Barrie zoning decision sparks debate
Barrie city councillors took a step forward in helping local businesses create new opportunities south of the border at Wednesday's meeting. But before that, they faced some pushback for a vote from last week.
The empty piece of land along Harvie Road will no longer be zoned for agricultural purposes despite a last-minute push by its owners, SmartCentres Real Estate Company.
"I don't support giving SmartCentres a upwards of $150,000 tax cut at the expense of residents in our community," said Mayor Alex Nuttall.
Last week, in a near-unanimous vote, councillors decided to end temporarily zoning the land for agriculture until it is ready for development, concluding that in the previous seven years, zoning has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential tax revenue.
On Wednesday, the SmartCentres pushed back.
"In our view, the requested interim use represents good planning for the property while we continue to work on the development of the property," said Mark Resnick with SmartCentres.
That development, which has only approved its draft plan, includes an elementary school, 155 semi-detached and townhouse units, two blocks slated for apartment buildings, and a public park. The owners are arguing that temporary zoning until studies are done is beneficial.
"Farming reduces nuisance and dumping on the property while supporting a local farmer as we advance the approvals," said Resnick.
However, the mayor and council didn't budge.
"We are a business-friendly environment, but that is not going to include giving a random tax break," continued Resnick.
Councillors moved forward with work on Wednesday to establish a new sister city relationship with Saginaw, Michigan. The city wants to expand its economic development and business opportunities with other partnerships.
"This relationship with Saginaw, Michigan, came around quite quickly, and we're very excited to add the first North American international relations between the City to our complement of twin cities," said city councillor Jim Harris.
Pointing to the auto sector first, the mayor says the relationship could be much broader.
"When you look at where there is growth, it's in high-tech manufacturing, it's in digital jobs, and so we really want to look at everything," concluded Nuttall.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.