‘We pulled off in 6 months what often can take years’: minister’s zoning order speeds up Oro-Medonte project

Provincial support for a proposed medical innovation park represents a “massive” step toward bringing the project to fruition, according to an official connected to the development.

“We pulled off in six months what often can take years, sometimes even a decade,” said David Yeaman, president of Molded Precision Components (MPC).

The recent granting of a minister’s zoning order (MZO) by Ontario’s municipal affairs and housing minister helps pave the way for the Oro-Medonte Medical Innovation Park, planned for an 82-acre site along Line 7 North.

Yeaman said the minister’s order was necessary to break ground by this time next year, noting the property must be rezoned from agricultural to industrial.

“Without the MZO process, it could be five to 10 years and not get done at all,” he added.

The use of minister’s zoning orders has faced criticism from those who argue it allows developers to bypass the normal planning approval process at the municipal level and removes the requirement for public consultation.

“There’s no place for (these orders) when we have all the planning processes we have here that should be followed,” said Sandy Agnew, a member of AWARE Simcoe.

The area group works for transparency and accountability in government and to protect water, the environment and health. (Agnew was not aware of the project in question).

“The risk is that developments go ahead without proper consideration of all the aspects of it, especially environmental aspects of it,” he added.

Once a little-employed legislative tool, MZOs have been used more than two dozen times by the current provincial government to designate land uses.

According to Yeaman, projects that benefit from these orders must follow “the appropriate protocols,” including satisfying environmental regulations.

It “is designed around things that will have a massive impact on the economy or, in our case, the health and security of the country,” he added.

His plan is to establish manufacturing facilities with a focus on medical and personal protective equipment, ranging from hand sanitizer and face shields, to gowns and masks.

Purchased by a subsidiary of MPC, the site is located across from Lake Simcoe Regional Airport.

Oro-Medonte council and county council supported the request for the minister’s zoning order.

— With files from Brad Pritchard