East Gwillimbury could turn to septic system as interim solution for employment lands

YorkRegion.com
Sept. 13, 2016
By Simon Martin

When Mayor Virginia Hackson announced that Engineered Air was coming to East Gwillimbury during the 2014 election campaign, it was a big coup for the town.

At the time, the town estimated Engineered Air would bring 500 new jobs and be part of its new employment lands along Hwy. 404. Two years later and one major hurdle remains: there is still no servicing solution for the employment lands along Green Lane and Woodbine Avenue.

Servicing the employment land along Green Lane is expensive and it doesn’t seem like anybody wants to pay. According to town staff, York Region has told the town it's not building the sewer that comes with a price tag upwards of $10 million. That total is also a little too rich for the town at this time as they don’t have a lineup of other businesses ready to fill the lands yet.

Hackson said there has to be adequate payback for the town to invest that kind of money. That sentiment was echoed by many of the councilors.

With a permanent solution seemingly out of reach at the moment, council turned its attention to a temporary solution that would allow Engineered Air to build a septic system and well onsite, with the idea of hooking into the sewer when it gets built.

Hackson said the town needs to have urgency on the matter or risk losing Engineered Air to another location. The interim solution of septic and a well would come at a more reasonable price figure - between $400,000 and $600,000. Engineered Air would be responsible for paying for the septic system under the interim solution. Council is waiting on more details from staff before making a decision.

A first phase investment by Engineered Air would see construction of a manufacturing facility, with approximately 250 jobs. The company is one of North America's largest manufacturers of custom built heating; air conditioning; ventilation and refrigeration. East Gwillimbury has more than 1,000 acres designated as employment land, including space on Yonge Street North, Green Lane, Hwy. 404 and the Bales Drive Industrial Park, near the intersection of Woodbine Avenue and Davis Drive.

York Region is counting on the town to be a key growth centre in both population and employment. While the region is slated to increase its number of jobs between 2011 and 2031 by 32 per cent, East Gwillimbury is aiming to increase its employment by 364 per cent.

That’s an increase from 7,400 jobs to 34,000 in the span of 20 years.

Councillor Tara Roy-DiClemente said it doesn’t make sense for the region to give the town such high targets for employment without willing to do anything to service the town’s employment lands. “It’s unacceptable,” she said.

Ultimately, the town is planning to build a wastewater sewer along Green Lane from just east of Hwy. 404 to the Bayview Pumping station.