stop sprawl orillia
What is stop sprawl orillia?
Stop Sprawl Orillia is a campaign launched by Green Orillia in February 2022 in response to the City of Orillia’s proposed urban boundary expansion which would annex 939 acres of farmland/wetlands/woodlands for increased urban sprawl. Stop Sprawl Orillia is a volunteer coalition consisting of concerned residents of Orillia and area. We believe that building more sustainable compact communities within our urban boundaries to create vibrant, walkable communities with residential, employment, and recreation spaces is how we should plan for population growth.
The City of Orillia, like all municipalities in Ontario under the Ford government, are being required to plan for population growth to the year 2051, and many are being pressured to expand their boundaries.
Suburban sprawl costs us all. New developments require expensive infrastructure, including miles of roads, sewers and hydro. When it comes time to maintain and replace that infrastructure, the local taxpayer must pick up the tab. Investing within current boundaries brings in a larger tax base using existing infrastructure, increases ridership for transit systems, reduces car dependency and carbon emissions, and offers residents safer, healthier lives. “Gentle density” makes housing more affordable and lowers taxes.
Planning for the long term future of our community should not be determined solely by consultants and staff behind closed doors. We want our City Council to know that we care deeply about what Orillia will look like in thirty years and beyond – and we want a say.
Take action
Email city council
Send an email to Mayor and Council letting them know that you want them to invest within the urban boundary rather than sprawling recklessy!
Donate
Your donation helps fund the efforts of SSO and keep our fight for a sustainable future moving forward. Donate and receive a charitable receipt.
get a lawn sign
We still have a limited number of Stop Sprawl Orillia lawn signs. Fill out the form to request one, and you can pick it up or we can drop it off to you!
submit a letter to the editor
One of the most powerful ways to make your voice heard is to submit a letter to the editor in our local paper, OrilliaMatters.
we're on a podcast!
Thank you so much to the Simcoe Country Greenbelt Coalition for having us on!
patrick fogarty videos
SSO partnered with Patrick Fogarty’s Grade 11 Environmental Science class in 2022 to create maps and video content, such as these videos. Thank you so much to these students for the creative and hilarious videos! Thank you to their teacher Jeff Cole for being so willing to partner with us and all your environmental and education work in the community.
Allied organizations
The following groups have agreed to being recognized as an ally and supporter of the Stop Sprawl Orillia campaign. Thank you!
Stop Sprawl orillia timeline
October 31st, 2021: The City of Orillia determines that they do not have enough existing land to accommodate growth to the year 2051 as required by the provincial government.
Under the province’s growth plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, the City of Orillia must plan to accommodate a minimum population total of 49,000 as well as 26,000 jobs by 2051. The City of Orillia hired consulting company Hemson to conduct a Land Needs Assessment (LNA) of Orillia. Hemson completed the LNA and determined that there is a need for 257 hectares of community land and 124 hectares of employment land (381 hectares total).
The City of Orillia announces that they will need to expand its urban boundary and look to its neighbours (surrounding townships of Oro-Medonte, Severn, and Ramara) to annex 381 hectares (939 acres) of land.
OrilliaMatters story with more information here.
December 1st, 2021: The City of Orillia holds a ‘virtual public open house’ with consultants, for the community to help determine the best lands in the surrounding townships to annex. Approximately 200 people attend, the majority speaking in opposition to expanding the urban boundary. OrilliaMatters story here.
January 23rd, 2022: Madeleine Fournier, local Orillia resident, sends an email to Orillia City Council:
Hi Mayor and Council,
My name is Madeleine Fournier, local resident here in Orillia. You may be aware that there is significant public opposition to the prospect of the Orillia City Boundary Expansion – in the absence of a comprehensive urban intensification strategy, and also amid the development of Orillia’s Climate Change Action Plan. I attended Orillia’s public town hall meeting on December 1st, 2021 where ~200 community members attended, and witnessed one of the greatest expressions of public opposition to any initiative in recent memory.
SPRAWL IS NOT SUSTAINABLE.
From Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition’s website: “While provincial and federal policies are important, local planning policies have a larger impact than some of us might think – about half of domestic carbon emissions come from things that are under municipal control, namely transportation and buildings.”
Beyond the environmental impacts, sprawl is proven to be a costly and outdated form of urban planning that has numerous social, economic, and human health impacts.
Many reputable individuals and organizations in the community are concerned that City Council is moving forward with this because of staff recommendations, but we wanted to know if you are willing to represent your constituents in opposing the proposed boundary expansion, and if you would be willing to raise or support a motion to vote against it?
At the very least, if you are not sure where your constituents stand, certainly you would want to ask them for their input on this crucial decision shaping our community via a public survey (like the way Hamilton’s City Council asked their residents – see survey here).
As the municipal election draws near, it is crucial that the people of Orillia know exactly where their current and future mayor and councillors stand on this important issue that will shape the future and sustainability of our city. As a consequence, your position (or lack thereof) is a matter of public interest and will be shared with the public. As engaged residents, your clear and prompt response will be much appreciated.
You may be familiar with Hamilton’s Stop Sprawl campaign, which resulted in their Council voting 13-3 to reject staff’s recommendation to expand the urban boundary.
As you may already be aware, Stop Sprawl Orillia, a broad coalition of passionate and informed individuals and organizations, is already coming together to support a smarter approach to growth. We hope you’ll join us!
Thank you,
Madeleine
January 31st, 2022: Mayor Steve Clarke publicly responds to Madeleine Fournier’s email. 6 other members of Council also reply in following weeks.
February 10th, 2022: Story about Fournier’s letter and proposed idea to create Stop Sprawl Orillia group published in OrilliaMatters.
February 17th, 2022: Stop Sprawl Orillia campaign officially launches to the public. Story published in OrilliaMatters and OrilliaToday. Stop Sprawl Orillia campaign included: lawn signs, a petition, crowdfunding, emails to Mayor and Council, letters to the editor, social media advocacy, presentations to local groups, underutilized land mapping, and rallies.
February 28th, 2022: Councillor David Campbell raises a motion at Orillia City Council meeting for City Staff to prepare a report with respect to:
The status of the Technical Land Evaluation process underway AND THAT the report include what additional planning evaluations and studies would need to be undertaken if the City were to consider further increasing the intensification targets and minimum designated greenfield density target.
Mayor Steve Clarke adds an amendment that the staff report that staff report back on the process for establishing ‘Made in Orillia’ planning principles that would manage growth from environmental, cultural, economic and social perspectives as part of the next update to the City’s Official Plan.
The motion (with amendment) passes unanimously!
Link to watch the council motion and discussion here (starts at 3:23:27)
Story published in OrilliaMatters.
March 25th, 2022: The Stop Sprawl movement gets coverage in the Toronto Star.
April 11th, 2022: At Orillia City Council Meeting, the new staff report goes before Council. Council has the choice between two options:
Option 1 (recommended by staff): Council stay the course and continue its planning process to determine the most appropriate location for the additional 940 acres of land for a future boundary expansion.
Option 2: The City’s Land Needs Assessment be updated and revised to consider a higher minimum intensification target and a higher minimum designated greenfield density target.
Option 2 passes unanimously! HUGE win for Stop Sprawl Orillia!!
BUT….. the work isn’t over. When the revised LNA comes back, Council will then be able to assess the two options and make their final vote.
Link to agenda with the full staff report here (starts on p. 295)
Link to the full Council discussion and vote here (starts at 3:52:07)
Story published in OrilliaMatters and OrilliaToday.
April 27th, 2022: City of Orillia provides official Media Release with updates about their Municipal Comprehensive Review process.
June 2nd, 2022: Provincial Election held. The governing Progressive Conservatives, led by Premier Doug Ford, were re-elected to a second majority government. Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop was re-elected with 49.80% of the vote.
August 20th, 2022: Orillia candidates for the 2022 Municipal Election are confirmed. Green Orillia releases a 32-question questionnaire to all candidates, covering a range of topics including sprawl and boundary expansion.
September 25th, 2022: Deadline to submit Green Orillia questionnaire responses. 15 out of 30 candidates submit a response.
October 14, 2022: Get Out the Vote to Stop Sprawl Orillia Rally held outside of Orillia City Hall. Guest speakers include Madeleine Fournier, Mark Bisset, Margaret Prophet, Claire Malcolmson, Jacob Kearey Moreland, Bob Bowles, and Paige Jakobczak. Rally aims to raise awareness about the need for residents to participate in democracy and elect leaders that are serious about working together to address the challenges facing our community, in regard to the environment and housing. Almost a hundred people in attendance.
October 24th, 2022: Municipal Election held. 7 out of 9 of the new Council members elected were candidates who submitted a response to the Green Orillia questionnaire, with extensive answers on sprawl and boundary expansion!
October 25th, 2022: Provincial Government introduces Bill 23: More Homes Built Faster Act, an omnibus bill that significantly amends and creates new legislation affecting planning and land development across the Province. Of major concern:
❌Strips conservation authority powers which protect us from floods infrastructure
❌Removes protections from woodlands, wetlands and wildlife habitat
❌Directs conservation authorities to sell off conservation lands
❌Displaces low-income tenants
❌Cancels municipal green building standards
❌Imposes farm-eating sprawl on municipalities like Hamilton, Halton and Waterloo that chose to build more homes within city limits
November 4th, 2022: Premier Doug Ford releases plan to open up 7,400 acres of the Greenbelt, despite a Ford government pledge in 2021 not to cut the Greenbelt or do a land swap. The proposal aims to build at least 50,000 new homes on more than a dozen tracts of land now in the Greenbelt. The Greenbelt was created in 2005 to permanently protect agricultural and environmentally sensitive lands in the Greater Golden Horseshoe area from development.
November 28, 2022: Provincial Government passes Bill 23, despite widespread criticism from environmental organizations, farmers, academics, Indigenous communities, housing experts, and more. Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop votes in favour.
December 14th, 2022: Provincial Government passes regulations enacting its plan to remove land from the Greenbelt, despite widespread criticism from environmental organizations, farmers, academics, Indigenous communities, housing experts, and more. Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop votes in favour, despite speaking out against Ford to defend the Greenbelt in 2018.
November-December 2022: Over a hundred rallies across Ontario protesting Bill 23 & Greenbelt Cuts. Green Orillia & Stop Sprawl Orillia helped host two Simcoe North Rallies, one outside of Jill Dunlop’s Orillia office on November 20th (Story published in OrilliaMatters and on CTV Barrie), and a joint Simcoe North rally on December 2nd, where individual rallies at Jill Dunlop’s Midland and Orillia office were held, and then we all met in the middle at her Coldwater office for a larger combined rally. (Story published in OrilliaMatters and Sun Online Orillia)
April 6, 2023: Provincial Government introduces Bill 97: the Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act. Of major concern are:
❌Further erosion of provincial planning policy, which will create a free-for-all for sprawl developers and total bedlam for municipalities trying to protect forests, water and farmland and plan sensible infrastructure and build public transit.
❌The removal of key requirements to build within existing cities before sprawling onto forests and farmland.
Changes that allow more luxury estates to qualify as ‘farms.’
❌New ‘Enhanced’ Minister’s Zoning Orders which will allow the province to override even more regulations with the stroke of a pen.
❌These changes will create less affordable housing – not more – as developers fight for scarce workers, infrastructure and planning staff in a race to build million-dollar McMansions on wetlands and farmland – far from existing transit and infrastructure.