What’s in a word? A lot, according to District Councillor Don Smith and his colleagues around the District council table.
Smith was referring to a District Growth Strategy report conducted by consultants and presented to the District’s planning committee. The minutes of that meeting were before District Council at their December 16 meeting for ratification.
The motion called for the endorsement of the report, but Smith insisted that ‘endorse’ was not the right word and said the report should instead be ‘received.’
Smith referred to the District Growth Strategy as “a huge report with a lot of interesting information which will inform a number of things as we go forward,” but said he was specifically concerned with the population growth anticipated in the report.
The report anticipates that the population in Muskoka will grow at an annual rate of 2 per cent and notes that the cumulative impact is a population growth of 50 per cent between now and 2051, from 68,600 to 99,100 people.
“By using the word endorse, which is in the original motion, there is an implication of approval. That, in short, we are setting a target of 99,100 for our population. So when we already have a significant shortage of housing and other services, particularly for the homeless and those facing health challenges, it would seem somewhat counterintuitive for us to, as a council, be approving substantial growth at this time until we first address the existing problems that are before us,” according to Smith.
He said the amendment to the motion to change the word to “receive” rather than “endorse” would change the approach to the information contained in the report.
Gravenhurst Mayor Heidi Lorenz argued that by using the word endorse, “we’re recognizing that it’s going to happen, and it allows us to use that in planning to say we recognize that is going to happen, and it’s sort of a tool to fight NIMBYism… it actually gives us the tool to approve things rather than argue whether to build it, and they will come. I think it adds more of a stance that we know this is coming, and therefore, we have to be ready,” she said in favour of using the word “endorse.”
Councillor Brenda Rhodes said she agreed with Lorenz. She also noted that the data in the report would be used not only by district staff but also by lower-tier municipal staff. “In my municipality, when we say received, that’s not a clear direction.” Rhodes asked District staff to differentiate between the two terms and how they would move forward with the report.
Arfona Zwiers, Commissioner of Community and Planning Services, said, “The word endorse is more compelling, and the words ‘be received and used as background information’ are exactly that. We will receive it for background information. We are using it for background information, but you would be correct that the word ‘endorsed’ would be somewhere in between ‘received’ and ‘approved.'”
Rhodes told her fellow councillors that the information could be used not only for planning but also for asset management, infrastructure, economic development, emergency response, community services, and even the environment, senior support, and hospital. “And so these are very, very important items that we need to be looking into the future for in planning, and delaying that five years or whatever that might be, is, in my opinion, detrimental and puts us behind the eight ball… take this, endorse it, and move it forward so we have clear direction both at this level and our municipal level.”
Huntsville Mayor Nancy Alcock, who chairs the planning committee and seconded Smith’s proposed amendment, said the reason she supported the amendment is because the information will still be used regardless. “It’s an incredible study; there’s a lot of information in it. It’s not just saying this is how much we will grow by; it’s also saying that this is where we’re directing the growth.” Alcock said there is probably room for discussion surrounding the assumptions and numbers in the report, which will take place regardless of whether it is endorsed or received. She said many reports in the Town of Huntsville are often ‘received’ and used moving forward.
Councillor Brian Bochek said he was divided on the issue. He said the report works for the three towns, but the Township of Georgian Bay does not have the same concerns.”We have no population growth… we have no infrastructure. We use Simcoe County for our hospitals and everything else…” said Bochek. “Endorse does not work for the smaller townships, so I would like to see the change in the wording,” he added.
Smith told his fellow councillors that staff was consulted about the change of wording, and they were comfortable with that change. He said as part of those discussions, “it would probably help council to know that if we did reach the number of 99,000 that is proposed in the report that in fact there is more than enough service land already within the District of Muskoka to allow for that growth. So the mindset around this is… rather than pushing the population to get to that point, that we can service it now and that we need sort of walk before we run because there are a number of challenges facing us as a council and a community.”
Councillor Peter Johnston referred to ‘receive’ as a “rather inactive statement. I like the word endorse. It doesn’t mean that we’re necessarily going to do this or do that, but when we give direction here around this table, we’re not only giving it to ourselves and to staff, but we’re letting the public know what it is we’re doing.” He said in the interest of making it transparent for the public, he could not support the suggested amendment.
While it was not a recorded vote, it appears that a small majority of councillors voted against changing the wording.
You can find the report HERE and the presentation HERE.
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