A joint fire and paramedic facility in Midland could be on the horizon.
In a report this week, staff from the County of Simcoe outlined progress on recently completed building projects, active construction sites and several new stations now entering the early planning stage.
The update also recommended the county issue a letter of intent to the Town of Midland to explore a joint paramedic-fire station, similar to the shared model used at the Barrie-Simcoe Emergency Services Campus on Fairview Road. If approved, the Midland station will be added to the county’s long-term financial plan.
The plan aligns with the county’s long-term facility review process and confirms that existing station and post locations remain appropriate, said Jane Sinclair, the county’s general manager of health and emergency services.
It also highlights current work underway, including construction of the new Waubaushene paramedic station, which is expected to open this fall.
Sinclair told councillors the paramedic service was recently approached by the Midland Fire Department regarding a new development the town is pursuing and the possibility of co‑locating paramedic services within that project.
“We have run the location through our modelling tool and it is an ideal location — a better location than our current site,” she said.
Sinclair said the existing county‑owned Midland station is outdated, while the proposed site would allow for expansion and more efficient operations.
Midland Mayor Bill Gordon said the shared‑facility model is something more municipalities are beginning to explore, adding that partnerships like this make sense given how closely the two services operate.
“Sharing space with these two services that fit like hand in glove just makes a lot of sense,” he said. “I’ve been advocating for this kind of campus approach in our municipality, and I can see it being easily replicated in our partner municipalities.”
Gordon noted that securing the right property was a major advantage.
“I’m looking forward to this moving ahead. We’ve acquired land in the right spot, and that’s half the magic,” he said. “The right spot might otherwise have several people’s homes on it or a Pizza Pizza — and taking people’s property is never a good news story, no matter how benevolent the cause.
“We got very lucky,” Gordon added. “We look forward to exploring this future together, and who knows — maybe it will serve as a positive model for other municipalities.”
Wasaga Beach Mayor Brian Smith commended Midland Fire and paramedic services for having the foresight to explore sharing a facility.
“We all know that the cost to build fire stations, paramedic stations, schools, you name it, is just over the moon now and is just not sustainable,” he said. “To hear we have services who haven’t necessarily worked together in the past — although they do out on the road and saving lives — but co-mingling is not something that has really been looked at.”
Smith said the approach could set an example not only for Simcoe County but for communities across Ontario.
“We’re not saying they have to work out of the same kitchens and bathrooms — but just the cost savings in combining that building and those bays is going to be significant savings," he added.
According to the report presented this week, the county has completed several new stations and posts in recent years, including facilities in Stayner, Alliston, Beeton, Orillia, Collingwood, Elmvale, Bradford West Gwillimbury and Penetanguishene. A new Springwater South post also opened in July 2025.
Construction of a new Waubaushene paramedic station is underway and is expected to be open by this fall. It will replace the aging Coldwater station, which consultants determined was “not ideal” for meeting either current and future call demand.
Three additional paramedic posts are planned for Barrie — South East, Central West and South West — as part of the county’s hub‑and‑spoke deployment model.
Land has already been secured for the southwest post, while design and land searches continue for the other two, noted the report.
The county is also assessing several future facility needs based on updated modelling from Operational Research in Health Inc. (ORH), which provides recommendations through 2034.
Among those priorities are:
- Innisfil: Staff are reviewing optimal siting, including the Friday Harbour area.
- Tiny Township: The Perkinsfield post requires major repairs and is not ideally located; ORH recommends relocating it farther north.
- Tottenham: The current leased site only houses a rapid response unit; a full station is needed.
- Lake Simcoe Regional Airport: Staff are looking a dedicated paramedic response bay and potential alignment with Ornge air ambulance’s new provincially funded hangar.
- Severn/Orillia border: A new station is recommended after a previous property option failed due diligence.
“By combining updated demographic projections with operational data, this work will identify high-growth areas and evolving service pressures,” noted the report.
All planned facilities are already accounted for in the paramedic service's long-term financial plan, and funding for individual projects will be brought forward during annual budget deliberations.
The county is also adopting a more proactive land‑acquisition strategy to secure property in priority areas before prices rise or opportunities disappear, according to the report, which noted findings from the ORH report “enable staff to proactively monitor real estate opportunities in priority areas.”