Barrie will determine by Sept. 5 whether the city will join Simcoe County’s growth process steering committee.

City CAO Jon Babulic is preparing a report, to go to council Aug. 27, on the county’s structure to manage growth. Barrie could have two seats on a 13-member committee, which has been set up to take the lead on managing growth in the region.

Ontario’s Places to Grow policy has projected the area’s population to grow by 228,000 over the next 25 years, including 76,900 more for Barrie-south Simcoe.

“I want staff to look at the pros and the cons of joining the new committee the county has established,” said Barrie Coun. Mike Ramsay, the chairperson of the city’s Barrie-Innisfil Negotiating Committee and the chairperson of the city’s Development Services Committee.

“It’s always wise to get together with elected representatives of neighbouring municipalities to co-operate on important issues that cross boundaries,” he added, but he has concerns about the county’s committee composition and whether a mayor or deputy mayor from a small, rural municipality could impact Barrie’s future.

“Barrie has to be careful in making sure the city does not sign onto any study in which we would not have a majority of votes (and) which would determine the future of the city … we would be in the minority and we are not a regional government.”

As part of last year’s Intergovernmental Action Plan (IGAP) report, not only was population discussed, but so was how municipal services should be best delivered. Made public exactly a year ago, the report by a provincially appointed consultant recommended a two-tier municipality (Barrie, Orillia or Simcoe County) to deliver water and wastewater processing and tourism, while studying the potential for area-wide consolidation of police and waste-management. Firefighting and recreation would remain lower-tier government jobs, while land ambulance, social services and court services would remain as they are, on an area-wide basis.

In April, Minister of Municipal Affairs John Gerretsen and Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal David Caplan told county politicians – including representatives from Barrie and Orillia – to get working together on a plan to manage growth, or risk losing out on provincial resources to bolster infrastructure and services.

Ramsay, however, said the province hasn’t given local politicians all the tools they need to do the job – including defining the population estimates, defining Barrie’s boundary and the definition of an urban growth centre – which Barrie has been designated.

“We are still in talks with (provincial development facilitator) Alan Wells and with the Town of Innisfil and the county on the boundary, which is Barrie’s No. 1 priority,” said Ramsay.

“That is dealing with not just long-term growth, but also short-term and medium-term growth. We will have reached our boundary within the next year and we have to set priorities as a council. (The) boundary is a top priority.

Talks continue, as planners and engineers discuss Barrie’s sewage-treatment capacity and Lake Simcoe’s ability to assimilate phosphorous. Once those numbers are determined, talks between politicians will resume.