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TORONTO — The Ontario government has introduced the Barrie-Oro-Medonte-Springwater Boundary Adjustment Act, 2025 that would, if passed, transfer approximately 1,673 hectares of land in the Townships of Oro-Medonte and Springwater to the City of Barrie.

According to the province, this would “unlock up to 8,000 new homes, allow for major economic investments to continue and align with key transportation infrastructure projects, such as the Barrie GO Line expansion and the Bradford Bypass.”

The Office of the Provincial Land and Development Facilitator (OPLDF) would facilitate discussions among the municipalities on the best way to implement the legislation, including financial compensation from the City of Barrie. The OPLDF has been working with the City of Barrie, the Townships of Oro-Medonte and Springwater, and the County of Simcoe since May 2024 to facilitate an agreement without reaching a resolution.

After 18 months of negotiations, and at the recommendation of the OPLDF, the government has opted to introduce legislation — which includes the minister’s regulation-making authority to allow ward boundaries to be adjusted well in advance of the 2026 municipal election — rather than further delaying decisions.

The province says the transfers are needed because the city’s population has grown by almost 13 per cent over the last two years and it has no developable lands within its municipal boundary to support future growth.

“Barrie will run out of residential land by the 2030s and employment land by the 2040s,” the release adds. “Given the time constraints related to planning and building, further delays in addressing this shortage will put future housing and employment needs at risk.”

Despite the shortage of lands, Barrie is well poised for water and wastewater servicing capacity for the future growth, the release adds.

The transfer would support planning for infrastructure expansion over the medium to long term, allowing homebuilding proposals to move forward, creating homes for 23,000 more people.

The boundary adjustment would come into effect on Jan. 1, 2026, or Royal Assent, whichever is later.