Orillia’s city council met this week to discuss the proposed sale of approximately 25 acres of Lakehead University land for the planned Orillia Soldiers Memorial Hospital (OSMH). In a letter to the council, Lakehead President Dr Gillian Siddall requested an unconditional sale of the land, with Lakehead keeping the proceeds for a new academic building. Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac responded in an open letter, asking the university to agree to a conditional sale for $1, after which the city would commit to $15M in funding for a new academic building at Lakehead. McIsaac’s motion was defeated, and a new motion was adopted asking Lakehead and OSMH to change and resubmit their obligations, including Lakehead formally committing to using the money to fund a new building.
