Grand Trunk Renewal Project
My vision for the Grand Trunk property is to create a downtown neighbourhood that is socially beneficial, environmentally sustainable, and economically healthy and resilient.
After years of discussion, the first phase of the Grand Trunk redevelopment is moving forward. Council has committed $15 million toward a community facility on the site, with the YMCA and Stratford Public Library expected to contribute an equal amount in capital investment.
Working with these partners, we have an opportunity to create a facility that brings people together and responds to community needs, including shared spaces, a senior's centre, a public pool, and a childcare centre and more. But the community facility is only one part of the bigger picture.
My vision is for a vibrant, mixed-use neighbourhood that benefits all of Stratford. I see a place where people can access community services, enjoy green space, support local businesses, and connect with one another.
That means planning for affordable parking to support our downtown, a mix of housing options for people at different income levels, retail and commercial spaces, and welcoming public spaces.
As we move forward, we need to listen to residents, understand the needs of our community, respect the site's heritage, and make responsible decisions about what we can afford to build and maintain.
The Grand Trunk Site: A Place for Stratford’s Future
The Grand Trunk site is more than a significant piece of land in the heart of our city. It’s part of Stratford’s story. It helped shape our history as a railway town, and now we have an opportunity to shape what it will mean for generations to come.
The question is: How do we make this property work for the people who call Stratford home? During this term of Council, we brought together an Ad Hoc committee of community members to help guide the future of the site. They identified seven priorities to help ensure that what we build reflects the needs and values of our community:
Affordability • Sustainability • Functionality • Accessibility • Community Benefit for all residents • Respect for the heritage of the GTR site • Respect for the Indigenous heritage of this land
From the GTR Vision and Guiding Principles document found HERE
These are more than planning principles. They are a commitment to making decisions that put residents first. A community facility at the Grand Trunk site has the potential to bring people together, support families, create opportunities for recreation and connection, and provide services that benefit residents at different stages of life.
This should be a place that belongs to Stratford—a place residents can use, enjoy and feel proud of.
The facility will be an anchor for the broader Grand Trunk neighbourhood. Our responsibility is to make sure it meets real community needs while respecting our history and being financially responsible to today's taxpayers and future generations.
We have an opportunity to do something meaningful here: honour where we’ve come from, listen to what residents need, and build something that will serve Stratford well into the future.
The Next Steps
1. Understanding community needs
The City is currently consulting with stakeholders and residents to develop a new Recreation and Leisure Master Plan. This work will help us understand the broader recreational needs of our community and identify how the Grand Trunk Community Facility can help address some of those needs.
2. Securing community partnerships
Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) have been signed with the YMCA and the Stratford Public Library. Applications from other potential community partners are currently being reviewed and discussions are underway.
3. Determining the size and location
The City is working to determine the size and location of the Community Facility within the Grand Trunk Redevelopment (GTR) site. Several possible sites have been identified and Class D estimates have been created for those sites. The anticipated facility size is between 70,000 and 100,000 square feet, again based on understanding community needs and potential partnerships. A downtown parking study is also underway to develop a comprehensive and forward-thinking parking strategy that optimizes parking resources and as the Grand Trunk Redevelopment progresses.
4. Securing the funding
The City has identified capital funding for the Community Facility by creating a proposed capital stack, and Council has committed to investing $15 million that will be financed over 20 years. A critical next step is identifying additional funding opportunities to close the remaining gap.
One important funding opportunity is the federal Green Municipal Fund. To pursue this and other funding sources, we need a project that delivers on three pillars of prosperity: social benefit, environmental sustainability, and economic health and resilience.
Once we understand the community needs, have identified committed partners, and have a clear funding plan in place, we can then move forward with designing the Community Facility.
The City's role in developing the Grand Trunk site
One thing has become clear to me through the work of the Ad Hoc Committee: the municipality cannot (and should not) be the sole developer of the entire Grand Trunk property. We should ensure that the vision and priorities of the Ad Hoc committee are honoured, but we'll need the investment coming from outside the tax base to make it work.
Developing the entire site would be an enormous undertaking for a municipality of Stratford's size. If the City took on the role of developer, we would need to establish an entire department to oversee the project. We would also assume responsibility for operating and maintaining the entire property over the long term. That would be an unrealistic commitment and could place a significant additional burden on our property taxpayers.
A more responsible approach is for the City to focus on delivering the the municipal component of the project, a Community Facility, while working with a development partner (or partners) to complete the remainder of the neighbourhood.
This approach allows us to focus public resources on the community amenities Stratford needs, while creating opportunities for complementary residential and commercial development. The goal is to create a vibrant, mixed-use neighbourhood that meets community needs and remains financially responsible for Stratford's taxpayers.
This chart is from the April 9, 2026 Public meeting agenda, found HERE.
The City focusing on the Community Facility as the first phase of this development does not mean abandoning a broader vision for the Grand Trunk site. It means being clear about what the City should fund and manage directly, and where a development partner makes more sense.
The Ritz Proposal
Mayoral candidate Rob Ritz has created an elaborate and inspirational design for the Grand Trunk property and community facility. The AI renderings are impressive. But an impressive design is only one part of a successful project.
My biggest concerns are the enormous potential cost and his top-down approach to developing the Grand Trunk property. Before we commit to a vision, we need to ask: Can we afford it? Does it reflect what residents need? And can we realistically deliver and operate it?
1. Understanding community needs
The Ritz design assumes what the community needs before the Recreation and Leisure Master Plan and Parking Study are complete. That is not how meaningful community engagement should work. Residents should help shape this project, not simply be presented with a finished vision and asked to support it.
2. Securing partnerships
The Ritz design suggests several major community partnerships that have not yet been established. Beyond the YMCA and the Stratford Public Library, additional partnerships would need to be secured. Building a project around partnerships that are not yet confirmed creates uncertainty and could delay progress. The City is in the process of establishing which community partners are interested, what they can contribute, and what the facility and parking needs are before committing to a design.
3. Size and location
The Ritz design has already predetermined the size and location of the Community Facility ( 172,000 square foot proposal). That puts the cart before the horse. We need to first establish community needs, determine the appropriate size and location, and then develop a design that responds to those findings.
There is also a significant financial concern. According to the City’s Class D estimates, the proposed location of the Ritz design would add approximately $42.7 million in remediation costs, the highest amount of remediation costs for the other proposed sites that the City has identified.
That is a substantial additional expense that taxpayers deserve to understand before decisions are made.
4. Funding and the Municipal Act
Mr. Ritz is proposing that the City create a Municipal Development Corporation to develop the entire property, including luxury condominiums and a very expensive parking structure. This raises important legal and governance questions.
The Municipal Act, 2001 establishes the powers and responsibilities of Ontario municipalities. Municipalities also have specific authority to enter into agreements and provide assistance for eligible municipal capital facilities. However, that does not automatically mean every proposed development activity is authorized or appropriate.
Before Stratford commits to this model, we would need clear legal advice on whether the proposed corporation could undertake the development as described, what restrictions would apply, and what responsibilities and risks the City would assume.
We also need to distinguish between developing municipal infrastructure, such as parking, and developing high-end, market-rate condominiums for profit. These are different activities, and the legal authority for each must be established. To my knowledge, no other Ontario municipality has been the developer of luxury condos, and there is a very good reason for this.
Taxpayers should not be asked to support a development model until we understand whether it is legally sound, financially viable, and in the City's best interests.
The cost - and the risks to taxpayers
The detailed cost estimate published on Mr. Ritz’s own Grand Trunk Railway website puts the proposed development at $272,080,000. That document can be found HERE. That is a staggering amount of money for a project of this scale, and residents deserve to understand exactly what it means.
Mr. Ritz has also presented different cost estimates, including a more recent figure of $143 million. At the April 20, 2026 public meeting (watch the meeting here), he discussed costs of up to $800 per square foot and $60,000 per parking space. So which figure should residents rely on? What does each estimate include? Why are the numbers different? And what is the full financial commitment being proposed?
At that same meeting, he offered the following: “There's a standing joke among architects is that whatever an architect says the cost of a project will be, if you double it and multiply it by two you might be close to the actual cost.”
The comment may have been made in jest, but when we are talking about a project that could cost taxpayers tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars, cost uncertainty is not a laughing matter. We need reliable estimates, a credible funding plan, and a clear understanding of the City's financial exposure before committing to a project of this scale.
Mr. Ritz frequently reminds us that he is an architect, not an experienced politician. His architectural background may inform his vision for the site, but designing a building and being accountable for a municipality's finances are two very different responsibilities. As Mayor, the responsibility is not simply to present an exciting vision. It is to understand the financial implications, weigh competing priorities, manage risk, and make decisions that protect the long-term interests of residents and taxpayers.
Mr. Ritz has made transparency a central part of his campaign. I believe that means being clear and forthcoming about the costs of a project of this magnitude. Residents should not have to piece together different estimates to understand the financial implications of a proposal that could affect Stratford for generations. Transparency means showing residents the numbers, not just the vision.
My concern is that with Mr. Ritz as Mayor, Stratford could take on financial commitments that place significant pressure on our property tax base and limit our ability to fund other essential services and infrastructure.
We cannot afford to get this wrong.
The Grand Trunk site is an extraordinary opportunity for Stratford, but the scale of the opportunity does not justify taking unnecessary financial risks. We need ambition, but we also need discipline, transparency, and a realistic plan for delivering what we promise.
My approach
I believe the City should focus on delivering the community facility that residents need, while working with appropriate development partners to complete the remainder of the Grand Trunk neighbourhood.
We need to establish the community's priorities, confirm partnerships, understand the full costs, secure funding, and make responsible decisions about the City's role.
An impressive rendering is not a funding plan. A grand vision is not a guarantee of delivery. Stratford deserves a community facility that is ambitious, practical, accessible, and financially responsible. We should be building a project around the needs of our community - not asking our community to fit into a predetermined design.