Hybrid open house to review Orillia’s proposed boundary expansion

For immediate release (Dec. 11, 2025): Orillia, ON - January 29 marks third open house to consider final boundary expansion options

With available land to meet its growth needs only into the mid-2030s, the City is exploring expansion into the Townships of Severn and Oro-Medonte.  A hybrid public open house will take place on Thursday, January 29, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Orillia City Centre in the Council Chamber. This is the third open house on the boundary expansion with the final growth options to be presented.  

“Council directed that we secure 195 developable hectares of additional land from our neighbouring townships to accommodate growth for the next 20 to 30 years. The purpose of the open house is to present to the public the final growth options before embarking on annexation negotiations,” said Mayor Don McIsaac.

Since 2021, the City has been undergoing a technical land evaluation to study and identify the most suitable locations for growth from a planning perspective to accommodate projected growth to the year 2051. At the hybrid open house, a Planning Justification Report and Fiscal Analysis will be presented together with the final growth options for the public’s consideration. 

Interested attendees can pre-registered for electronic participation at the hybrid open house by contacting Karandeep Gill at kgill@orillia.ca by no later than noon on January 28. Those wishing to attend in-person may do so and are not required to pre-register to speak at the open house. For those unable to attend the open house, a video recording and a copy of the presentation will be made available following the live event on the City’s website.

“I want to emphasize that we’re still in the planning stage – right now we are identifying the best areas to accommodate Orillia’s future population and employment from a technical standpoint,” said Mayor McIsaac. “No decisions are being made at this time. The Jan. 29 open house will help guide future choices. We truly value everyone’s participation.”

The Planning Justification Report, Fiscal Analysis and potential boundary expansion maps are now available for review at orillia.ca/boundaryexpansion in advance of the open house. Comments and feedback are welcome at the January 29 open house or by submitting written comments to planning@orillia.ca with the subject line “Boundary Expansion.” Written comments must be received by February 5, 2026.

Public input will be taken into consideration to prepare a report that is anticipated to be presented for Council’s consideration in Spring of 2026. Council will then determine the preferred growth option to begin annexation negotiations with the affected townships and the County of Simcoe.

For more information about the history of the boundary review, reports to-date, and expansion maps, visit orillia.ca/boundaryexpansion.

Contact the City of Orillia

Jill Lewis
Senior Planner
Phone: 705-418-3232
Email:jlewis@orillia.ca

Angela Grenier
Manager of Communications
Phone: 705-325-2108
Email: agrenier@orillia.ca