Alternative Payment Methods Due to Canada Post Strike and Information Regarding Notice of Public Hearings

The Township of Oro-Medonte is reminding residents of alternative payment methods due to the Canada Post Strike. Please see How to Pay Your Tax & Utility Bills | Township of Oro-Medonte to enroll in the Township’s pre-authorized payment program, information regarding property tax and water payment due dates, and for details regarding payment options for tax and water bills.

Please contact the Finance department at 705-487-2171 to determine the balance on your account. If you would like to enroll in e-billing, please complete the E-Billing Sign-Up Form.

Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) payment options are also available for vendors. If you are expecting a mailed cheque from the Township, please contact us to make arrangements for EFT payments. The Township is unable to make exceptions for late payments sent by mail.

Public Hearings Information

The current Canada Post strike has impacted the Township's ability to mail Notices of Public Hearings, please visit our Public Notices webpage for information regarding current Public Hearings.

How to Pay Your Tax & Utility Bills

City of Barrie Boundary Expansion Request

Important Information Regarding Upcoming Public Meeting on Wednesday, October 15, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.

The Township of Oro-Medonte will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. to discuss the proposed City of Barrie/Township of Oro-Medonte boundary adjustment. The Public Meeting provides an opportunity to review and provide comments on the restructuring proposal between the Township of Oro-Medonte and the City of Barrie.

The Township anticipates many attendees at the Public Meeting, and to ensure public safety, capacity limits are in place for the Council Chambers. If you would like to provide comments at the Public Meeting, please register in advance before 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, by completing a participation form. Virtual participation is available, mirroring the same process as in person participation. A presentation that will be provided at the meeting is available for review.  For detailed information regarding the meeting, please view the Public Notice. Please Note: The meeting will be livestreamed on the Township’s YouTube channel starting at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 15th.

The Draft Restructuring Proposal pertaining to the City of Barrie’s boundary adjustment request is available for review on the City of Barrie’s website. Please Note: The document is located in the “Attachments” section as item #6 titled “Oro-Medonte Boundary Adjustment Agreement & Exhibits ACDFG”. 

Most Recent Update - September 25, 2025

Resulting from the City of Barrie’s boundary expansion request in November 2023, a facilitation process was initiated by the Office of the Provincial Land and Development Facilitator (OPLDF) several months ago. 

From the onset of the facilitation process, principles were established to guide the Township of Oro-Medonte (Township), including the need for a thorough planning justification regarding the City of Barrie’s expansion request, and a thorough public and stakeholder engagement process. The facilitation process has been governed by the Province of Ontario, and is outside the span of the Township’s control. Nonetheless, the Township has been an active party at the table, which also includes the Township of Springwater, and the County of Simcoe. Township representatives have participated in the Provincial facilitation process and negotiations, guided by the Township’s principles. The goal of the discussions has been to establish a Framework Agreement with the City of Barrie to address its land needs as set forth by the Joint Land Needs Analysis and Study – Stage 3 Initial Findings.

The most recent information including the Joint Land Needs Analysis and Study - Stage 3 (Planning Analysis), technical documents, an update from the Provincial Land and Development Facilitator, and the Draft Restructuring Proposal are available for review:

You are encouraged to listen/watch the livestream of Oro-Medonte's Wednesday, September 24, 2025 Council meeting starting at the 1:46:15 mark, where an update was provided by Township staff regarding the City of Barrie's boundary expansion request. The update presentation is available for review here.

You are also encouraged to listen/watch the livestream of Oro-Medonte’s Wednesday, September 10, 2025 Council meeting starting at the 29:12 mark, where discussion took place regarding the facilitation process including next steps, and the City of Barrie’s Public Meeting which took place on Monday, September 29, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. Further details regarding the City of Barrie’s Public Meeting are outlined below.

Township of Oro-Medonte Public Meeting to Discuss Proposed Boundary Adjustment

The Township of Oro-Medonte will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. to discuss the proposed City of Barrie/Township of Oro-Medonte boundary adjustment. The Public Meeting provides an opportunity for the public to review and provide comments on the restructuring proposal between the Township of Oro-Medonte and the City of Barrie. View the Public Notice which includes information regarding how to participate in the meeting, and how to provide comments.

Please Note: The restructuring proposal will not be considered for approval by Township of Oro-Medonte Council at the Public Meeting on Wednesday, October 15, 2025. The restructuring proposal will be considered at the Wednesday, October 22, 2025 Oro-Medonte Council meeting following consideration of comments received as part of the Public Meeting and engagement process. 

The Draft Restructuring Proposal pertaining to the City of Barrie’s boundary adjustment request is available for review on the City of Barrie’s website. Please note: the document is located in the “Attachments” section as item #6 titled “Oro-Medonte Boundary Adjustment Agreement & Exhibits ACDFG”. 

The Office of the Provincial Land and Development Facilitator provided an update on September 24, 2025 regarding the facilitated process for the Joint Land Needs Analysis and Study in and around the City of Barrie. The update is available for review here.

For information regarding the Office of the Provincial Land and Development Facilitator, please visit the Province of Ontario at Office of the Provincial Land and Development Facilitator | ontario.ca.

City of Barrie Public Meeting Regarding Restructuring Proposal

The City of Barrie’s General Committee held a Public Meeting on Monday, September 29, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. to discuss a municipal restructuring proposal. The Public Meeting provided an opportunity for the public to review and provide comments on the restructuring proposal, as well as conclusions of the technical work that was completed through the facilitation process. The draft restructuring proposal and supporting technical material were made available on the City’s website on Thursday, September 25, 2025. It is important to note that a final restructuring proposal was not considered for approval by Barrie City Council at the Public Meeting. The proposal will be considered at the next City of Barrie General Committee meeting, after considering comments received as part of the public meeting and engagement process. If a draft restructuring proposal is approved by Barrie City Council, it will be provided to the Townships of Oro-Medonte and Springwater, and the County of Simcoe for consideration.

For details regarding the Public Meeting, please visit the City of Barrie's website.

Boundary Expansion Request Background

On November 8, 2023, Mayor Nuttall made a presentation to Oro-Medonte Council that included a proposal to expand the boundaries of the City of Barrie into the Township of Oro-Medonte.

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 of approximately 772 hectares (1,907.65 acres) of land and consists of active farmland and environmentally sensitive features.

In addition to the City of Barrie’s boundary request that would impact Oro-Medonte, the City 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 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. 

On September 13, 2024, Mayor Greenlaw, Mayor Coughlin, Mayor Nuttall, and County Warden Clarke issued a statement regarding jointly retaining Hemson Consulting to complete a Joint Land Needs Analysis and Study, intended to determine the need for additional employment and/or residential land within and around the City of Barrie, the Township of Oro-Medonte, and the Township of Springwater.

On December 6, 2024, Hemson Consulting provided the Township with the Joint Land Needs Analysis and Study -  Summary of Stage 2 Findings. Hemson Consulting provided highlights of the study at the December 11, 2024 Oro-Medonte Council meeting. To review the study, please see Hemson Consulting Joint Land Needs Analysis and Study -  Summary of Stage 2 Findings.

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.

View the proposed City of Barrie Expansion Area (November 8, 2023).

On May 13, 2025, City of Barrie Mayor Nuttall provided correspondence and a proposed Agreement to the Township of Oro-Medonte. Oro-Medonte Council discussed the proposal at the May 28, 2025 Council meeting.

To review Mayor Nuttall's correspondence, the proposed Agreement, and the Township of Oro-Medonte Council motion inclusive of principles to guide discussions with the City of Barrie, Township of Springwater, County of Simcoe, and Office of the Provincial Land Development Facilitator, please see:

To listen to Council's discussion, please see Township of Oro-Medonte Council meeting - May 28, 2025 and scroll to the 58:00 mark in the livestream video.

To listen to an interview Mayor Greenlaw had with CBC Ontario Morning on May 29, 2025, please see CBC Ontario Morning interview with Nav Nanwa.

Boundary Expansion Request Relevant Documents, Staff Reports, Presentations, Council Resolutions, Media Releases, Joint Statements & Correspondence

The Draft Restructuring Proposal pertaining to the City of Barrie’s boundary adjustment request is available for review on the City of Barrie’s website. Please note: the document is located in the “Attachments” section as item #6 titled “Oro-Medonte Boundary Adjustment Agreement & Exhibits ACDFG”. 

Frequently Asked Questions

In late 2023, the City of Barrie made a presentation to Oro-Medonte Council that included a proposal to expand its boundaries into OroMedonte to permit additional employment lands.  A similar proposal was made to the Township of Springwater.

In the spring of 2024, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing engaged the Office of Provincial Land and Development Facilitator to initiate discussion between the City of Barrie, the Township of Oro-Medonte, the Township of Springwater and the County of Simcoe, with the goal of identifying mutually acceptable solutions to accommodate anticipated growth in the area.

As a first step, Hemson Consulting (“Hemson”) was jointly retained to evaluate the need for additional residential and employment lands at the boundaries of Barrie/Springwater and Barrie/Oro-Medonte. Hemson has completed this task.  

Hemson is an experienced consulting firm in the Province of Ontario that advises on growth management, long-range strategic planning, and adequacy of land supply for municipalities. Their services were contracted through a competitive procurement process. 

The cost of the Joint Land Needs Analysis and Study has been shared by all four municipalities.  An agreement on the scope of further analysis and cost sharing would be required before any further work is undertaken.

Should Hemson be tasked with further work, recommendations will be provided to develop an appropriate consultation strategy for the parties to consider, including government ministries, agencies, municipal staff and Councils, Indigenous communities, and the general public. 

Oro-Medonte supports maintaining current municipal boundaries and accessing municipal services from the City of Barrie under a Municipal Services Agreement to allow the development of medium density attainable housing for seniors and young people.

The Township understands the importance of the Province’s mandate to build more homes faster and it is prepared to do its part. The Township is actively engaged with the development community in Oro-Medonte to assist with filling the Provincial objective.  

Yes, the Land Needs Study is publicly available on the Township’s website here – Joint Land Needs Analysis and Study. The Township’s Chief Administrative Officer and Manager, Planning Special Projects provided a staff report to Council at the December 11, 2024 Council meeting regarding the Joint Land Needs Analysis and Study. To review the report, please see City of Barrie Proposed Boundary Expansion – Receipt of Hemson Joint Land Needs Analysis and Study staff report. 

Each municipal Council will review the findings from the Land Needs Study. The Study has outlined two options moving forward.  To properly consider the impacts of any decision, further analysis into the availability of water, wastewater and other infrastructure, protection of natural features and ecological functions, compatibility with existing uses, financial impacts on the applicable municipalities, and consistency with Provincial Plan policies, and Conservation Authority plans and policies is required. Each municipal Council will decide if they wish to proceed further.   

Although the continued facilitation discussions are confidential, all parties are committed to providing regular updates to keep their respective communities informed. Details regarding the discussions will continue to be shared publicly. Any potential decisions that may result from the facilitation process will be considered in an open, transparent forum.   

The study area includes lands along the Barrie/Springwater border and the Barrie/Oro-Medonte border. The City of Barrie owns lands in the vicinity of Little Lake, in the Township of Springwater. Further facilitated discussions could also include options for ensuring the long term environmental preservation and stewardship of those lands.

View Joint Land Needs Analysis Study Area Map

Questions and Answers Specific to the Joint Land Needs Analysis and Study

Barrie has sufficient employment lands to meet demand to 2051, with sufficient serviced supply to address medium and long-term needs (as indicated on page 21 of study).

Barrie has a short supply of “shovel ready” lands and/or large parcels that are able to accommodate for the expansion of existing businesses, or for new larger businesses. However, “Barrie is implementing a targeted plan to accelerate the extension of linear infrastructure in key areas within South Barrie to bring to market” (as indicated on pages 17-21 of the study). Acquiring additional employment lands outside of Barrie would not address its short-term supply issue (as indicated on page 21 of the study).

Hemson has also indicated that if boundary adjustments are being considered, it is important to take a longer term view (beyond the 2051 planning period), and lands for both employment as well as community lands should be included to provide for complete communities that balance residential, commercial, and employment opportunities (as indicated on page 48 of the study).

Community area lands include residential lands and other land uses that make up a community, such as local commercial plaza sites, school sites, parks, other open spaces, etc. Hemson is indicating that when looking at land for residential purposes, one needs to consider community needs in determining total land area requirements.

Oro-Medonte has sufficient community area land supply to meet its respective growth forecasts to 2051 (as indicated on page 46 of the study). Barrie will likely face shortfalls in its community area land supply to meet residential demand based on current Designated Greenfield Area (DGA) densities (as indicated on page 48 of the study).

As the process moves forward to address the City of Barrie’s boundary expansion request, updates will be provided on the Township’s website. To remain informed of additional/new information, please visit: oro-medonte.ca/cbber.

Contact Us

Township of Oro-Medonte Administration Centre
148 Line 7 South
Oro-Medonte, ON L0L 2E0

Phone: (705) 487-2171
Fax: (705) 487-0133

Mapping

City of Barrie Proposed Expansion Area Map

Q&A Information

City Of Barrie Requested Boundary Adjustment Q & A

Sign up for our Council Highlights & Township Updates Newsletter

Stay up-to-date with Council meetings, important topics of discussion, and relevant information by subscribing to the Council Highlights & Township Updates eNewsletter!

Subscribe Today!

This website uses cookies to enhance usability and provide you with a more personal experience. By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies as explained on our Privacy Webpage.