Campfire Circle, a well known and respected camp for children with cancer and other serious illnesses, is an amalgam of the former Camp Trillium and Camp Ooch.

The 12-1 vote at Planning approved a Zoning Bylaw Amendment to allow development of an overnight children’s medical camp to proceed.

The development on Wesley Acres Road will replace the former children’s camp on Garratt Island, which was devastated during the high water events in 2017 and 2019.

The 32-hectare site, which Campfire Circle purchased in 2022 for $4.5 million, fronts onto West Lake. The new camp will have space for 387 campers and 144 staff, with on-site facilities including a private hospital and helicopter pad to ensure medical care. Along with a main lodge, amenities will include an indoor sports area, a stable/indoor riding area and an outdoor amphitheatre.

Costs are estimated to reach at least $50 million. 

The lone opposing voice at the horseshoe was that of South Marysburgh Councillor John Hirsch, who noted that while Campfire Circle represented a worthy cause, what was before the committee needed to be judged as a planning application first.

“The question before us is whether the proposed location is the right one and in accordance with our Official Plan and its policies. This is not the right location,” he said.

The 2021 Official Plan clearly states development shall not be permitted within identified significant woodlands. A land survey noted two significant woodlands within the Campfire Circle development envelope. Cabins, trails, and roadways are planned for both woodlots. 

An Official Plan Amendment with written exemptions to the Natural Heritage Policies could allow for the camp, but the councillor noted that wasn’t what was before the committee.

A number of residents made formal comments about County planning staff’s failure to uphold key environmental protections in the Official Plan. Amy Bodman, speaking on behalf of the PEC Field Naturalists, asked that the application be denied “until all proposed development is taken out of the two significant woodlands.” 

“Please send this application back to planning staff and ask them to add in the Offical Plan provisions that protect our natural heritage.” 

Comments also noted the precedent- setting nature of the decision. “Every interested developer will be looking at what happens tonight to see what they can potentially get away with in an NCA,” said Ms. Bodman.

A majority, however, was willing to overlook the conflicts between the proposal and the Official Plan, swayed by the intentions, core beliefs and mission of the Campfire group and the children it would serve.

For more than one councillor, this wasn’t a typical planning decision on a for-profit tourist development. The direction of Campfire made the difference.

 “I trust these people.
I trust their track record.
I trust our process and
our staff and most importantly,
I applaud their humanity.”

—Councillor Bill Roberts

“These are kids coming that are suffering from cancer and other illnesses. They aren’t going to be running around, ripping up the trees and destroying the land. They are coming there to feel normal for a week,” Councillor Brad Nieman said. “The Campfire people are putting a lot of money into this and they are eager to see it succeed.”

Councillor Bill Roberts noted as a parent who once had a child at SickKids in Toronto, he believed strongly in what Campfire Circle was trying to achieve The Sophiasburgh councillor spoke to the volumes of research indicating nature-based activities prove essential for the mental health and physical and spiritual well-being of children, particularly ones fighting serious illness.

The motion to ratify the planning decision comes to Council on March 11.