East Gwillimbury tells York Region: You want growth? Give us services

Region told to meet bevy of demands

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 24, 2015
By Simon Martin

East Gwillimbury council has put it in writing: they are not considering any new growth scenarios unless the region meets a bevy of demands in the interim.

In a motion passed by council, the town will only consider the region’s 2041 growth scenarios if there is servicing to the town’s employment areas by 2018, delivery of the Upper York Sewage Solution by 2020, construction of additional east-west transportation connections and certainty regarding the timelines for infrastructure delivery.

The move comes after the region discussed 2041 growth projections last month that would see the town balloon to a population of 108,700 from its current 24,000.

The problem for council is East Gwillimbury had already been slated to grow to a population of 86,500 by 2031, only to have its long-term plans hampered by the region’s sudden delay of the Upper York Sewage Solution due to financial reasons.

The current timeline is for the UYSS to come online in 2024. Beyond East Gwillimbury, the population is projected to grow from 56,200 to 81,000 in Aurora, and 85,700 to 114,900 in Newmarket by 2041.

Employments forecast shows Aurora will have 38,000 jobs in 2041, up from 27,000 in 2014. Newmarket will host 56,600 jobs, while EG will grow to 41,900, up from 42,700 and 9,500, respectively.