Two Barrie-area municipalities at the centre of the region’s boundary adjustment debate are set to receive strong mayor powers from the province.
The townships of Oro-Medonte and Springwater are among the 169 additional municipalities that will receive the power starting on May 1.
The province says the move will allow the municipalities to more easily “deliver on provincial priorities, such as building more homes, transit and other infrastructure across Ontario.”
Strong mayors can unilaterally name chief administrative officers, hire and fire department managers, directly assign work to staff, appoint chairs of council committees, create committees and veto some bylaws, among other powers.
The powers can only be extended to councils of six members of more, and were originally introduced for Toronto and Ottawa in 2022, but have since rolled out to 45 additional municipalities.
“Heads of Council are key partners in our efforts to build homes and infrastructure across the province,” said Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack in a statement.
“By extending strong mayor powers to these additional municipalities, we are providing mayors every tool at our disposal to empower them to get homes and infrastructure built faster. Mayors know their municipalities best, and we support them in taking bold actions for their communities.”
The move comes as a proposed expansion of Barrie’s boundaries has divided local municipalities.
Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall says expansion is needed to bring more industry to the city, and facilitate the construction of new housing.
But the boundary adjustment has faced opposition from neighbouring Oro-Medonte and Springawter, which would both stand to lose land.
A recent report from a consultant, which was commissioned by all the municipalities involved and the County of Simcoe, said Barrie has a “relatively strong” argument to annex lands from Oro-Medonte and Springwater to allow for “community/employment area uses,” as opposed to simply absorbing “employment” lands.
The city would need an additional 2,298 acres of usable land if it follows “typical suburban density” as outlined by the province, and that land in Oro-Medonte shouldn’t exclusively be slated for commercial development but rather should be a blend of community and employment areas, according to the report.
Oro-Medonte, however, lacks the capacity to serve significant new developments, and wants Barrie to step in and provide servicing.
Nuttall said that Barrie, unlike its neighbours, has the infrastructure needed to service new developments, and it wouldn’t make logistical and financial sense to have those lands not within the city’s borders. He projects the boundary expansion could bring 20,000 jobs over 20 years.
