A regional addendum to Ontario's award-winning Places to Grow: A Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, the policy says Barrie shall be the region's urban anchor, supported by a strong network of smaller urban communities: Bradford, Alliston, Collingwood and Orillia.

The broader provincial forces municipalities to grow differently than in the past, to create "complete communities" (which offer a mix of housing types, jobs, promote public transit and active transportation, and preserve agricultural land). Passed as legislation in 2006, Places to Grow (P2G) requires municipalities to bring their official plans - long-range planning documents that set out where industry will locate, what neighbourhoods will look like - into conformity with the new policy by the end of this month.

The local addendum to the plan, Simcoe Area: A Strategic Vision for Growth tears apart the population allocations Simcoe County negotiated last year during its growth-management process. The county's plan also set the basis for its new OP in December 2008 and enabled its 16 member municipalities to update their OPs and bring them into line with the new provincial guidelines. Simcoe County allocated forecasted population and employment among its member municipalities and gave 5,000 people to Barrie.

The province has shown the county's work doesn't follow its vision and has taken local leaders by the hand.

"(Simcoe County) is facing extensive growth pressures. The area is currently home to approximately 437,000 people, with known development proposals and applications which could have brought the population to over 1 million by 2031 in the absence of the Growth Plan.

"The Growth Plan establishes a 2031 population forecast of 667,000 and a 2031 employment forecast of 254,000 jobs. This represents steady and manageable growth, and will result in a population level of approximately one-half of what otherwise may have occurred. The Growth Plan also redirects this growth to focus more on existing urban areas and less on new greenfield areas."

Ontario has told the county development shall occur in Barrie, Bradford, Alliston, Collingwood and Orillia.

The plan calls for these communities to revitalize their downtowns, make better use of transit and other urban services, while protecting agricultural land and reducing environmental impact.

Ontario envisions Barrie as the urban anchor of the Simcoe area, supported by a strong network of communities.

The province, however, does support the county's plan to create economic enterprise zones along Highway 400 - one at Innisfil Heights, the other at Highway 88 (Bradford). Ontario also recognizes the role of the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport on Highway 11 at Line 7 Oro-Medonte.

It also recognizes the importance of the agricultural industry. Employing more than 9,800 people in 2006, the sector generated cash receipts of more than $326 million.

Seasonal residents are also not included in the forecast, although Ontario respects the recreational industry that includes ski hills, marinas and golf courses.

Still to go through the legislative bill-passing process, Ontario is accepting feedback to the vision statement by Sept. 2; e-mail placestogrow@ontario.ca or call 1-866-479-9781.