I was pleased that the council undertook an economic development strategy study in 2010 for the township and I provided input as a local business person at the time. As a result, in 2014 after being elected Mayor, I immediately stepped up to sit on the County Economic Development Committee to represent the Western zone which encompasses Springwater, Wasaga Beach, Clearview and Collingwood. I also agreed to sit on our newly established Township Economic Working Group

Since I spent most of my career in business development and teach on the subject, I have a view. We need jobs in Springwater to slow down the erosion of our younger population that leave the township everyday to go to work. I was appalled to find that over 90% of non-farm workers leave the township for work. This is one of the highest numbers of all the municipalities in the county. I believe our real strength could be in attracting large service industries such as government and education as we already have many of these enterprises in the township. We are home to the County of Simcoe Headquarters, The Education Centre for the Simcoe County District School Board along with the Headquarters of the Ontario Fire Marshall Office.

Having worked closely this term with the Mayors of Barrie and Wasaga Beach, who are visionaries in their own right, we need to exploit our proximity to Barrie and Wasaga Beach as we are the “Heart of Simcoe County”. Many people may not know where Simcoe County is located but they do know where to find Wasaga Beach and Barrie. We can build on that especially with the growth of agri-tourism and other great attractions we have such as Elmvale Zoo, Snow Valley Resort, Rounds Ranch, campgrounds and the various bed and breakfasts that exist in the township. We have some of the finest Markets that are great to visit such as Barrie Hill Farms, Valley Farms, Harris Farms, and Birch’s to name a few. These are great places to visit and in the summer you can see them at the Springwater Elmvale Farmers Market. I am confident we could bring jobs to Springwater if we keep up the momentum.

In 2010, the consultant’s report confirmed, as I have stated in many articles, Elmvale is still the only complete community we have and we need to sell that great asset to others. We need to put more effort into assisting the Elmvale BIA as this group is an important aspect of business development from my perspective.

Let’s keep the momentum and Re-elect Bill French for Mayor on Oct 22.