While city council voted Monday to approve the same school plan they unanimously rejected 15 months ago, that doesn't guarantee construction will begin anytime soon.
"The decision that was made tonight was great, but we’ll have to see what plays out and see what else they will put on us,” said Peter Beacock, chair of the Simcoe County District School Board.
"We are not going to wake up tomorrow and withdraw from the OMB. If they put on conditions that are not acceptable, then we can continue to stay at the OMB.”
A new high school is approved for a parcel of land at Mapleview Drive and Prince William Way. However, construction has been delayed for over a year because the city and the school board disagree on the exact location of the building.
According to city planning guidelines, the school belongs on the north part of the property, fronting onto Mapleview. The school board site plan has the building at the southern most section of the property.
When council rejected the site plan, board trustees voted to appeal the decision to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). The OMB rules rules on contentious local government issues.
Any decision to withdraw the OMB application would require a majority vote from board trustees, Beacock confirmed.
Councillors McCann, Arif Khan, Bonnie Ainsworth, Doug Shipley, Peter Silveira and Michael Prowse supported the site plan on Monday.
Mayor Lehman, Councillors Barry Ward, Sergio Morales, and Andrew Prince voted against.
“It’s disgusting we are compromising and selling out on our planning principles,” said Morales.
With Barrie Central Collegiate closing this week, and the new school several years away, Innisdale Collegiate Institute is expected to be impacted with increased enrolment and additional portables.
"There are potentially students who will spend their entire high school career in a portable," said Counc. McCann, adding that he is concerned that resources will not be available for all students at Innisdale.
However, some of the concerns identified by council were "incorrect", according the Beacock.
For example, one councillor said that Innisdale Secondary will be adding 19 portables to accommodate new students in the fall. That would bring the total to 38 at the southend school.
Beacock says the school will only add three new portables.
"A lot of the things said tonight are very inaccurate," he said.
Coun. Mike McCann accused board trustees of being "the bully in the playground."
"Many students will spend their entire high school career in portables," he said. "That's a diminished quality of life and quality of education."
SCDSB staff has been directed to research alternatives to the south Barrie site, and those solutions could include abandoning the Mapleview Drive site and instead building additions on Nantyr Shores Secondary School in Innisfil and/or Innisdale. Or the board could choose a new school site in Innisfil.
"That will continue," Beacock said.
