Big decisions lie ahead for Innisfil council
By Chris Simon

Several big municipal issues won't be going away, just because the new year has arrived, says Innisfil's mayor.

Today, town staff and councillors will start budget deliberations. And with several other issues like development charges, the start of Innisfil Beach Road construction and the opening of the new administration and recreation centres coming up within the next few months, 2008 already promises to be a busy and eventful year for Innisfil, said mayor Brian Jackson.

"We'd like to move forward by trying to set the stage for more local jobs," he said. "We'll be looking forward to trying to improve our water quality, matching the infrastructure for the needs of the community. We're looking forward to the start of the reconstruction of the 8th Line. The administration and recreation centres will be significant milestones.

"We'll be looking at our water and roads and how we provide those services to our community."

Jackson is optimistic about the upcoming year, especially with other projects like the Big Bay Point Resort entering its next phase. After receiving approval from the Ontario Municipal Board last month, the site will participate in a water treatment pilot project and environmental assessment before construction begins.

While the town was progressive in 2007, there are still several municipal items that have yet to be resolved, said Jackson.

The $29 million recreation centre's first phase, which was supposed to open several months again, is still under construction. A two month Roofers Union strike and difficulty with the purchase of certain construction material is being blamed for the delay.

The entire complex is expected to open in the Spring.

Late last year, the town received documents from the Ontario government noting discrepancies between its Official Plan and provincial and county growth plans. The county does not currently recognize the proposed Innisfil Heights development along the Highway 400 corridor. If built as proposed, the development would include the creation of about 22,000 jobs and homes for several thousand people.

"The initial comments were discouraging," said Jackson.

"(But) I believe we'll have a better working relationship with the county and the province as we move forward with our Official Plan and their growth study, and how our plan fits into the overall growth and development of our community. There's an opportunity for movement to bring that to reality. We spent a lot of time and money, and got what the people of our municipality said they want. Now, we have to make that come into action."

Land negotiations between Barrie and Innisfil have also stalled, and there's no breakthrough in sight, said Jackson.

"That didn't materialize," he said. "I don't expect that we'll see a resolve to the issue in 2008."

Town councillors will also have to decide on proposed development charge increases, which could see rates rise by as much as 161 per cent.

"We'll be doing further review of the Development Charges Act," said Jackson. "We review all the information we receive from the development community, we'll meet with them early this year to further review their positions. Council is going to have to take a very serious look. We still want to be competitive, but we have to be mindful that growth must pay for growth. We can't have development that impacts the local taxpayer."