November 7, 2025 Province of…

November 7, 2025

Province of Ontario – Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

Re: MZO Request for a new secondary school and mixed-use development in the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury – ERO no. 025-1117

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is considering a request for a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) to permit a new public secondary school, allocated to the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) at no cost, and mixed-use development in the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury. The subject lands are located adjacent and south of the Bradford settlement area boundary, outside the Greenbelt Plan Area, and the lands are currently designated as agricultural. The proposed public secondary school site would be centrally located on the subject lands and would occupy approximately 8 hectares. It is understood that the specific details of the proposed mixed-use development have not been finalized by the proponent. However, based on the conceptual plan provided with the request, the majority of these lands are proposed as residential. The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury endorsed the proposed MZO at their October 15, 2024 Council meeting provided the school site is transferred to the SCDSB to expedite construction of a public secondary school on the lands, pending Ministry of Education funding approvals. The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury has confirmed that sufficient municipal servicing capacity is available to accommodate the proposed secondary school but noted that upgrades to existing municipal water and wastewater infrastructure will be required to service the surrounding mixed-use development.

The SCDSB is highly supportive of the proposed secondary school site included within this MZO request and has been working to secure a much-needed secondary school site in the community for several years with few, if any, other suitable locations available. Through numerous discussions with Mayor Leduc, Town staff, and the applicants, a mutually beneficial opportunity, and one that is in the public interest, arose. For additional context, SCDSB planning staff can provide substantial background documentation and previous comments and research at the Province’s request.

Simcoe County District School Board planning staff wish to note that it is possible additional public elementary school sites may be required in the community to serve the remaining proposed mixed-use development within the MZO, and elsewhere. The SCDSB looks forward to working with all stakeholders in this analysis once more information about unit types and unit counts on the mixed-use portion of the proposed development is available.

SCDSB planning staff respectfully request that language be considered in the Zoning Order to ensure that additional school sites would be permissible within the MZO lands if required. The SCDSB would also like to ensure that public service facilities, including schools and childcare, shall be a permitted use and that public service facilities shall adhere to the zone provisions of Part 10 Institutional (I) Zone of Comprehensive Zoning By-law 2010-050. In the future, the SCDSB would like to work with the Town to adjust existing zoning requirements where applicable to meet the changing and future needs of the community and stakeholders.

Ensuring that the proposed MZO maintains flexibility so that needed public service facilities can be accommodated, are highly functional, and contribute to the development of complete communities as outlined in the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024 is essential.

The SCDSB thanks the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury and applicants for inclusion and their advocacy in this process. This is an excellent example of multiple stakeholders working together to achieve Provincial objectives while ensuring community infrastructure is considered, and in a manner that has minimal financial impact to the public.

Should you require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact this office.

Sincerely,

Kristen Bartmann, MPLAN
Planner

Cc:

Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury
Jennifer Best, Director of Growth Services
Thomas Dysart, Senior Planner

Government of Ontario
Catherine Roy, Senior Policy Analyst

Simcoe County District School Board
Corry Van Nispen, Superintendent of Business and Facility Services
Andrew Keuken, Senior Manager of Planning, Enrolment, and Community Use
Sandy Clee, Assistant Manager of Accommodation & Planning
Katie Kirton, Assistant Manager of Planning & Property