The provincial government says the City of Barrie should make the decision on the future of the old fairgrounds site.
Housing Minister Paul Calandra told Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall in a letter that decisions on rezoning the property, located at 175 and 199 Essa Road and 50 Wood Street, for more housing should be made locally. This comes despite Barrie city council asking the province to take over the decision.
In response to Nuttall, Calandra noted that the Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator or CIHA tool was removed in April 2024 through new legislation. Barrie’s request was then reviewed to see if it qualified for a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO), based on municipal support.
In March 2024, city council approved a CIHA plan to build thousands of homes on the 55.3-acre site. The development includes over 4000 residences, commercial plazas, a new school, with towers up to 40 storeys, along with various sized townhomes.
The Simcoe County and Simcoe Muskoka Catholic school boards jointly requested 12
acres to accommodate new schools. However, only six acres have been allocated.
Nuttall expressed his hope that the request to the province would provide clearer guidance on the next steps and plans for the school sites.
“It is unfortunate that the province has sent this back to us without providing the decision needed on school board usage of the site, or stating how much of the site should be used by the school boards,” he said.
He added, “Given that the school boards and Ministry of Education need to determine the size of the lot required prior to additional work taking place, we are asking the province to provide a definitive answer prior to this moving forward.”
Coun. Jim Harris, who represents the area, said he wasn’t surprised the development was returned to the city but stressed the importance of getting the site developed properly.
“After the province removed the CIHA tool, I was not surprised this was returned to us,” he said. “The fairgrounds site is approaching two decades of being significantly underutilized, so there is a lot of interest in this site being developed. This site is also viewed by many as a gateway site to Barrie that has a unique and rich heritage.”
Coun. Sergio Morales said that with the project back under the city’s control, residents will be able to voice their concerns.
“There’s plenty of time for residents to make their concerns clear,” he said.
Nuttall said that thoughtfully developing the project is crucial to addressing the needs of the community.
“It is important that the site is developed, but more than anything, that it is developed in the right way for the people of Barrie,” he said.
