie and Springwater Twp. boundary changes are making headway thanks to provincial approval.

The Barrie Oro-Medonte Springwater Boundary Adjustment Act provides a practical framework to realign local municipality boundaries so growth can be planned and delivered.

If passed, the legislation would transfer lands from the townships of Oro-Medonte and Springwater into the city of Barrie to support long-term housing, employment, and infrastructure growth.

Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall said it was a key point during the last election campaign.

“We wouldn’t let artificial lines on a map determine whether people have jobs in Barrie or not and too many of our people are driving to Toronto every day or jumping on the Go Train,” said Nuttall. “We need to make sure we have a completely wholesome community here.”

“It can’t be what we’ve done in years past where we’ve seen massive residential growth with no job growth,” Nuttall continued. “So we need to make sure this is a balanced approach going forward so folks who live here have jobs, can stay here, and those who are moving here can also have jobs here.”

Between Oro and Springwater, more than 4,100 acres would be transferred to the city of Barrie.

Springwater Mayor Jennifer Coughlin reaffirmed the partnership between her and her neighbours.

“It’s actually been a partnership since day one. The goal was always like we said: prosperity for both communities,” said Coughlin. “And any time that there’s ever been a need for compromise, we’ve always found that common ground and that’s evident in the framework that we provided.”

It has not been all smooth sailing as public engagement sessions have shown strong opinions against the boundary change.

Springwater township missed the province’s deadline to reach a deal by challenging the mayor’s strong powers to negotiate an agreement.

“This has been a very long path, that’s always had the goal of having prosperity in both municipalities and now that we get to follow a framework agreement, it provides opportunity for both Springwater and Barrie to win,” said Coughlin.

Oro-Medonte voted on an agreement last month but both it and the County of Simcoe have voiced some concerns with the proposed change.

In a statement to CTV News, Simcoe County Warden Basil Clarke said the county has made their position known but looks forward to the province providing further support to address the entire region’s needs for the future.

The township of Oro-Medonte is sharing similar sentiments.

“We want to put some protections in place to ensure that those lands are only used for community, commercial and residential, which is what aligns with what the facilitation consultants suggested all along,” said Oro-Medonte Mayor Randy Greenlaw.

If the act is approved, the province said the legislation would clear the way for more than 8,000 new homes.

One area that has not been made clear is compensation, something that the leaders are paying attention to.

If the act passes through Queens Park, it is expected to take affect on Jan. 1, 2026.