East Gwillimbury looks toward a future of growth quadrupling size by 2041

In 2 years the population of the town grew 8,000 people from 24,000 in 2016 to 32,000 in 2018

Yorkregion.com
June 27, 2019
Simon Martin

What’s East Gwillimbury going to look like in the future? The community is in the midst of a big transition from a small town to a big suburb.

In two years the population of the town grew 8,000 people from 24,000 in 2016 to 32,000 in 2018. Those numbers are only expected to increase.

In five to 10 years that population number climbs to 50,000. By 2041, growth targets dictate a population 118,000 people.

To quadruple the town’s population, the approval of the Upper York Sewage Solution will be needed, as the town only has a limited amount of sewage allocation remaining in the York Durham Sewage System.

As of a council presentation on growth management in June, the town has issued 2,800 building permits and has 5,200 units of allocation left in the existing YDSS. The majority of the remaining units are anticipated to be allocated to the Queensville community.

While some lament the new growth, Mayor Virginia Hackson said she is hearing a different story from residents.

“I’m hearing what a difference we are seeing in our community that we now do have some growth,” Hackson said.

The town is looking to develop comprehensive plans for whitebelt areas in the town to help facilitate the further growth that is coming.

Chief administrative officer Tom Webster said people need to remember that these type of plans can take a long time to develop

“Queensville was approved as a community plan in the early '90s and it took almost three decades for the first building permit to be issued,” he said.

More growth will also help other areas of the town develop.

Hackson said the transit provided by the region is on unsteady ground. “We are well aware they are subsidizing us,” she said.

Or there is the matter of the long-awaited high school.

"We don’t have enough kids to have a high school,” Hackson said. “Shame on the board and us to some respect that we are the only municipality in the entire region that doesn’t have a high school.”