GEORGIAN COLLEGE EXPANDING IN BRACEBRIDGE WITH NEW R&D AND ‘RIE’ LAB, ROLES

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

BRACEBRIDGE — R&D is no longer the domain of universities.

Colleges are offering students, businesses and entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop, build, refine and market their ideas for the commercial world.

And to own and retain 100 per cent of their intellectual property rights.

Georgian College is among 80 Canadian post secondary leaders in an emerging field for tier two educational institutions.

Mira Ray is executive director of Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RIE) at the school with a campus in Bracebridge.

And while colleges like Sheridan are cutting programs and workforces due to a dwindling cap on international enrolment, GC is striving to make add gravitas to their grads.

Speaking to 80 people last night at a tri-partisan south Muskoka Chambers of Commerce Business After Hours social — at the District of Muskoka office HQ — Ray cited helping a Midland company create a snow ski suitable for the powdered runs of B.C. in addition those it makes for icy conditions on Georgian Bay relatively smaller hills.

From design and testing to marketing, which not only helps the business but many students who go on to work and get jobs with those they help.

She added some of her RIE work is in conjunction with the YMCA of Simcoe Muskoka, which is expanding its physical reach to mind over old matter. A big ask for an ever evolving and challenged organization that is rebuilding after more than a decade of downtown. Though it is rebuilding a new Y in Barrie and with talks about returning to Orillia after selling Geneva Park.

The Y is “so excited,” Ray said, noting they’ve invited 13 Ys across Ontario to congregate at Georgian College in Barrie “so we can share some of the work that we are doing.”

It’s about “the future of belonging,” she said.

“What this project is really about is examining how they can as community services remain relevant in this changing world. How can we build communities that are inclusive environments, both in rural areas and in urban areas; but also thrive not just economically but socially?

“It focuses on empowering under-represented groups and harnessing the community’s strengths. There’s so much knowledge, so much on the ground activity. How do we bring everyone together? All the different non-profits and organizations that want to see change. That want more housing. That want to see people with food security. That want inclusion and accessibility. How do we bring them together?”

Ray said they are “working toward building this model. An innovation network. A series of community innovation labs, which are within our communities where they can access tool kits and resources for planning, strategizing and implementing. All working together.

“But it’s not just all networking within your community, but between communities.”

So far Georgian College and the Barrie Public Library are on board for their students and membership. The library in Innisfil is close to joining. And talks with the Barrie Chamber of Commerce are underway.

“There is also an innovation lab space — with all it has to offer — at Georgian’s Bracebridge campus” where the District of Muskoka has committed $875,000 for redevelopment on Wellington Street as part of a bigger future build there.

Muskoka development charges

District chair Jeff Lehman, in introducing Ray, spoke about Muskoka’s initiatives in housing. And anecdotally talked about counter workers at McDonald’s who have to commute to Bracebridge from Barrie because they can’t find accommodation locally.

He said he’s heard from chambers of commerce that the dearth of attainable housing has made staff recruitment difficult.

Asked after whether substantially increased district development charges are an impediment to housing, Lehman said the new fees are misunderstood.

Even by MP Scott Aitchison, the Conservatives’ housing champion, who has criticized them Muskoka’s $4,000 increase on a single-detached home.

Lehman countered saying council voted to lower rural charges and also not hike them on buildings for rental use.

The costs apply as of when the building permit is issued.

Lehman said “here’s what happened.

“They calculated the charge four years ago. And then the district council of the day did a 50 per cent discount. So that money has to come from property taxpayers. And so you’re still raising the cost of housing. You’re just putting it on everybody’s property taxes instead of on the price of a new home. … When we went and recalculated it, we said we don’t want these charges going up, becoming a big impact. So the calculated charge went down. But it’s up a bit from the 50 per cent discounted amount.

“So here’s the actual number. And this is important. Some of our charges actually went down. There are five different charges: single detached house, townhouse, low-rise, high-rise apartments, and then rural where you’re not doing water and waste water — because that’s the biggest chunk of the charge to build pipes and water plants.
”The rural charge went down anywhere outside the core. And any rental housing, because there’s now exemptions in the Act, the charges are going down.

“The only thing that’s going up is on homes for purchase. And we’re concerned about that. We don’t want to make it harder for a young couple to buy a house. It’s going up from $17,000 to $21,000 (on a $700,000 home). So in the scheme of things it’s not huge. But every little bit counts. And as a percentage — I know our MP and others have commented — it’s a big percentage.

“But what we’re doing is creating a first-time home buyers grant that will completely wipe out the increase for someone buying their first home in Muskoka.”

Lehman admitted: “Those details are yet to come. So as I stand here today — 100 per cent transparent — the charges going up Jan. 1, until that program is rolled out it’s a legit complaint that on single homes, which is the only charge going up.

“But my only argument would be that the way it’s going to work is that when you pull the building permit when you’re a developer.”

In other words it will probably take a year for the first homes to be sold in the first year of 2025 after the charges change. By then the first-time home buyers’ program will be up and running.

“So watch us next year. If we don’t do that we’ve earned the criticism that some have levied. The rural and rental charges are coming down. It’s a bit of a broader story than the one number, which is the single homes.”

Lehman said ultimately “council looked at the issue and No. 1 if we discount development charges property taxpayers have to pick up the bill. So we’re just hitting people’s home budgets, everybody’s to pay for development.

“The other issue was we wanted to focus our incentives on the people who needed it the most. And that tends to be renters who can’t find apartments. That’s where the demand is and where they are out of reach for some.”

It will be another four years before the development charges bylaws are revisited.

Still some small district developers remain sceptical of the cost recovery benefits, saying added costs can be the difference in constructing affordable housing for contractors.

District hospitals support ‘done’

On the related topic of hospital housing and the funding dispute, he said council remains unequivocal in its commitment to two new hospitals, as well as this month’s MAHC submission to the province for an uneven allotment of acute care beds.

“What we decided when they came, was to take the condition off. So we’re in support of their model. That’s done.

“We’re in support of the Local Share. The piece that was left open is with the 10 new beds is the number going to change. That’s why we didn’t pass the motion at the time with the number.

“But council supports the model.”

Lehman said as Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare says “it’s a step in the process” with construction at least five years away. “And that’s when they need our money. We’re already putting some away knowing we’re going to pay our share of the Local Share. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

“And I get why people got really upset about this stage. Because there were some big decisions about what was going to go in Huntsville and what was going to go in Bracebridge.

“But how much it costs, what those details are it’s going to play out over years.”

The next chamber After Hours are in Bracebridge at the new Raceboat Hall of Fame on Hwy. 118 on Dec. 5 and in Gravenhurst at the Curling Club on Dec. 12.

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