Residents had their say on Orillia's looming boundary expansion plans at a public forum Wednesday night.
A public open house at Orillia City Centre detailed the city’s land needs assessment, technical land evaluation, in addition to its intensification and greenfield density targets.
The city has its eyes on acquiring more than 280 hectares of land currently belonging to Orillia’s neighbouring townships to accommodate future growth in population and jobs through the year 2051.
As of 2021, Orillia’s population sat at 35,320 with 18,540 available jobs, according to information presented Wednesday. It’s projected that in 2051 there will be a population of 49,420 in Orillia, raising the workforce to 26,200 employees.
The province's Growth Plan requires the city to determine the feasibility of expansion beyond its borders and identify the most appropriate location(s). The city and its consultants have pinpointed pockets of Oro-Medonte and Severn Townships as potential growth areas.
The open house garnered interest from concerned citizens from both Orillia and its surrounding locales, with nearly 240 registrants — 50 of whom attended in person, while another 100 or so listened in virtually via Zoom. The consultants, including representatives from WSP Canada and Hemson Consulting, attended the event virtually.
Residents from Orillia's surrounding townships raised a number of concerns and some, like Oro-Medonte farmer Jacob Keary-Moreland, offered suggestions.
Keary-Moreland stated that in the report, much of the proposed annexed land was designated for recreational and employment uses. Most of that land is currently farmland. He suggested that these farms are capable of creating a community farm which could help Orillians counteract the skyrocketing prices at the grocery store.
One resident from Severn Township was adamant that people from the neighbouring townships are not interested in being “from Orillia.” The resident contended the city should choose an option which includes intensification within Orillia rather than expansion outside its current boundaries.
This option would see building Orillia up and not ou and would require more residential areas which would necessitate taller apartment and condo buildings than Orillia residents are used to. The citizen said that is “not going to be a concern for the residents of Orillia in 2051.”
Many Orillia residents attending on Zoom and in person raised concerns about the environmental ramifications of Orillia’s growth plan. Citizens cited contamination possibilities in local watersheds, wetlands and other protected areas.
“Environmental features — wetlands etcetera — are avoided entirely by the plan," said Greg Bender, of WSP Canada Inc.
“All areas were analyzed for their ability to be connected to the city’s infrastructure, emergency services, and water systems without affecting environmental features," said Bender.
Most of the attendees at the open house simply wanted to see the plan mapped out and were looking for a better understanding of what the future entails for their city and its neighbours.
The report produced by WSP Canada Inc. and all information regarding this annexation process can be found on the city’s website here.
Tuesday's open house is "part of a series of public consultations with respect to the city's land needs assessment and settlement area boundary expansion projects, which are part of the broader provincially required municipal comprehensive review,” said Ian Sugden, the city's general manager of development services and engineering.
“As we prepare for the long-term growth of Orillia, we want to hear from all stakeholders," Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac said in an earlier news release.
"This is the future of our community and the decisions made about the intensification and greenfield density targets will shape the type of housing available and the size of our growth in Orillia over the next 30 years. Help us plan for the city’s future by giving us your input,” he said.
Members of the public can submit written comments by email with the subject line 'boundary expansion' until July 17.
This process began in 2018 when the city began a municipal comprehensive review and technical land evaluation to study and identify the most suitable locations for growth from a planning perspective to accommodate projected growth to the year 2051.
The review process to date has also included updating the city’s land needs assessment to identify how much land Orillia will need to accommodate its forecasted population and jobs growth if various ranges of intensification rates and greenfield densities were to be pursued.
