Provincial Power Grab

On April 9th, the province extended Strong Mayor Powers to another 169 municipalities, effective May 1st. This means that 14 of 16 municipalities in Simcoe County now have SMPs. It is clear that the PC party thinks it easier to control 169 heads of council than a majority of independently elected councillors.

But the province claims the expansion of these powers is to “help municipalities deliver on priorities like building homes” – where has any talk of this been from these Strong Mayors, almost two months later?

Special Meeting of Council

In April, in a rare move, a special meeting of Orillia’s city council was called to discuss Mayor McIsaac’s SMPs through a petition from six of the eight ward councillors.

Councillors Durnford, Fallis, Lauer, Czetwerzuk, Leatherdale and Campbell signed the petition. Councillors Cipolla and Smith did not sign the petition (though Cipolla told OrilliaMatters he would have signed the petition).

Coun. Durnford said the point of the meeting was to “determine what our response is to Mayor McIsaac’s actions using the strong mayor powers. It will be to discuss what our strategy will be and to pass a motion,” she said.

On Tuesday, April, 15, that meeting happened – well, sort of. Approximately 100 people jammed into the council chamber for the special meeting. The meeting was supposed to be attended by “external legal counsel” to help council wade through the implications of recent decisions, but no legal counsel was able to attend the meeting. As a result, the meeting became a procedural and technical mess and Mayor and Council decided to postpone it until a lawyer could be present.

For unsatisfactory reasons, the city staff were unable to livestream this important public meeting. Luckily, we were able to record most of it which we have uploaded to the Green Orillia YouTube channel:

An Amicable Settlement Deal?

On May 20, an article came out that the City and Trevor Lee (the CAO that McIsaac fired) reached an ‘amicable’ and ‘confidential’ settlement deal.

As no details are being released publicly, Orillia taxpayers may never know the cost of Mayor McIsaac’s decision to use strong mayor powers to rescind hiring of CAO (although some determined sleuths may deduce a range from upcoming budgets – the money must come from somewhere).

Oh the Irony!

In a separate local drama, Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital has moved to eliminate two long-standing ex-officio positions on its board of directors — one held by the City of Orillia and the other by Royal Canadian Legion Branch 34.

Mayor Don McIsaac — who currently serves on the board as the city’s voting representative – was quoted in the paper about the move. He is now raising concerns about transparency and eroding public trust. How ironic! Dear Mayor: why is authoritarianism good for Orillia but not for our hospital?

“Maybe the hospital was using their Strong Hospital Board Powers,” some quipped in comment sections.

Rescheduled Special Meeting of Council is THIS Thursday!

The City of Orillia invites residents to participate in the special council meeting this Thursday, June 26th at 6:30 pm in the council chamber of the Orillia City Centre, 50 Andrew St. S.

The session will focus on recent legislative changes that grant strong mayor powers and their application and implementation within Orillia. The meeting will feature a presentation by a lawyer.

A dedicated public engagement section will follow the presentation, providing community members the opportunity to share input on strong mayor powers and their implementation in Orillia. In-person speakers will be invited to form a line at the council chamber podium. Individuals attending virtually who wish to address council must register no later than 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 26.

Have you signed the Strong Voter Pledge?

In the wake of this debacle, we started a STRONG VOTER PLEDGE!

We, the undersigned residents of Orillia, affirm our commitment not to support or vote for any mayoral candidate or council candidates in the 2026 Municipal Election unless they publicly pledge to reject and never use SMPs.

To put this in perspective:
In the 2022 municipal election, 8,486 people voted for mayor.
Of those, 4,861 votes (57.28%) went to Don McIsaac.

If we can gather just 500 signatures, we would be on track to erode over 10 per cent of his previous support—and send a strong message to every future candidate that SMPs are a political liability in Orillia.

Every signature matters. Every pledge chips away at the mandate of unchecked power.

The Need for Fresh Leadership

In a historic grassroots win, New York City just elected Zohran Mamdani as their Democratic nominee for Mayor, a 33-year old democratic socialist who ran an inspiring campaign on a platform of rent freezes, affordable homes, no-cost childcare, fast and free buses, and city-owned supermarkets. This is the kind of energy we need in local politics right here in Canada.

Ontario’s next Municipal Elections are on October 26th, 2026, with candidate filings opening in May. Whether you’re thinking about running for mayor, councillor, or school board trustee—or simply want to support someone who is—now’s the time to start planning, organizing, and connecting with friends and local groups to get involved.

On Saturday March 22nd, we hosted the 12th annual Orillia Seedy Saturday at the Orillia Public Library. Seedy Saturday is an event where local farmers and gardeners connect to trade and share open pollinated, organic, heritage seeds.

This event was in collaboration with Green Orillia, Orillia Public Library, Orillia Farmers’ Market, Mariposa Pollinators, Monarch Squad, Orillia Horticultural Society, and Lakehead Orillia Farm Lab.

If you missed out on the event, we gave the seed library a good restock, and it can be accessed year-round on the second floor of the Orillia Public Library

About the Orillia Seed Library: Orillia Community Gardens and the Orillia Public Library partnered in the spring of 2013 to launch this ever growing public collection of seeds integrated within the public library system, schools and community gardens. An effort to gather, organize and freely share seeds and knowledge to realize seed and food sovereignty and promote diversity.

Garbage Cleanup

On Saturday April 19th, we hosted our 5th annual spring garbage cleanup. This year it was in partnership with the Orillia Naturalists’ Club and the Orillia Lighthouse!

Our community has endured a lot this winter – from unprecedented levels of snowfall, to a major structure fire downtown, to a historic ice storm – we came together to clean up, check in on each other, and show our city some love.

We met at the ‘Peace Park Gazebo’ in Veterans’ Memorial Park (beside the Skatepark), where we had a community discussion, identified high-priority clean up areas, and then split off into groups to clean up while some folks stay back to help sort the waste as it comes in!

We totalled 47 total participants and 200kg of trash / 60 bags collected!

While we hold these events for community building and to show that it’s ordinary people who come together to keep our communities clean & safe, we must keep our focus on the root of the issue: big polluting corporations and lack of government regulation. Litter should be tackled at the source, and the real solution is a zero-waste society and holding corporations responsible.

Let’s take a step back…

On February 21st, during the 2025 Ontario snap election, our Mayor of Orillia, Don McIsaac, endorsed Progressive Conservative candidate Jill Dunlop. McIsaac was one of an unprecedented number of Mayors to have endorsed and campaigned for the ruling party.

When media requested a follow up from McIsaac stemming from public backlash to the violation of this democratic norm, he declared “no comment”. This lack of transparency would mark the start of a new era for democracy in Orillia. Citizens, long used to “no comment” from provincial and federal members of parliament on critical issues, were rightfully disturbed to see such an attitude overtaking our local democracy. If Dunlop/Ford were so great, why not take the opportunity to explain this endorsement? Why no comment? What was offered or threatened to make way for such mayoral endorsements?

Fast forward to March 30th…

An historic ice storm gripped the entire region, leaving 35,000 residents of Orillia without power (and tens of thousands more in the surrounding Townships and First Nation). People were freezing, starving, basements were flooding. Hydro One called it the most severe weather event it has faced since the ice storm of 1998.

While Mayor McIsaac was vacationing in Florida, Councillor Tim Lauer declared a State of Emergency for the City of Orillia.

Then came the Strong Mayor Powers…

While many Orillians remained without power – the Mayor’s power surged. On April 3rd, 2025, in response to Mayor McIsaac’s request as head of council for Strong Mayor Powers (SMPs) to “help manage the significant impacts and power outages within the municipality resulting from recent ice storms,” Minister Flack wrote a letter to Mayor McIsaac granting Strong Mayor Powers, to remain effective until June 30, 2025.

Nothing could have prepared us for what came next

On April 7, 2025, just 4 days after being granted the SMPs, Mayor McIsaac told Council in a letter that he is using his SMPs to rescind the appointment of Trevor Lee as the new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of Orillia. Lee was scheduled to start April 14th. Instead, Mayor McIsaac used his SMPs to appoint the city’s current deputy CAO/solicitor, Amanpreet Singh Sidhu, as the new CAO, effective immediately.

SMPS & Sidestepping democracy

The dangers of Strong Mayor Powers are clear. Allowing a single individual to override council decisions and make unilateral appointments erodes municipal democratic governance. They strip power from citizens and their duly elected councillors midway into their term —councilors who represent the diverse voices of our community—and concentrate authority in one office, often behind closed doors. This top-down authoritarian style of governance reduces collaboration, transparency, accountability, and encourages impulsive, politically motivated decisions that may not reflect the public interest.

Worse still, these powers are part of Premier Doug Ford’s broader, anti-democratic agenda—a calculated effort to sidestep local democracy and centralize control under the guise of “efficiency.”

Like Ford’s Greenbelt scandal, Strong Mayor Powers have nothing to do with housing – the capitalist housing crisis is a pre-text to further concentrate power in the hands of his wealthy and well-connected friends. We don’t want a dictatorship, we want democracy.

So many issues and questions…

Mayor McIsaac’s rationale for shockingly rescinding the CAO job offer to Trevor Lee remains a mystery and likely remain one as it is now a confidential legal matter. Mr. Lee had no role in the city’s response to the ice storm emergency. He had undergone a thorough recruitment process and was determined by council to be the best candidate for the job. He even quit his old job as the Deputy CAO for Guelph, listed his house for sale and began his on-boarding as Orillia CAO. Mayor McIsaac was quoted in support of his appointment less than a month ago. What changed? Confident in his ability to avoid public scrutiny, McIsaac hung up abruptly on local media when pressed to explain.

Mayor McIsaac admitted in the April 7th Council Meeting that Deputy CAO/City Solicitor Amanpreet Singh Sidhu was actually out of the country during the emergency. If this was an act in response to the state of emergency why appoint someone to CAO who is not even here? This move obviously had no connection to the emergency, which was the justification for the SMP in the first place. As City Solicitor Mr. Sidhu apparently accepted this obvious scandalous appointment, despite the council division, community uproar and potentially costly legal implications that would result. This raises additional questions regarding Mr. Sidhu’s character, judgement and loyalties and his ability to command the trust and respect of over 200 city workers. This kind of controversy is the last thing Orillia needs as we recover from this emergency amid all the ongoing struggles we face.

No Need for Orillia SMPs

The provincial Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act sets the rules for such emergencies. It says that every municipality, by law, has to have an emergency plan in place.

When a municipality declares an emergency the Act says: “The head of council of a municipality may declare that an emergency exists in the municipality or in any part thereof and may take such action and make such orders as he or she considers necessary and are not contrary to law to implement the emergency plan of the municipality and to protect property and the health, safety and welfare of the inhabitants of the emergency area.“

There seems to be nothing the Mayor did during the ice storm that he could not have done under this act.

Further, the intent of SMPs under provincial legislation is to address provincial priorities specific to the creation of housing. What does the ice storm emergency have to do with the creation of housing?

April 7th Council Meeting

Orillia City Councillors put Mayor McIsaac on the hot seat at the April 7th Council Meeting.  When asked to explain himself, he was vague and could not provide a single specific example to support his actions (presumably because he doesn’t have anything specific to provide).

We saw the Mayor full mask off in this meeting. The way he spoke to his fellow colleagues, talked down to them, evaded accountability, bullied, and used a degrading and sarcastic tone countless times. This is not the kind of behaviour that should be tolerated in any workplace, especially our city centre. We would recommend watching the whole thing on the City of Orillia’s YouTube, beginning around the 3 hour and 6 minute mark.

Political Opportunism in Times of Crisis

Councillor Jay Fallis rightly pointed out to Mayor McIsaac that his request for SMPs is a political move during a time of crisis. The Mayor’s bid for SMPs during Orillia’s ice storm isn’t just tone-deaf—it’s straight out of Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine playbook. In the chaos of a city-wide power outage and a declared state of emergency, when residents are cold, vulnerable, and looking for leadership, the mayor is seizing the moment—not to unify, but to consolidate power.

Klein warned us about this exact tactic: using moments of public disorientation to fast-track political agendas that would otherwise spark outrage. Councillor Jay Fallis is right to sound the alarm—this isn’t just a sidebar, it’s a power grab cloaked in crisis. While the city tree canopy will regrow from this devastation – can we say the same for our democracy?

Thank you to these 7 councillors…

We thank the 7 out of 8 council members (Councillors Durnford, Leatherdale, Czetwerzuk, Fallis, Campbell, Lauer, and Cipolla) who voted yes on a motion prepared by Councillor Durnford calling on the Minister to rescind Mayor McIsaac’s SMPs, effective immediately. Ward 1 Councillor Whitney Smith was the only councillor who voted no to this, siding with Mayor McIsaac’s corruption.

Councillor Durnford called for a recorded vote, which begins at the 3 hour and 55 minute mark.

Call to Action

We have initiated an Orillia Strong Mayor Powers Petition & Voter Pledge, sign below! (Or click here to open in new window)

Ahead of the meeting, Stop Sprawl Orillia had sent a written submission to Council, signed on by seven of our organizational partners, with our recommendations (see our last post for this)

The good, the bad, and the questionable

Council voted for our preferred density target (Option 1 – a Minimum Average Density Target of 47 units per net hectare in Strategic Growth Areas). The minimum building height will be 3 storeys to a maximum of 12 storeys. The only types of development permitted in the boundary expansion will be in the form of Stacked Townhouses, Back-to-Back Townhouses, Multiple Dwellings and Apartments. This means no single-detached houses aka NO SPRAWL!

Council voted against Councillor Fallis’ motion for a 50 metre natural heritage buffer on all new developments. We have since heard that there have been some encouraging conversations amongst Council around the reintroduction of this 50 metre buffer.

Council voted for the maximum lands required for boundary expansion out of the new options (Option 3 – 195 hectares or 481 acres). Councillor Durnford explained that this approach was intended to avoid having to repeat the lengthy and costly boundary expansion process in 10–15 years. The rationale was that, by planning for a larger land base now (while maintaining the higher densification targets) and by pairing it with strong natural heritage buffer protections, the City could better guide how this land is developed over time. Councillor Durnford also expressed confidence in City planning staff and in the planning process to ensure the lands are developed responsibly, noting that this approach could save both time and public money in the long run.

What the boundary expansion means

The fact that Council voted for the maximum lands required for boundary expansion out of the new options is not inherently bad. Along with higher-density housing forms, the expansion lands will be used for jobs, recreation, and schools. It is up to us to stay engaged in this process and ensure that the city develops these expansion lands in a way that is equitable, sustainable, community-driven, safe, dignified, affordable, and protects natural features.

It is important to remember that the original boundary expansion proposal, way back in 2021, was for 939 acres of land! Through sustained advocacy, engagement, and pressure, we are now at a place where the city is expanding the boundary by nearly half that amount, and has chosen a density target that allows for no urban sprawl. This is a huge win and a testament to the power of grassroots organizing!

The council meeting can be watched in its entirety here and the OrilliaMatters article can be found here.

An archive of the history of the Stop Sprawl Orillia campaign can be found here.

Thanks to your sustained advocacy, the original proposal to annex 939 acres has been reduced by half—a huge win. Not only that, but we have sparked a critical discussion about the affordability, sustainability, and livability of our city for generations to come.

Please read Stop Sprawl Orillia’s official statement here.

The options are as follows:

It has been over one year of Israel’s assault on Gaza, which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled is a plausible case of genocide, and human rights organizations Amnesty International and the United Nations have concluded is a genocide.

Canada is the 17th largest exporter of military goods in the world and is the second biggest weapons supplier to the Middle East region. Canadian militarism plays a huge role in accelerating the climate crisis. For more on Canada’s role in wars and climate, check out our full article here.

But what roles do our politicians right here in Simcoe North play in Israel’s genocide in Gaza? Read on to find out.

Adam Chambers: Simcoe North Member of Parliament (MP) – Conservative Party

The Centre For Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) is a zionist lobby organization which has sponsored propaganda trips to “Israel” for at least 73 MPs currently in office, amounting to 22% of all sitting MPs (the word Israel has quotation marks around it because these trips are often marked as solely to “Israel” even though they include time in areas recognized as being illegally occupied).

In 2023, Adam took a CIJA trip worth a whopping $19,190 – the fifth highest amount of all 73 MPs!

Read the full article by The Maple here.

In November 2023, Adam also attended a pro-Israel rally in Toronto (as per the Toronto Star):

Adam has also chosen to make deeply misleading and in some cases categorically false statements concerning Canada’s arms trade with Israel. Particularly, he has repeatedly stressed to concerned constituents that the $21 million in Canadian arms exports to Israel is “a very small amount” and “is not related to any weapons or major systems.”

This is FALSE. Let’s break it down:

• Canada approved $28.5M worth of military exports to Israel between October and December 2023. In comparison, Canadian companies exported $21.3M to Israel in military goods in 2022, and $27.8M in 2021. This means that Canada approved more exports of military goods to Israel in just the first three months of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza than in any single year in the last 30 years.
• The vast majority of Canadian military exports to Israel are for component parts, including those found in deadly military equipment. For example, companies like Pratt and Whitney produce the engines for F-35 planes in Canada, they send those engines to the US who assemble the planes that are then sent to Israel for use against Palestinians.
• Further, as a signatory to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), Canada has a legal responsibility to ensure its arms exports are not used in the commission of serious violations of international law, or serious violence against women and children. There is ample evidence that arms are currently being used by Israel in precisely these ways.
• Source: World Beyond War Canada

Finally, Adam has voted against every motion in Parliament since October 7th that relates to Palestinian human rights. This includes motions for a ceasefire, increased humanitarian aid, and an arms embargo between Canada and Israel.

MP Chambers contact information:

• Email: adam.chambers@parl.gc.ca
• Phone (Midland office): 705-527-7654
• Phone (Orillia office): 705-327-0513

Jill Dunlop: Simcoe North Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) – Progressive Conservative Party

Part 1: Jill’s taxpayer-funded trip to Israel & support for Awz

In January 2023, Jill Dunlop, MPP of Simcoe North and Minister of Colleges and Universities*, enjoyed a $11,507.80 taxpayer-funded trip to Israel.

While her adventure was well-documented on her Instagram Reels, what value it offered to Simcoe North and Ontario taxpayers is less clear.

But what exactly was Jill doing in Israel? Who was she meeting with? Let’s take a look at one of her Instagram posts boasting about her meeting with ‘Awz Ventures’

Upon closer investigation, Awz Ventures is an investment company that specializes in investments in defensive & intelligence technologies thanks to their partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Israel has a major tech industry that is closely connected to its sophisticated and well-funded military. Many see it as a way to monetize and profit from the occupation of Palestinian territories.

…and Jill met with Awz to “explore ways that the Ontario Colleges and Universities sector can work together to advance their research and IP (Intellectual Property) strategies.”

After Oct. 7th, Yaron Ashkenazi, a founder and managing partner of Awz, wrote an op-ed about how their company would help the country “stop these evil terrorists in their tracks” (referring to Hamas). For years, the company has poured investments—totalling at least $350 million—into high-tech companies that support the Israeli security industry. Companies they invest in produce a range of sophisticated spy tools and other cutting-edge technologies like facial and behavioural recognition software. One of the companies sells an artificial intelligence (AI) program, used in a dozen Israeli municipalities, that deploys surveillance footage to identify people gathering, throwing stones, or wearing hoodies. While Ashkenazi says these technologies “help the righteous side of the world,” critics say they allow investors to profit off of Israel’s repression of Palestinians and its illegal occupation of Palestinian lands.

But wait, there’s more! Guess who is a leading partner at the firm and president of its advisory committee?

Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Are we surprised?

Under Harper’s leadership, Canada stopped voting in favour of UN resolutions that condemned Israel’s illegal settlements and other practices, and cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority when Palestinians elected Hamas in democratic elections in 2006. In 2013, he described Israel as a “light of freedom and democracy in what is otherwise a region of darkness.”

According to Jill, she visited Israel because it’s a “powerhouse when it comes to innovation”. Along with her visits to tech companies and universities, she had a “lovely chat” with Irwin Cotler and claims to have tasted “authentic Israeli falafel.” Israeli officials noted there should be “concrete steps…to strengthen our tech…collaboration”, further enhancing the Ontario-Israel Memorandum of Understanding MOU launched back in 2005. The complete apartheid tour!

Let’s take a look at Jill’s expense breakdown from her trip:

Total = $11,507.80 in taxpayer dollars.

Was it worth it? No. Occupation and war are not good investment opportunities.

Has there been any update, accountability, or transparency on how the trip was organized, who set it up, and why?

Meanwhile, our post-secondary system, for which she is the Minister of, is falling apart whilst she is virtually absent. Make no mistake, MPP Dunlop, Minister of Colleges & Universities*, wouldn’t go to a debate on post-secondary issues in her riding. But she will go on a taxpayer-funded trip to Israel to pander to the oppressive Israeli security industry and leverage our public institutions for private financial gains of the Israeli security industry and well-connected Conservative politicians.

Who does she really represent?

Two other excellent journalism pieces on this subject (both of which we sourced some of the info from for this post, thank you!)

Part 2: Jill & Attacks on Academic Freedom

When she’s not cutting deals for Israeli military investors, she’s using her Ministerial position to shut down criticism of the Israeli government and their military occupation of Palestine.

On October 17th, Jill Dunlop, MPP and Minister of Colleges and Universities*, publicly condemned University students and faculty in provincial Parliament for their statements in support of Palestine after October 7th.

Jill publicly named and shamed the following groups for their statements in support of Palestine following October 7th:

• York Federation of Students
• York University Graduate Students’ Association
• Glendon College Student Union
• University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union

She then went on to read the names of the students from the executive teams’ of these Students Unions (a total of 17 students), and 3 University professors from various schools. In her words: “The students on the executive who signed the letters are—and I’m going to name the students. I’m sorry if I mispronounce their names, but I think it’s important that their names are in Hansard, because these students put their names on letters in public, supporting Hamas“ (The Hansard transcript is the official record of what was said in the parliament)

Watch at your own risk:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jill Dunlop (@jilldunlop)

What the Students’ Union statements drew attention to:

• Israel’s 75-year long military occupation over Palestine
• Israel’s forced apartheid, colonization, dispossession, ethnic cleansing, and genocide of Palestine
• Israel’s continuous violations of International Law
• Dehumanization of Palestinian people
• Support of the Palestinian people’s fight for self-determination and liberation.

What Jill Dunlop falsely accused the statements of:

• Hate speech and making hateful statements
• Laughing, supporting, celebrating, and justifying the killings of Israeli civilians
• Inciting violence
• Defending rape, torture, mass murder
• These students being antisemites

Jill claims that she was speaking to the safety of Jewish students, without any consideration that her own comments and naming of individuals might risk student safety in turn.

Her alarming claims are false and an attempt to dox and incite hateful, dangerous harassment targeted at students who advocate in solidarity with Palestine. Jill’s mischaracterizing, slandering, and villainizing of these students puts their lives at risk.

Jill’s actions have been condemned by:

• The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Association (OCUFA), representing 17,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals across Ontario
• Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), representing over 72,000 academic and professional staff at more than 125 universities and colleges across the country
• The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), representing over 530,000 students
• University of Toronto Mississauga Students Union (UTMSU)
• Osgoode Hall Faculty Association (OHFA)
• & many others

But what about campus free speech?

Back in 2018, the Ford government (of which Jill is a part of) introduced a campus free speech policy, positioning itself as a defender of open and vigorous debate at colleges and universities. Institutions were required to develop and publish free speech policies by Jan. 1, 2019, in line with the University of Chicago’s 2014 statement, which calls for the “broadest possible latitude” to speak and write.

Minister Jill Dunlop and the Ford government are ignoring their own campus free speech policy. Their government has made it abundantly clear that it was never committed to the principle of free speech.

Besides requesting the withdrawal of the statements by the student groups, Jill also called upon both universities “to investigate and, if necessary, bring non-academic misconduct reviews regarding the actions of the executives of both respective unions for their statements.” In the words of OCUFA: “The government is using their position to threaten to impose restrictions on academic freedom, which is unacceptable. For the Minister to single out one perspective and argue that those with that perspective will be monitored and disciplined by the government is antithetical to the academic mission of our universities.”

Listening to our Minister defaming students whose names she can’t pronounce, on an issue she doesn’t understand, is cringeworthy. Jill claimed that “many of our institutions have failed us, but more importantly, they have failed our students.” It seems that no one has failed us except our elected officials like Jill who, rather than protecting all students, are attacking, vilifying, and literally putting their lives in danger.

Academic freedom is essential in a free and democratic society. We demand better.

MPP Dunlop contact information:

• Email: Jill.Dunlop@pc.ola.org
• Phone (Orillia office): 705-326-3246

*As of August 2024, Jill is no longer the Minister of Colleges and Universities as she was appointed by Premier Ford, as Minister of Education.

Conclusion

Are you alarmed by what you just read? Send them an email:

• jill.dunlopco@pc.ola.org
• adam.chambers@parl.gc.ca

And/or use the following email tools:

• Arms Embargo Now campaign – Email tool
• World Beyond War – Email tool
• Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) campaigns – most have email tools

For local solidarity organizing efforts, see Simcoe County 4 Palestine:

• Instagram
• Facebook page
• Facebook group
• Email list

This past summer, we also discovered an edible fruit-bearing shrub there: the nanking cherry. Nanking cherry is a compact, ornamental, and low-maintenance cherry bush. Native to northern and western China, Korea, Mongolia, and possibly northern India, it is difficult to find this plant locally or commercially – a rare treasure! We enjoyed snacking on them throughout the spring and summer, as did many critter friends.

On August 6th, 2024, to my surprise, the entire plant cover was clear cut by the city. I contacted two different city councillors about this matter and neither one knew why this happened, nor were they aware of it in advance.

So, I took the matter to the Climate Change & Environmental Sustainability Working Group which I am a part of. My recommendations included:

• Request a Public Inquiry: Formally request an inquiry or investigation into why the plant cover was removed without prior notice or community consultation.
• Advocate for the immediate replanting of native shrubs and plants to restore the lost habitat and ecosystem functions.
• Propose a review of city policies related to environmental management and public space changes to ensure better communication and adherence to ecological principles. Ensure transparency and accountability, and determine whether the action was in line with environmental policies (particularly the Climate Change Action Plan). Propose the establishment of a system for notifying and consulting residents and stakeholders about major changes or projects affecting public green spaces.

Well, it turns out that the public inquiry wasn’t needed after all, as we got our answers at the meeting thanks to an email from John McMullen, the city’s Manager of Parks Planning and Development that was attached in our meeting agenda (read the email in the screenshot below or here – bottom three pages):

Let’s unpack John’s email, which outlines why the city decided to clearcut this area:

The OPP and the city claim to have identified this area as being an ‘unsafe hiding space for undesirable activity’. This can be only be interpreted in a way that disproportionately targets vulnerable populations like the homeless or people who use drugs.

This situation touches on a broader issue where cities often engage in “defensive urban architecture” or “hostile architecture,” such as installing benches with bars to prevent people from lying down or cutting vegetation to prevent encampments. While the city may present these actions as being motivated by public safety, they often end up pushing vulnerable people further into invisibility or criminalizing their presence in public spaces.

A restorative justice approach that the city could have and should have taken :

• Community Consultation and Participation: The city could have initiated a transparent consultation process, including input from the public, housing advocates, social workers, and vulnerable populations to develop a more humane and inclusive solution.
• Supporting Vulnerable Populations: Instead of clear cutting the shrub cover to prevent “undesirable activity,” the city could have invested in services to support homeless individuals and people who use drugs. For example, they could have focused on providing services like advocating for safe consumption sites or employing outreach workers to engage with people who use drugs. Harm reduction programs are evidence-based methods to reduce the harm associated with drug use while providing pathways to treatment and support.
• Environmental design: Rather than clearcutting an entire area, the city could have implemented landscaping changes that balance safety with maintaining public green spaces. They could design areas that discourage harmful activity but still support visibility and accessibility, such as regular pruning, native planting with lower vegetation, installing more lighting, signage, public art and cultural installations, and enhancing public seating areas.

The City claimed that their staff along with a qualified independent ISA Arborist did a CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) review of the space and agreed that it should be cut down. I would be very curious to see the results of this CPTED and the methodology behind it.

The next argument from the city is that by clearcutting the area, we have opened up views from the waterfront which is an important tourism and economic development driver for the City. Really? How much longer are we going to put short-sighted economic development at the cost of environmental degradation? Also, who is to say that tourists value waterfront views over the natural vegetative beauty of the waterfront? The city could have actually taken advantage of the vegetative area for eco-tourism by enhancing it and developing educational signage about the biodiversity of the area.

By framing the action as a way to boost tourism, the city may also be furthering gentrification. Enhancing waterfront views for tourists and wealthy visitors risks normalizing the prioritization of the interests of outsiders over the needs of local residents, especially low-income and marginalized groups.

The final argument from the City was that the area will be repaired and planted in keeping with the City’s practices, plans, and policies. I am genuinely curious as to which practices, plans, and policies they are referring to, as just a few short weeks after clearcutting the area, the City fenced it off and re-planted it with sod – not a whole lot of biodiversity there.

The recommendation that our working group settled on was to advocate for the re-planting of lower growing native plants and shrubs, in partnership with local environmental community groups and as a community event. We also plan to add recommendations about public consultation and transparency related to environmental matters when it comes time for the City to update their bylaw policies. I will keep you updated on how this all proceeds.

PS – we saved hundreds of pits from the nanking cherry tree and were even able to rescue some wooden stems to replant – if you would like to help us out in a participatory breeding project to get more of these growing, please reach out!

Article by Madeleine Fournier of Green Orillia

First, 60 wooden flowers were cut and prepared by The Northern Joinery.

Local artists then chose a native wildflower species to paint on the flowers, which are now on display on the street poles downtown!

Additionally, we were given permission to transform two of the downtown planter boxes with native wildflowers! Despite the rain, this crew came out on Sunday morning and got all the planting done. Thanks to everyone who participated, and to Scott’s Garden Centre and Parklane Landscapes for the plant donations. We are working on educational signage to be displayed above the planter and will share more info through our socials throughout the summer.

Seedy Saturday

On Saturday April 20th, we hosted the 11th annual Orillia Seedy Saturday at the Orillia Public Library.

Seedy Saturday is an event where local farmers and gardeners connect to trade and share open pollinated, organic, heritage seeds. We also promote the Orillia Seed Library, located on the second floor of the OPL.

The event coincided with the farmers market, and we were also joined by Cliffy’s Waste Station, and the Mariposa Pollinators who shared native plant information and seeds.

About the Orillia Seed Library: Orillia Community Gardens and the Orillia Public Library partnered in the spring of 2013 to launch this ever growing public collection of seeds integrated within the public library system, schools and community gardens. An effort to gather, organize and freely share seeds and knowledge to realize seed and food sovereignty and promote diversity.

Garbage Cleanup

On Sunday April 21st, we hosted our 4th annual spring garbage cleanup.

As the snow melts, alarming amounts of garbage and debris are uncovered, posing risks to ecosystems, waterways, and wildlife. We came together for a morning of community connection and environmental stewardship.

We met at Couchiching Beach Park in the Terry Fox Circle, where we had a community discussion, identified high-priority clean up areas, and then split off into groups to clean up while some folks stay back to help sort the waste as it comes in!

We totalled over 30 bags of garbage, over 10 bags of recycling, and a whole pile of larger items for the waste diversion site.

While we hold these events for community building and to show that it’s ordinary people who come together to keep our communities clean & safe, we must keep our focus on the root of the issue: big polluting corporations and lack of government regulation. Litter should be tackled at the source, and the real solution is a zero-waste society and holding corporations responsible.

Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped with these events!

A gravel pit/quarry is a type of open-pit mine used for the extraction of sand and gravel (aggregate) from a deposit near the surface of the earth.

Gravel is the feedstock to new highways and urban sprawl. Most aggregates are used to manufacture cement and construct buildings, roads, bridges, sewers, and other infrastructure.

Aggregate extraction is incredibly destructive to local ecosystems and biodiversity and there is also a very high carbon footprint associated with the production of concrete and asphalt, which are major end-users of aggregates (more on this later)

There are currently 22 gravel pits/quarries in Oro-Medonte occupying nearly 2,800 acres of land and there are further lands in the township’s Official Plan designated for potential aggregate expansion.

What is the Oro Moraine?

The Oro Moraine, like most other moraines, is a formation of sand and gravel deposited by glacial action during the last ice age. Located in Oro-Medonte Township (between Orillia and Barrie), it is fairly large, about 26 km long, covering approximately 42,000 acres.

The Oro Moraine serves several important ecological functions. It acts as an important groundwater recharge for its immediate area, filtering and controlling flow into the nearby, Minesing Swamp (a provincially significant wetland), among other places. It is known by scientists as an Ecologically Significant Groundwater Recharge Area. Because of its varied terrain and substantial forested areas, it also provides habitat for many plants and animals that are becoming increasingly rare elsewhere in central Ontario.

Sarjeant’s Gravel Pit

One of the gravel pits in Oro-Medonte is on Line 7, which the Sarjeant Company Ltd. has operated for about a decade. 

This past summer (August 2023), Sarjeant applied for a provincial “permit to take water” for industrial-aggregate washing purposes.

The permit would allow them to pull a maximum of 454 litres of water per minute, 24 hours per day at a maximum of 200 days per year for a decade – equivalent to 523 Olympic-sized swimming pools, or 1.3 billion litres.

And as if this wasn’t bad enough, they applied for a ‘Category 3 Designation’ which states, in their words: “water takings are anticipated to have the highest potential for causing unacceptable impact and interference.”

Despite widespread opposition (including over 100 comments received during their consultation period), the province approved Sarjeant Company’s proposal on December 13, 2023.

Ironically, the Ministry of the ‘Environment, Conservation and Parks’ were the ones to approve the permit.

Where does Oro-Medonte Council stand?

It is important to note that Oro-Medonte’s Township Council took a significant stand against gravel mining in the township.

In their August 16th meeting (begins at timestamp 3:45:30), every council member spoke in opposition to the proposal, and Mayor Randy Greenlaw reflected these views in his comments to the province. 

Also noteworthy, in April 2022, the previous Council supported and unanimously passed a motion in favour of requesting a moratorium on new gravel pits and quarries to the province. This moratorium seeks a better understanding of the need for aggregate expansion, a better understanding of the negative impacts of aggregate mining and calls for improvements to the approval and oversight of the aggregate industry.

Unfortunately, the provincial government oversees matters related to gravel mining and so Municipal Councils are often rendered voiceless.

The broader state of gravel mining in Ontario

While the approval of Sarjeant’s proposal is egregious, it represents a broader issue which is the unregulated gravel mining industry in Ontario.

Ontario’s current application process for gravel mining (from RGMC):

• Allows uncontrolled proliferation of gravel sites across Ontario
• Favours corporations and places an unfair burden on municipalities and local communities forced to advocate for the protection of the natural environment and built communities
• Does not fulfill the requirements for free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous Nations as guaranteed in the Canadian constitution

The government of Ontario has already authorized the gravel mining industry to extract thirteen times more gravel each year than is required to meet long term average annual consumption.

You can see a map of all aggregate pits on Open Aggregates.

The organization ‘Reform Gravel Mining Coalition’ (RGMC) has long been advocating for a moratorium and offer significant policy proposals.

What you can do

Follow and support other groups working to protect the Oro Moraine:

• Save the Oro Moraine
• Green Orillia
• Stop Sprawl Orillia
• Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition
• The Couchiching Conservancy
• Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority
• Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority

Learn more about the Reform Gravel Mining coalition and take action by:

• Signing their petition demanding that the Ontario government impose an immediate moratorium on all new gravel mining approvals.
• Emailing your MPP using their email tool