Peterborough MPP Smith is quoted in Saturday’s Peterborough Examiner as saying that Peterborough had to forgo the opportunity to welcome an employer which would have created 5,000 jobs each paying $100,000+ to the region because of a lack of available and serviced employment land in the city. The only solution, he claims, is for the city to expand its borders. It’s difficult to imagine that anyone in a position of influence would let an opportunity like that pass by. How many employers across the province could offer that many jobs paying that kind of money? Such an employer would transform the regional economy. MPP Smith is a member of the party that broadened the use of the Municipal Zoning Order (MZO) mechanism to expedite projects that create jobs, so this is a provincial priority. The former Cavan Monaghan Council seemed to share that view. Despite their unpopularity, our municipality has used MZO’s to expedite opportunities for job creation at properties on Syer Line, on Brown Line and at Kawartha Downs. The appeal of jobs is powerful.
One wonders what other local options were considered. Were other municipalities in the area presented with this incredible opportunity and given the chance to try to find a solution? Or is the only good job one that is created within Peterborough city boundaries? KG
