If all goes well, construction could begin on Bradford’s second public high school as early as 2026.
Based on a report from chief administrative officer Geoff McKnight, council endorsed a request for a ministerial zoning order (MZO) from KLM Planning on behalf of two land owners — GB (Bradford) Inc. and CLE 72330 Ltd. — who are each willing to donate four hectares (10 acres) for an 8.1-hectare (20-acre) high-school campus across two neighbouring properties at 2901 Line 6 and 2944 Line 5, during the Oct. 15 regular meeting.
In consultation with the town and the Simcoe County District School Board, the owners have also committed to building a road, sidewalk and servicing from Line 6 to the school, but the construction and donations are contingent on the MZO being approved by provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra. That would also see the high school surrounded by residential development and parks, with both Langford Boulevard and West Park Avenue extended south to Line 5.
“It is a win-win-win for everyone,” Mayor James Leduc said, emphasizing that all of council and staff worked together with the landowners and the Simcoe County District School Board to bring the idea to the attention of both the housing and education ministries during the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference in August.
Ward 2 Coun. Jonathan Scott said he “couldn’t be more thrilled” for what he called a “fantastic deal.”
He has been critical of how the provincial government implements MZOs, but suggested this was a “good use” as the town “desperately” needs a second public high school.
That was echoed by Ward 4 Coun. Joseph Giordano who has been critical of MZOs in general.
“I have to support it because of the value that it brings to everybody in this town,” he said, noting that in order to acquire land for a high school, either deals must be made with developers or the cost must be paid for with tax dollars.
In an Aug. 14 letter attached to the report, the board's education director, John Dance, thanked the mayor and staff for their help finding a location.
“This is an excellent example of how municipalities and school boards can work together towards achieving a common goal,” he said.
The two properties total 81 hectares (200 acres) which are zoned agricultural and are outside of the town’s settlement area boundary, and while both of those hurdles to development could have potentially been addressed through the town’s ongoing growth management plan, the MZO would essentially bypass that process.
An MZO can be issued by the minister to override local planning and consultation requirements as a way to expedite rezoning an area of land and prevent the ability to appeal the rezoning. Municipal support is not required for the minister to issue an MZO, but it can be influential.
In this case, McKnight explained the minister’s order would create a two-step process with the first step adding the land to the town’s settlement area, updating the zoning and permitting the construction of the road and servicing for the school.
The zoning is set to change to a mix of institutional and residential with exceptions (R1-1), which would allow a range of low, medium and high-density housing, neighbourhood commercial, parks, recreation and other institutional uses, according to the report.
The second step would require the developer to follow the town’s application process for building a subdivision including the typical studies, reports, reviews, site plans and public consultation.
That last part was important to Ward 7 Coun. Peter Dykie, who stressed the importance of getting feedback from nearby residents, such as those on Brownlee Drive and Golfview Boulevard, into a master servicing plan for the area.
“This will be the next phase of Bradford West Gwillimbury ... the future for the next 10 to 20 years,” he said.
In response, McKnight clarified the town already has enough water and sewer capacity for the new high school, but would need to add capacity for the residential development.
Resident Earl Galaski spoke during open forum earlier in the meeting and reminded council to also consider the impacts on road infrastructure and vehicle capacity in the area.
This new opportunity follows council’s ongoing effort pushing for a new high school in town, including passing a motion on June 18 in favour of finding a site as a “critical priority.”
Based on updated information from the school board, McKnight noted in his report for this week’s meeting that Bradford District High School currently has 250 students more than its official capacity of 1,113, putting it at about 122 per cent capacity. An additional 650 students are expected by 2033, which would put the school at about 180 per cent capacity.
Once built, the new public high school is expected to accommodate 1,134 students, according to a report from business and facility services superintendent Corry Van Nispen that was presented during an Aug. 28 board meeting.
During that same meeting, the board approved their capital priority list for 2024-25, which had the new Bradford high school ranked at number five, and directed staff to submit it to the province in the hopes of receiving funding.
Council voted unanimously in support of endorsing the MZO, though Ward 3 Coun. Ben Verkaik was absent.
