It is time for the Ontario government to make a Highway 400-404 connecting link in Bradford West Gwillimbury a top priority, said Mayor Rob Keffer.
With York-Simcoe MPP candidates Loralea Carruthers and Caroline Mulroney in the room, Keffer spoke to a crowd at the Mayor’s Annual Business Breakfast on Monday, urging the winning candidate in this year’s election to push for such a link.
“We must go further. Our next MPP must (push for) designing, planning and building a Highway 400-404 link,” he said. “We have to be prepared to look to the future.”
The link is one of several projects Bradford has on its radar, such as opening Henderson Park, development of the Highway 400 lands, expanding child care, planting more trees, increasing transportation options, and seeing the construction of two assisted living facilities in town, Keffer said at The Club at Bond Head event.
“We’ve made a lot of progress. Job growth is strong and we’ve set a foundation for that to continue,” he said, citing MedReleaf and MiTek Canada as two examples of growing companies in Bradford.
Keffer said the town’s official plan — which is being reviewed at a public meeting today at 7 p.m. at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library — will leave a lasting impact to create “a better town, not just a bigger town.”
And Bradford has been seen huge growth, said Michael Kemp, marketing coordinator in the town’s economic development office.
Bradford saw a 26-per-cent growth rate between 2011 and 2016, which was the second highest for communities in Ontario and 11th highest in Canada, he said.
As well, there has been a 43-per-cent increase of residents over age 65, and a 34-per-cent spike in residents under age 14, he said.
“We had a very good year in 2017, and it looks like it’s just rolling forward,” he said.
Bradford Deputy Mayor James Leduc said the town has a lot in store for the coming years, such as a new long-term strategy to boost Bradford arts and culture, accessible on-demand taxi service, and the development of MiTek, the first business to build on the Highway 400 lands.
The town is bringing water service to the Highway 400 lands, which includes 350 hectares that can be developed, by the end of this year, according to Mahesh Ramdeo, the town’s manager of capital projects.
The town will also be hosting a workshop about plans for Holland Street on May 29.
“That’s the forum where we’ll have a conversation of what we can do,” he said.
From the County of Simcoe perspective, the area's manufacturing sector is doing well, said Rachel Sullivan, the county’s economic development manager.
“Our manufacturing sector is actually alive and well. They cannot get enough people to do the work. Ours is only struggling a bit because they don’t have the people to do the work,” she said.
“(We look at), ‘What are some of those common challenges and common issues we can take on together?”
