After rising from a nearly four-hour in-camera session on Thursday night, Collingwood council has voted to officially endorse a minister’s zoning order (MZO) for the Poplar Regional Health and Wellness Village project.
However, the vote was not unanimous, with the new mayor-elect speaking out and voting against the endorsement.
Coun. Yvonne Hamlin said that when the project was first proposed in March, a specific vision was put forward which included a possible hospital for the site, specialty medical clinics and housing.
“By August, we received a draft minister’s zoning order, which is their preferred route to change the zoning on these lands,” she said. “We heard from our staff... and consultants... that this document wasn’t sufficient to secure the vision that had been promised.”
Hamlin said one example of this was that in the initial proposal, specialty medical clinics were proposed, but what is being described in the MZO application is “light industrial” use.
“In other words, you could drive a truck through it,” said Hamlin.
On Aug. 18, council endorsed the MZO “in principle,” with the caveat that developers Live Work Learn Play Inc. (LWLP) and Di Poce Development Ltd. must work with town staff, the mayor and deputy mayor and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to prepare a final MZO for endorsement.
Since then, closed-door meetings have occurred between the province, the town and the developers to iron out the details of what the MZO should entail.
The Poplar Village Regional Health and Wellness Village proposal for 130 acres on the southeast corner of Poplar Sideroad and Raglan St. was first brought forward to Collingwood council in March 2022.
According to the initial vision for the project presented to council, there will be seven key areas incorporated into the design of the village including a regional health and wellness campus, a market district, long-term care/assisted living facilities, bio-science and medical research facilities, an eco-wellness centre, a regional transit hub, student and workforce housing and sports medicine clinics.
The developers intended to seek an MZO — a controversial provincial tool to fast-track a change of zoning on a piece of land with provincial authority bypassing the municipal zoning process — to change the zoning of the property from industrial to mixed-use to allow for the community-hub-style development. In order to be considered, the developer needs a resolution passed by Collingwood council in support of the zoning change.
According to the most recent iteration of the draft MZO considered in August, the lands to be developed must include a minimum of 10 per cent attainable/affordable housing and 60,000 square metres of employment in the form of office, institutional and light industrial uses. Other additions to the overall plan included that a block plan and a phasing plan must be submitted prior to any building permits being granted for the project, and a five-kilometre, all-season, multi-modal trail system must also be constructed on the lands.
Hamlin said council voted to support the MZO in principle in August so council and the town could “close up the gaps” between what the vision was and what the words in the MZO application relayed.
“My view tonight is, we are not there,” she said. “We have this draft agreement that is referred to in the motion. It’s not a final agreement. There are some negotiations still to happen. I’m not satisfied that even in negotiations we’ll get to where we’re going.”
LWLP and the town are still working through a developer agreement for the project, and the motion approved by council on Thursday indicates that the new MZO would be part of that.
Although, details on what may have been changed in the MZO application were discussed in closed session on Thursday and are not available publicly. A draft agreement on what the project will look like was also endorsed at council’s in-camera meeting, but is not available to the public.
“In three business days, we’ll have a new council. Five of us won’t be at the table. Aside from that, I can’t see what the hurry is,” said Hamlin.
As the new mayor-elect, Hamlin took particular exception to a part of the motion that says if there are final negotiations, that they are to the satisfaction of Collingwood’s municipal solicitor and chief administrative officer.
“There is no mention of our new council which would normally be approving any agreements...to guide the development of such an important project over the next couple of decades,” said Hamlin.
Mayor Keith Hull responded to Hamlin’s comments by noting some of her comments were in reference to in-camera discussions and therefore he wouldn’t offer clarification other than to state he had a “difference of opinion.”
“This council was democratically elected four years ago, and we have gone through an incredibly difficult time,” said Hull. “This is a tremendous vision and opportunity that’s been proposed.”
“Visions change. Things evolve. This is a massive undertaking for the region of Southern Georgian Bay. The vision that was presented to the community... can evolve and probably will evolve,” he said.
“This council has done their best. Nothing is perfect.”
At the end of Thursday’s meeting, council voted in favour of endorsing the MZO for the Poplar Regional Health and Wellness Village by a vote of 5-2, with Coun. Yvonne Hamlin and Coun. Deb Doherty voting against. Coun. Chris Carrier declared a conflict and didn’t take part in the discussion or vote.
Part of the motion included on Thursday is that council is reserving the right to request that the ministry revoke the MZO should the owner fail the develop the project in accordance with the vision endorsed by council, or if the draft agreement does not become final.
Following the vote, Chief Executive Officer of Live Work Learn Play Inc. Max Reim told CollingwoodToday via email that both LWLP Inc. and Di Poce Management Ltd. are eager to move forward on the file.
“We are thrilled with the tremendous leadership shown at the council table last night and are excited about the opportunities that this endorsement provides for the region,” said Reim.
When asked about Hamlin’s comments, Reim said the developers plan to continue conversations and build relationships with the new council.
“We’ve appreciated Mayor-elect Yvonne Hamlin having voted in favour of our project and the MZO on all previous occasions, and respect her sharing her change of opinion at last night’s meeting,” he said. “We will take the opportunity to clarify any of (the new council’s) questions and look forward to council’s ideas, input and collaboration to help deliver the best possible health and wellness village project for generations of citizens.”
“We now await the decision of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and, if it’s positive, we will immediately pursue future partnerships and collaborations to move the development forward,” said Reim.
