The Creemore
ECHO
Friday, June 12, 2009
Vol. 09 No. 24
News and views in and around Creemore
PROVINCE SAYS MUCH LESS GROWTH FOR CLEARVIEW Mayor, Deputy Mayor dejected after new announcement limits 2031 population to 18,800 by Brad Holden Several members of Clearview Council were in a foul mood Monday night after the release of a new plan from the Province of Ontario that contradicts the recently completed Simcoe County Official Plan and allocates much less population growth to rural areas like Clearview Township. The document, entitled Simcoe Area: A Strategic Vision for Growth, is the rationale behind a proposed amendment to the 2005 Places to Grow Act, the legislation behind all of the growth planning that has taken place over the last few years at both the County and the Township level. If passed, and all indications are that it will be, the amendment will limit the 2031 population of Clearview Township to 18,800, up just 4,200 from its 2006 census population of 14,600. The 2005 Places to Grow Act had placed Clearview Township’s 2031 population at 26,000, and that’s the number that’s been used during all of the work done so far, both locally and at the County. There are several reasons for the reshuffling of numbers. With the
new plan, the Province has endorsed a nodal approach to growth in the area, stating that “to curb sprawl and avoid costly and unsustainable growth patterns, growth in the Simcoe area needs to be focused in existing cities and large towns.” Those towns, according to the plan, will be Barrie, Orillia, Collingwood, Alliston and
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“I am not an angry person, but... this is three-and-a-half, four years of our time, and it’s meant nothing." -Mayor Ken Ferguson
Bradford. In order to accommodate the 210,000 people the Province now forsees living in Barrie by 2031 (the city’s 2006 population was 133,500), the Strategic Vision for Growth supports a “BarrieInnisfil Boundary Adjustment” that would transfer 2,293 gross hectares from the Town of Innisfil (and at the same time from the County of Simcoe) to the City of Barrie. To find the necessary population to place emphasis on the five “growth nodes” (keeping in mind the Places to Grow Act places a strict limit (See “Province” on page 11)
Inside the ECHO
Lucky Duck
Inspection
Upper Mad Duck Race is a success.
Awards day for 1944 EME Cadets .
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THE JOY OF GIVING Mulmur resident Blaunshe Ciach was busy making rhubarb pies last Saturday as part of Mary’s Kitchen, a new initiative in Dunedin that celebrates both the giving and receiving of gifts. For a full story, see page 8.
Creemore’s last street-paving party, in 1928.
Time to party like it’s 1928! What better way to celebrate our freshly paved, pothole free Mill Street than a street party! And that is just what the Creemore BIA and Creemore Springs Brewery have cooked up for next Saturday, June 20. The festivities begin with an official ribbon cutting at 11:15 am, presided over by Mayor Ken Ferguson and lifelong Creemore resident Carm Gowan. The Beinn Gorman Highlander Pipe Band will provide the appropriate musical accompaniment. For the balance of the day there will
be an endless variety of things to do up and down Mill Street. Lots to eat (much of it free), a host of shopping deals and fun activities for kids. The inspiration for this old-fashioned street festival comes from a similar event held back in September 1928, when the street was paved for the first time. As you can see from the above picture (provided by Helen Blackburn), things haven’t changed all that much over the past 81 years! The place to be next Saturday is downtown Creemore. See you there.
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