City of Barrie Boundary Expansion Request

On November 6, 2023, City of Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall made a presentation to the Provincial Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure & Cultural Policy, Regional Governance, and Bill 124, that included a proposal to expand the boundaries of the City of Barrie into the Township of Oro-Medonte. In the presentation, Mayor Nuttall outlined the expansion is required to accommodate additional employment needs of the City to allow existing employers to expand and grow their footprint, stating the City currently does not have sufficient land to accommodate these needs. On November 8, 2023, Mayor Nuttall made the same presentation to Oro-Medonte Council.

The requested municipal boundary expansion would include lands east of Penetanguishene Road, south of Gore Road, west of Line 1 South and north of the Shanty Bay rural settlement area. The area comprises approximately 772 hectares (1,907.65 acres) of land and consists of active farmland and environmentally sensitive features.

GIS map showing proposed land expansion in red bordering the City of Barrie.

City of Barrie Proposed Expansion Area

In addition to the City of Barrie’s boundary request that would impact Oro-Medonte, the City has also requested a municipal boundary adjustment that would impact the Township of Springwater.

Township of Oro-Medonte Council does not support the City of Barrie’s proposed municipal boundary expansion as presented, but indicated that it is prepared to work with the City to find an amicable solution to address the City’s employment land needs based on a comprehensive planning process, that is in the best interests of Oro-Medonte, the Township of Springwater, the City of Barrie, the County of Simcoe, and the Province of Ontario.

In response to a request from the City of Barrie for assistance from the office of the Provincial Land Development Facilitator, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing has assigned the Deputy Provincial Land and Development Facilitator to assist with discussions between the Township of Oro-Medonte, Township of Springwater, City of Barrie, and the County of Simcoe. The purpose of these facilitated discussions is to develop mutually acceptable approaches to enable growth in the broader region, while fulfilling local objectives, and implementing Provincial priorities such as the creation of housing and employment in the vicinity of Barrie/Oro-Medonte and Barrie/Springwater.

On June 13, 2024, Mayor Greenlaw, Mayor Coughlin, Mayor Nuttall, and County Warden Clarke issued a statement regarding discussions pertaining to the City of Barrie’s boundary expansion request.

As the process moves forward to address the City of Barrie’s boundary expansion request, updates will be included here. To remain informed of additional/new information, please refer back to this dedicated webpage.

For detailed background information, you are encouraged to review the material provided below.