Simcoe County municipalities must stop competing with each other for business and instead recognize each other’s potential, Simcoe County’s growth steering committee heard Thursday.

In reporting to the steering committee, economic development subcommittee chairperson Doug White told politicians what’s good for one part of the county is good for the county.

“This is not an either/or. This is an everyone-together proposition,” said the Bradford West Gwillimbury mayor.

Indeed, economic theory states as the number of local jobs rises, municipal revenue rises, local consumer spending increases and related spin-off industries become aware of the area’s potential.

In his committee’s report, White advocated the county focus more on supporting the Highway 400 corridor through Innisfil and Bradford West Gwillimbury – an area already under intense development pressure, as outlined by a series of presentations in October from companies such as Metrus and the Cortel Group.

“That’s the most glaring hole in our economic strategy. Opportunities there have not been seized,” said White. “There’s no doubt about it: the Highway 400 corridor is something we should be tapping into.”

While Simcoe County needs to support the economic potential of the Highway 400 corridor through Innisfil and Bradford West Gwillimbury, the county needs to acknowledge the impact of the changing tourism industry on the region, said Orillia Mayor Ron Stevens.

“We need to acknowledge tourism in our plans. It’s the No. 1 industry in the County of Simcoe,” said Stevens. The county is the third most-popular tourist destination in Ontario, behind Toronto and Niagara Region.

“We have to include (tourism) industries as pat of our overall (economic) strategy. The small resorts are virtually gone, and like anything else, it moves up the food chain. Some of the larger ones are being bought out by national and international corporations, like ClubLink. Demands on infrastructure in municipalities they’re in will become even greater.”

Thursday, the county’s Growth Management Steering Committee reviewed a series of reports, as it begins formulate guiding policies to bring the county’s Official Plan – its long-term planning document – into line with Ontario’s Places to Grow policy.

Places to Grow calls for regions within the Greater Golden Horseshoe – Ontario’s economic engine – to grow smarter, to build communities where people can live, work and play.