Major Projects

Council at a Special Meeting of Council held August 15, 2016, signed agreements with Hydro One that will see 36 acres of the 42-acre Horne Business Park in West Orillia used for an Advanced Technology Hub. The opportunity includes the acquisition of the Orillia Power Distribution Corporation by Hydro One.  

The development is anticipated to inject approximately $200 to $300-million in near-term economic impact on the community, including the construction of three facilities, the creation of a significant number of highly-skilled, knowledge-based jobs, and fibre optics upgrades within the City. 

For detailed information regarding this project, please visit the Community Investment with Hydro One project page. 

Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan

The Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan (DTCIP) launched on January 1, 2017.  This program seeks to encourage growth in Downtown Orillia, and in 2019 includes the provision of $200,000 in grants to offset costs of development in the downtown core for projects such as façade improvements, signage, feasibility studies, building improvements and the creation of residential units.

Over time, the DTCIP is expected to increase tax assessment, employment opportunities and housing options in the City's core as part of a longer term plan to revitalize the downtown and link it more closely to Orillia's waterfront.

A Community Improvement Plan (CIP) is a tool authorized by the Planning Act and Municipal Act which allows municipalities to offer financial incentives such as grants and loans to property owners and business tenants in order to encourage downtown, neighbourhood and community revitalization.

For detailed information regarding this project, please visit the Downtown Tomorrow CIP project page. 

The project will address the deteriorated condition of the roadway and provide improvements to existing servicing infrastructure. The project also involves relocating the existing trunk sanitary sewer from the waterfront to Front St. as well as upgrading the traffic infrastructure and boulevard amenities.

Construction on the first phase of Front Street (from Colborne Street East to Queen Street East) will take place this year. Funding will be sought in 2020 Capital Budget for construction on the second phase of Front Street from Neywash Street to Colborne Street East.

For detailed information regarding this project, please visit the Front Street Reconstruction project page. 

The Orillia Recreation Centre will provide a blend of leisure, sport, fitness and recreational amenities for individuals and families, as well as competitive sport venues for groups and organizations and will include the following amenities:

• 25 m, 8-lane lap pool with viewing area
• Therapeutic pool
• Leisure pool with play features
• Gymnasium with 2 FIBA sized basketball courts and a viewing area
• Childcare room
• Multi-purpose room
• Fitness centre including studio fitness rooms
• Walking/jogging track 

For detailed information regarding this project, please visit the Orillia Recreation Centre project page. 

The City of Orillia has retained Ainley Group to complete the Drainage and Stormwater Management Study for the improvements to Local Drainage and mitigation options related to flooding at Queen Street East and its vicinity in Catchment Area 17. The Stormwater Management Plan will be prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Class EA provisions for Municipal Undertakings.  This study is being conducted as a Schedule B Class EA.

For detailed information regarding this project, please visit the Queen Street Stormwater Management Plan Catchment Area 17 project page.

Through the Stormwater Master Plan completed in 2016, it has been recommended that the stormwater outfalls at the end of Tecumseth, Neywash and Coldwater Streets be retrofitted with stormwater management (SWM) facilities for quality and quantity control, in addition to consideration of smaller projects within the catchment areas. A combined SWM facility was proposed as a feasible alternative.

For detailed information regarding this project, please visit the Stormwater Sub-Basins 10, 11 and 12 project page.

In 2012, the City adopted the Downtown Tomorrow Plan, which set out a long term vision to better connect the downtown core and waterfront area. In 2016, the City acquired 70 Front Street North, an underutilized parcel of land which contained a large commercial plaza, with the intent to extend Coldwater Street to Centennial Drive and facilitate redevelopment of the southern portion of the plaza.

As a shared vision between the City and the developer is crucial to the success of this project, the 9.75-acre site will be sold through two phases. The first phase is the Request for Qualifications (RFQ), which determines a shortlist of qualified proponents who share Council’s vision. The second phase is the Request for Proposals (RFP), which invites the shortlisted proponents to submit their detailed redevelopment proposal for the site.

For detailed information regarding this project, please visit the Waterfront Redevelopment project page. 

In July 2016, the City entered into an agreement with the Ministry of Transportation to undertake various roadworks in the West Orillia area. Those roadworks are required to accommodate existing and future traffic in the area as development occurs. 

The full project includes the following work:

• The addition and widening of Highway 11 southbound exit ramps at Coldwater Road (2016)
• The re-alignment of Old Barrie Road and Highway 12 at the Highway 11 overpass (2017)
• The addition of traffic signals at the intersection of Old Barrie Road and University Drive (2017)
• The addition of a second left-turn lane on Hwy 12 at the Monarch Drive intersections (2018)
• Reconfiguration of the West Ridge Boulevard intersection to improve turning movements. This includes staging additional turn lanes to accommodate traffic onto West Ridge Boulevard (2018)
• The addition of a second right-turn lane on Monarch Drive at Highway 12 (2018)
• Active Transportation trails on both sides of Highway 12 between West Ridge Boulevard and Highway 11 (2018)
• Widening of West Ridge Boulevard from Bass Lake Side Road to Hunter Valley Road to five lanes (2019)

For detailed information regarding this project, please visit the West Orillia Road Improvements project page. 

For detailed information regarding this project, please visit the Waste Diversion Site Shoreline Erosion Control project page.

The Orillia Wastewater System must continue to meet the needs of the community in the most economical and sustainable manner, in full compliance with regulations, and with minimal impact on the natural environment. As such, the existing systems will be reviewed to identify and define their condition, compliance and performance-related issues that might affect the ability of the systems to meet future needs. As a result, this master servicing study will address:

• Review and update of the City’s existing Engineering Design Standards for wastewater systems.
• Review of existing and future development and project future wastewater flows.
• Visual condition assessment of existing pumping stations, WWTP, and septage receiving station.
• Update the City’s existing sewer model and identify existing and future system bottlenecks.
• Develop a prioritized replacement / rehabilitation plan for the existing system to address capacity issues, reduce Inflow / Infiltration, and repair deteriorated system components based on a risk-analysis approach. 

For detailed information regarding this project, please visit the Orillia Wastewater System Master Plan project page.

Wastewater Tertiary Treatment Facility

The City of Orillia will be completing significant upgrades to its Wastewater Treatment Centre (WWTC) to reduce the amount of phosphorus entering into Lake Simcoe. 

As required by the Lake Simcoe Protection Act, new compliance limits for phosphorus entering Lake Simcoe came into effect in June 2015. Tertiary treatment and process optimization at the WWTC are required to ensure the City's annual average of phosphorus can be achieved with consistency under increased flow and higher total phosphorus concentrations. 

The project involves design and construction of a new cloth media tertiary filtration process, complete with a hydraulic lift station, cloth media filters and buildings to house the individual processes. Appurtenances associated with these processes include: chemical dosing system, and HVAC systems, piping, electrical, controls and instrumentation equipment to facilitate phosphorus removal. The WWTC upgrade will include the retrofit of the aeration process equipment, as well as the construction of a new blower building for optimization of the WWTC processes, including automation, energy efficiency and ammonia nitrogen removal.

For detailed information regarding this project, please visit the Wastewater Tertiary Treatment Facility project page.