Locals seek answers on development, transparency at Springwater meeting

Hamilton Spectator

16-05-2025

SPRINGWATER TWP. — Securing an audience for any event that's going head-to-head with the Toronto Maple Leafs' Stanley Cup playoff run is a difficult thing.
Securing one for a municipal town hall meeting is almost unfathomable.
That Springwater Township hosted a bustling town hall Wednesday night that exceeded their attendance expectations is a clear indication residents are actively engaged and want to know more about what's going on in their neighbourhoods.
'I think tonight was one of the best turnouts I've ever seen,' said Springwater Mayor Jennifer Coughlin. 'There was a ton of new faces here and their concerns were all across the map — it wasn't specific to things that were necessarily in someone's backyard. It was more of a township-wide curiosity.
'It was really refreshing,' she added.
Deputy Mayor George Cabral agreed.
'I think it's a great event and well attended,' he said. 'I like the format — it's casual and everybody's approachable.'
Cabral said Wednesday night's event was a marked improvement over previous town hall events, which were more formal.
'In comparison to the way town halls used to run, I think this is a much better opportunity for residents to mingle with council members and also staff, the people who they generally are reaching out to,' he said as the event was coming to a close and the majority of folks had started to make their way home.
'Because a lot of our staff and council members are here, they have the opportunity to actually ask questions and get to know who they're representatives are,' Cabral added.
That's why Ross Langman attended. A lifelong resident of Springwater and an active farmer, he said he attended the town hall to stay informed and meet township officials face-to-face.
'I think it's in everybody's best interest to be informed about what the township's council is doing,' Langman said. 'This is an opportunity to ask them directly.'
He said he was going to talk to township officials about development pressures and the impact those issues are having on local farmers.
Pam Orange has lived in Anten Mills for 12 years. She attended the town hall to find out more details about the
proposed boundary adjustment and cross-border servicing announcement
the township and the City of Barrie announced last Friday.
'I'm interested in knowing what land they're thinking of exchanging and what it involves,' she said. 'I just read a small bit about it, so I thought I'd come and see what's happening and ask some questions.'
Orange said she was looking for assurances that the township will benefit from the potential deal, which is still early in the discussion stage.
Like Orange, Wendy, and her son Mike — no last names given — attended the town hall seeking clarity on the Barrie-Springwater discussions. They've lived in Midhurst for 30 years and were looking for answers to rumours and speculation that popped up on social media.
'We've been getting conflicting information on the Barrie-Springwater thing,' Mike said. 'One councillor told me things are moving very, very quickly, and another one told me not to worry as nothing is going to move quickly.
'It's confusing,' he added.
Wendy said he was hoping for 'transparency' on the issue.
'There's too much we don't know,' she said.
For
Glenn Beer
, Wednesday night's town hall was the second time he was at the township's administration centre in the past seven days. He spoke out about a developer's plan to discharge runoff that would impact his property at the township's last council meeting, on May 7.
That experience, he said, was directly responsible for his attendance Wednesday night.
'I think people can pull the wool over your eyes pretty quickly if you're not watching,' Beer said. 'And for so long we weren't really watching.'
He spent the evening meeting council members and staff.
'It's important to know what's going on, who's responsible and who you have to talk to,' he said. 'That's what we're doing.'