Central Huron Council Acquires Former Bluewater Youth Centre Property from Infrastructure Ontario

Press Release
May 18, 2021
Central Huron Council Acquires Former Bluewater Youth Centre Property from Infrastructure Ontario

The Municipality of Central Huron has signed an agreement to purchase the former Bluewater Youth Centre property from Infrastructure Ontario allowing the Municipality to enter into developmental opportunities to benefit the greater region.

Central Huron has budgeted approximately $5 million for the purchase and remediation of the property.

“This is a significant achievement for Central Huron to acquire 300 acres of highly valued lakeshore property at low risk to the Municipality, which we will ensure is remediated to pristine condition. We are pleased with the Province of Ontario’s partnership and goodwill contribution to make this revenue-generating opportunity happen,” says Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn.”

“This acquisition checks all the priorities of Council including creating regional economic development opportunities, avoiding developmental delay, and ensuring environmental stewardship of an important property. Council has seen investor-owned real estate sit idle that could have been put to use generating immediate economic opportunities. We now have the keys to this important property and look forward to announcing a prospective lessee shortly.”

Central Huron Council’s first priority is to remediate the former Bluewater Youth Centre property, which will be completed professionally by a qualified vendor and could take one to two years depending on resource availability. 

While Council acknowledges there are risks associating with purchasing and remediating the former Bluewater Youth Centre property, it is confident in its proven track record of creating non-tax revenue generating opportunities. “Rural communities have become resourceful in identifying low-risk revenue generation opportunities. This property is a solid investment for Central Huron and we are eager to move ahead with the prospective interested party,” says Ginn.

Media Inquiries:
Contact Mayor Jim Ginn
jginn@centralhuron.com 
519 440 2688