Trying to avoid becoming the 'Cuba of the north'
By Richard Blanchard

Essa council is concerned about the need for better jobs and improved services as Simcoe county discusses population growth with its member municipalities.

Council met with Raymond Simpson of Hemson Consulting Wednesday to discuss the Directions Report from the county's Growth Management Study.

"I've said it before at the council but I'm really worried about the type of jobs that we seem to be attracting to Simcoe County. I hope that we're not raising our children to become chambermaids in the Cuba of the North serving tourists. It's not what I want to see" Mayor David Guergis said.

"Development seems to be driven by developers and I think that they should demonstrate a need for it," he said.

Guergis said that the preoccupation with new home construction has been without focus on the creation of highly paid jobs in the county and the need to provide services to the newcomers.

"There seems to be a focus over which municipality will take 100,000 new residents over the next 20 years, Innisfil or Barrie," he said. "We have seen a loss of manufacturing jobs which have been replaced by service jobs at much lower rates of pay. Simcoe County now has a lower household income than the rest of the province. This didn't used to be the case."

Guergis added that there is a need for greater employment, doctors, ambulance service, hospitals and schools to accommodate the future growth.

Councillor Sandie Macdonald agreed with the need for more services.

"There aren't enough doctors and nurses available already," he said.

Guergis said that the report's estimate that population in the township would increase from 17,600 in 2006 to 19,500 in 2031 seemed acceptable.