Oro Station held a ceremony Thursday, celebrating its new Automotive Innovation Park in Oro-Medonte.
The groundbreaking officially marks the start of construction of a 500,000 square foot industrial facility that will join a business park with a motorsport road course and testing facilities. The project will be home to automotive engineering, education, service, supply and manufacturing businesses.
The facility is forecasted to bring 1800 construction jobs to the region and 700 full-time jobs upon completion. Oro Station will be home to a 4.1km motor circuit for performance testing, training, research and commercial use. In partnership with Georgian College, Oro Station will become a center for automotive education providing opportunities for students of multiple faculties to engage with the industry and partake in advanced training opportunities. Oro Station will provide a destination and platform for new automotive technologies to be developed here in Ontario.
The first phase of development for the park is to include site servicing and earthworks with the circuit planned for completion in 2022. Construction of commercial and industrial buildings is slated to begin in 2021.
People who ceremoniously broke ground included Premier of Ontario Doug Ford, Attorney-General and local MPP Doug Downey, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark, MPP Jill Dunlop, MPP Andrea Khanjin, MP Doug Shipley, Warden of Simcoe County George Cornell, Mayor of Oro-Medonte Harry Hughes and Council, President of Georgian College MaryLynn West-Moynes and colleagues, as well as members of the automotive industry and local community.
Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, said “We make some of the best cars anywhere in the world here in Ontario. There’s no reason why we can’t make our province the top destination for auto innovation and this project will help us maintain our position as leaders in the sector across North America. I want to thank Oro Station for their hard work to champion this project and bring more jobs and economic opportunity to Simcoe County.”
“We are grateful for and humbled by the foresight and support of the Premier and Provincial government, our local Member of Parliament, and our Regional and Municipal governments,” said Geoffrey Campbell, Managing Partner of Oro Station. “The Automotive Innovation Park began as a concept, born from a passion to preserve the automotive past while looking to an innovative future with education at its core. We are honoured to have unanimous support from multiple levels of government and excited to be building Oro Station here in Ontario.”
“From day one, our government has been committed to cutting red tape and getting critical projects started. It was my privilege to make a Minister’s Zoning Order last fall to help get shovels into the ground faster for the development of this unique facility,” said Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark. “This project is just one example of our ongoing work to build strong communities with good local jobs.”
MPP Doug Downey said, “The impact that Oro Station will have on our local economy is tremendous. Geoff and his team have shown true Ontario Spirit, ingenuity and dedication. I thank them for their commitment to economic investment in our community, and I am excited to see this project continue to grow and flourish well into our future.”
