I would like to comment on Laurie Watt’s column about boundary solutions for Innisfil and Barrie.
I have lived in Innisfil as both a summer resident and now a full time resident for 52 years. We chose to live in Innisfil for the rural atmosphere it is noted for. My family chose to live without sewers and community water because Innisfil has everything we wanted for raising a family. My husband travels to Scarborough everyday so we can have a rural lifestyle.
I have seen a lot of events over the years. The community centers in Stroud and Lefroy were originally opposed because we had the lake to skate on. The lake was also used for curling. As a community we are grateful that our leaders saw past that and built these amenities anyway.
I for one can tolerate growth if it is done properly and does not totally consume our farmlands. We live in the best farmland area in the province. I do not wish to see that all disappear.
Barrie, with its unprecedented growth, has not been planned with foresight and grows willy-nilly everywhere. When Barrie took over Innisfil land before the people affected had a rude awakening the next day when they found their taxes increased drastically and yet they had no new services or amenities.
A memo to Barrie council: When a city reaches it’s boundaries they must improve on what they already have. You cannot just go in and take over other towns’ lands. Toronto outgrew their boundaries and so the GTA was created. We all know how that went. More expenses, more headaches, less quality of services and the verge of bankruptcy for the city. I would not like to see that happen to Barrie or Innisfil.
There are a lot of questions still unanswered with regard to the boundary disputes. Maybe getting back to the table would help answer some of these questions. Perhaps boundaries could stay where they are and the two communities could work together to supply jobs, amenities and services to their taxpayers.
It would be more beneficial for taxpayers if one of two things happened; Barrie and Orillia join the County of Simcoe so growth and services can expand properly and jointly, or the County of Simcoe ceases to exist and each town or city runs themselves.
As taxpayers we would see a definite benefit on our tax bills. If you live in Innisfil, you should have an opinion one way or another. No matter what your opinion, make sure your voice is heard and talk to your councillors before it is too late and we lose our identity.
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