A new hybrid university-college campus is in the works in Markham, but the Ontario government’s announcement did not include a new university campus for Barrie.

The Ontario government says it has chosen the York University -- Markham Centre campus, a partnership with Seneca College, as the first in a series of new post-secondary projects aimed at meeting future demand for undergraduate education.

The province says the new campus is expected to serve about 4,000 students in York Region, and offer a broad range of programs that incorporate experiential learning with an academic focus on business, arts and social sciences.

The project was one of 19 submissions to a provincial call for proposals issued to post-secondary institutions last year.

The City of Barrie has said it wants a university campus and there were two proposals: one from  Laurentian and one from Lakehead and Georgian College.

The mayor of Barrie is extremely dissappointed that his city wasn't chosen for a new university campus.

"Instead of investing in three campuses in areas of the Province that are underserved, one campus was approved in an area with nine other campuses within a half hour’s drive of each other," said jeff Lehman. " The decision abandons our students and our business community."

Laurentian University approved $25 million for a standalone campus to be built in Barrie. The city had committed $14 million for a university in Barrie.

"This is obviously a major disappointment for the University, as we had been advocating for this proposal since the Spring 2010," said Laurentian president Dominic Giroux. "Government had repeatedly told us since 2010 that our proposal was very compelling, and that saying no to Laurentian in Barrie was not an option."

Lakehead University and Georgian College wanted to offer more than 50 degree programs to as many as 6,000 students by the year 2030.but their bid was also not selected for major capacity expansion funding.

“We recognize and support the need for fiscal responsibility, which is why throughout this process, we have offered a realistic, affordable solution to expanding degree capacity,” says Lakehead University President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Brian Stevenson.

The two post-secondary schools plan to continue collaboration on new degree programs without adding any new infrastructure.

“We propose leveraging existing resources to create space for new students today. There is incredible potential to expand access for students without immediate capital investment,” said Dr. Brian Stevenson.

Lakehead and Georgian will maximize the use of existing space to add 2,000 new degree students – 1,200 at Georgian’s Barrie Campus and 800 at Lakehead University’s Orillia Campus

The government says it judged the proposals based on a number of criteria, including the ability to serve areas with growing demand and avoid any unwarranted duplication of existing programs.

The  province will issue another call for proposals next spring for a facility to serve Peel and Halton regions, which are the fastest growing in the province after York.

The mayor says he will not be accepting no as answer and will continue to fight for a stand-alone university campus for Barrie.

"Barrie has suffered from a four-year moratorium on new university programs while this process has played out, in the expectation that the Province would address the serious shortfall of access to university spaces for our students here by investing in our city," said Lehman. "They failed to do this. We are the only city in the Province which has had a moratorium on new university programs."

-With files from The Canadian Press and a report from CTV Barrie's Rob Cooper.