Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall, along with Deputy Mayor Robert Thomson, defended the city’s current draft land-for-services annexation plan at a fiery Township of Springwater public council meeting.
Nuttall, Thomson and Barrie’s chief administrative officer Michael Prowse attended the meeting where Nuttall outlined key principles of the proposed land deal. He highlighted water servicing, compensation, joint planning, economic development, healthcare collaboration, phased-in taxes, recreation access for Springwater residents, and a review of Alectra’s service area.
Nuttall said he looks forward to discussing next steps with the Ontario government once a final plan is in place.
“In terms of the provincial process we’ve been involved in — where does this leave that? I think the answer is that once we’ve completed all the work together, we can then go back to the folks at the province,” he said.
During the meeting, most Springwater council members skipped their chance to question Nuttall about the land deal, opting instead to air their grievances and voice disapproval of the draft agreement directly to Nuttall and Springwater Mayor Jennifer Coughlin.
“Anyone can call it a compensation package, but for anyone who has read it, it’s a raw deal,” said Coun. Phil Fisher.
“Springwater residents quickly recognize that this erodes our tax base, robs us of future potential, and hurts Springwater as a whole. I’m not about to sell out Springwater for parking passes.”
Springwater Deputy Mayor George Cabral said he doesn’t believe the deal serves the best interests of Springwater residents.
“At the end of the day, this is, in my opinion, a terrible deal proposal for the residents of Springwater Township. They are the owners of Springwater, not me — I don’t have the right to give away their land,” he said.
Cabral reviewed the annexation timeline from its proposal in late 2023 to the present, stating the current draft deal came as a surprise. He emphasized that the plan feels more like an agreement between Nuttall and Coughlin than the result of a collaborative discussion and that all data regarding next steps hasn’t been submitted yet.
“Why and how— and I’ll look to Mayor Coughlin, who is also the deputy warden of Simcoe — was the county informed that this was going to happen in any way, shape, or form, or were they left out of the loop?” he said.
“Did you open a Pandora’s Box before a Pandora’s Box should have been opened?”
In response, Coughlin said she has been in continuous communication with the county.
“Yes, I have been in constant communication with the county, but as you know, when we wear dual hats, I wear my Springwater hat first,” she said.
“The decision to come to the table with the City of Barrie was made in the best interest of the Township of Springwater. When that decision was made, I met with the Warden and the CAO. Since then, planning staff have been in constant communication.”
Coun. Danielle Alexander said she believes there hasn’t been enough transparency and questioned the need for a presentation to Springwater council.
“My thoughts on this, with respect to the facilitation process, are that it was something unanimously agreed to by the County of Simcoe, Oro-Medonte, and Barrie,” she said.
“I struggle with using the facilitation process as a reason why we couldn’t be open with our residents, because all it would have taken was for us to have a discussion and tell the facilitators that we wanted to be transparent — but we never did that. So, we didn’t need a presentation from the City of Barrie or to go off to make a side deal.”
In 2024, a provincial facilitator was appointed to help guide discussions between the municipalities. Nuttall said while several conversations have taken place, efforts were made to discuss further negotiations.
“Regarding the conversations that have taken place over the past couple of years, we’ve had many discussions,” he said.
“At one point, we had to work through a facilitator. Then, with the introduction of the strong mayor structure, we made several attempts to arrange meetings, negotiations, and meaningful dialogue. These efforts resumed after your council voted to have Mayor Coughlin meet with me.”
In the current draft deal, 4,373 acres of Springwater land is proposed to be added to Barrie for future housing and jobs — a deal modeled after the 2024 St. Thomas–Central Elgin agreement.
