On April 9, Stratford City Council held its third and final Grand Trunk workshop, where Chief Administrative Officer André Morin walked councillors through what he sees as the practical path forward for the site. Morin’s presentation pulled together earlier work on site constraints, community priorities and preliminary costs, and then focused on how, in concrete terms, the City could actually move the project ahead.

Morin’s proposed path forward
Morin outlined a path built around three main pillars: creating a shared community facility with the Stratford Public Library and YMCA of Three Rivers, integrating Grand Trunk parking into the wider downtown parking strategy, and launching a “market sounding” process to shape future private development on the site. He explained that the City is working with an assumed municipal contribution toward the shared facility (in the range of about $15 million) as a planning number, so Council can realistically test what kind of building, amenities and partnerships are feasible within Stratford’s broader financial capacity.

How Morin framed money and risk
Morin also gave Council an overview of Stratford’s long‑term financial planning, emphasizing how a project of this scale has to be weighed against the City’s overall capital program and debt limits. He stressed that decisions about Grand Trunk will not be made in isolation, but need to reflect what the City can afford over many years, alongside other infrastructure needs across the community.

Where residents come in next
Morin made clear that this workshop was for education and direction‑setting only; Council did not make any final decisions on April 9. Instead, his outlined path forward is meant to give residents something concrete to respond to at the April 20 special meeting for public delegations, before Council receives a formal staff report with recommendations at the April 27 regular meeting. Those recommendations are expected to cover the City’s proposed contribution to the shared community facility, how Grand Trunk fits into downtown parking, and next steps for testing private‑sector interest in housing and mixed‑use development on the site.

Questions that may come up at the April 20 Council meeting 

• Why is a new police headquarters being planned in isolation from Grand Trunk, instead of considering whether a civic‑services cluster (including or excluding police) makes more sense overall?
• Has Council explicitly ruled out a police presence on part of the Grand Trunk site, and if so, based on what land‑use, cost, or operational analysis?
• How will parking costs (construction, maintenance) show up in City finances and in user fees, and is this the best use of limited capital compared with other priorities?
• Will Council make commitments that key pieces — like affordability targets, climate standards, and levels of public control over land — will be set by them in public, not only negotiated later behind closed doors with partners?
• What is the realistic range of the City’s total exposure (not just the first $15 million), once you include parking, site works, and any guarantees or subsidies to partners?
  Which other projects or services might be delayed, downsized, or cancelled to make fiscal room for Grand Trunk, and is that trade‑off acceptable to residents?
• What expectations will the City set up front on affordability, climate performance, and public benefits, so the process doesn’t simply attract proposals that maximize profit but shortchange community goals?
• Given the complexity of this project, will residents have an opportunity to weigh in on choices in the upcoming municipal election?