Orillia, Ontario

OR I LL I A , ONTAR IO says Mayor Steve Clarke. “The building we’re in right now [City Hall] is the old Tudhope factory. They started out making carriages in the 1800s, then switched over to automobiles in 1908.” By the 1900s, Orillia was one of the most bustling towns in Ontario, gaining new dimension with cultural and residential buildings (the Geneva Theatre, the Stephen Leacock House), landmarks (the Sir Samuel Steele Clock Tower, the Champlain Monument), and green spaces (Couchiching Beach Park). “We have a waterfront that truly is the envy of many communities,” says Clarke. “We have a wonderful trail system which meanders over 20 kilometers throughout the city and waterfront. We have a welcoming and vibrant heritage downtown. Our iconic Opera House, which is well over 100 years old. A state-of-the-art library. An award-winning regional hospital. We’ve got two post-secondary education institutions in town: Lakehead University and Georgian College. That’s very appealing to people who want to raise children here. There is a brand new OPP Detachment that serves the needs of the City of Orillia and surrounding townships, as well as the Central Region Headquarters, and the OPP’s General Headquarters. We recently opened the biggest investment the municipality has made in the city – a $56 million recreation centre.” The long-awaited and impressive 132,000-square-foot facility opened its doors on Oct. 26, 2020, after two years of construction and pandemic-related delays. Although Orillia is what most would consider a small urban centre (the last census puts their population at about 31,000) the Mayor reports that with most of their amenities now in place, the city is starting to feel more mature. Ian Sugden, General Manager of Development Services and Engineering, notes, “We’re striving to be a complete community. To add all the range of services and facilities that people want. Orillia sits at the intersection of Highways 11 and 12, so it’s a crossroads for a lot of the population that’s south of here. We’re trying to make this a Opera House and Library