Jared Simpson

Jared Simpson

Candidate for Ward 2 Councillor

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Part of a multi-generational Ballantrae family, Jared Simpson grew up in Stouffville and is the current owner of Simpson Family Farms. He is running as a service-minded councillor focused on protecting rural character, broadening the commercial tax base, and ensuring infrastructure keeps pace with growth.

He supports intensification of Stouffville’s urban areas to help protect rural Ward 2, and he backs Oak Ridges Moraine protections with room to review rules that might burden farms and rural businesses.

• Growth Approach: Backs sensible intensification in the urban area but wants to avoid higher-density development in rural Ward 2.
• Balancing the Tax Base: Simpson wants more business development to ease pressure on residential homeowners.
• Addressing Growth Costs: Says development needs to pay its fair share for the costs of an expanding community.
• Ballantrae Sports Dome: Supports year-round recreation but has concerns about the dome’s scale and traffic, noting binding agreements are already in place.
• Traffic & Roads: Says widening roads alone won’t address congestion, and would advocate to York Region and the Province on streets outside the Town’s control.
• Council’s Record: Credits Council’s infrastructure and recreation investments but faults planning for how major projects like Main Street reconstruction affect nearby businesses.
• Greenbelt & The Moraine: Supports conservation protections but would review rules that create unnecessary barriers for farms, rural businesses, or essential infrastructure.

Ward 2 candidate Jared Simpson is running as a service-minded Councillor who would answer residents’ calls, protect the ward’s rural character, and keep growth in step with infrastructure and servicing.

Born in Ballantrae and raised in Stouffville, the owner and vice president of Simpson Family Farms says his family’s deep roots in the community inspired his candidacy.

In a recorded interview with 102.9 Whistle FM and written responses to Bullet Point News’ candidate questionnaire, Simpson, a seventh-generation local whose food-service business serves the GTA and Southern Ontario, pointed to his grandfather Harry Simpson’s induction into the Stouffville Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame as a turning point.

“To understand where we’re going, we have to know our history,” he said. Over the past year, he has attended Council meetings, met with Town Staff, and spoken with residents to inform his campaign.

One Ward, Many Communities

Ward 2 spans rural and agricultural lands, Musselman’s Lake, the large residential community around Ballantrae Golf and Country Club, and a collection of smaller residential pockets.

Simpson said the ward’s councillor must represent all three.

The message he hears most is a desire for better communication: a representative who “answers the phone, responds to emails, listens, and follows through.” Residents, he said, “just want to be heard.”

Protecting rural character is “at the top of the list,” Simpson said of his priorities, including looking after groundwater sources, the Oak Ridges Moraine, and long-term water servicing.

For major development proposals and projects, he said Council should ask three questions: whether infrastructure can support it, how surrounding residents will be affected, and whether they have had a meaningful chance to participate in the process.

Growth That Fits

Simpson does not see neighbourhood character and housing development as opposing goals. The question, he wrote, is whether development suits the area where it is proposed.

In the urban area, he would consider a broader mix of housing and “sensible intensification” where infrastructure, transit, and services can support it. In Ward 2, however, the same model isn’t appropriate for Ballantrae, Musselman’s Lake, and other rural areas.

He would prioritize amenities and services for area residents, including needs like grocery stores, more green spaces, and better transit access into town. On affordability, he wrote that municipal costs must stay reasonable and development should contribute its fair share of costs toward the infrastructure it requires.

Costs, Taxes & the Commercial Base

A key financial priority is ensuring residents get “good value for their tax dollars” while services and infrastructure are maintained, Simpson said. He would look to invest in roads, water and wastewater servicing, public safety, and upkeep of existing assets, arguing preventative spending can avoid larger costs later.

For efficiencies, he named procurement, project management, administrative duplication, and how major capital projects are delivered as areas to investigate. He supports further financial reviews throughout the year so Council can catch problems early rather than only at budget time.

Existing homeowners, he argued, should not automatically become “the default source of funding” for growth, and development should contribute a fair share through development charges that remain reasonable.

Before approving any major public facilities, Council should understand decades of staffing requirements, utilities, maintenance, and replacement costs, he wrote, with projects prioritized, phased, and supported by other levels of government where possible.

The larger solution, he said, is a broader tax base. Simpson wants employment areas with the servicing, transportation access, and planning framework businesses need, a single point of contact to guide investors through planning, engineering, and building requirements, and a proactive search for industries that fit local employment lands.

“Economic development should be something we actively pursue, not something we simply hope happens,” he wrote.

The Ballantrae Sports Dome

In statements provided to the ​​Responsible Recreation for Ballantrae website, Simpson said he supports expanding year-round recreation in Stouffville while sharing concerns about the facility’s scale, infrastructure demands, and traffic and neighbourhood impacts.

Citing conversations with Town Staff and the Mayor, however, he said significant approvals and legally binding agreements are already in place.

He has also met with Mentana Group and detailed the planned facilities. His understanding is that community programming and preferred rates for local sports organizations are embedded in the agreements, though access arrangements, hours, and fees have yet to be communicated.

During an Aug. 26 meeting, Simpson said, Town Staff told him Ballantrae was the only available municipal site suitable for the facility. Reconsidering the location would come with significant contractual implications, he said, and if reversing course is not the best option, the priority should be integrating the facility responsibly, particularly for its closest neighbours.

Simpson’s understanding is that a stormwater management plan has been submitted to the Town, a traffic study is being finalized, and the design includes an opaque dome liner, directed lighting, and acoustic treatments. He would seek confirmation that wastewater servicing can handle peak events, and that school and facility traffic are safely separated.

Revisiting contractual commitments can carry significant legal, financial, and practical consequences, he further cautioned, adding that candidates should explain what authority Council actually has and “the difference between an objective and an achievable course of action.”

If elected, Simpson said he would work with Town Staff, residents, and the developer on outstanding concerns, hold a public meeting, and provide regular updates.

His listed commitments also state that unless concerns are addressed and resolved, “the business wouldn’t proceed to open.”

Addressing Traffic Beyond Widening

Stouffville cannot “simply widen its way out of congestion,” Simpson wrote, and transportation planning must happen alongside growth.

In Ward 2, he identified Highway 48 and Aurora Road, Ninth Line, and roads around Musselman’s Lake as pressure points, many of which depend on cooperation with York Region and the Province.

He would look first at signal timing, turning movements, intersection design, truck traffic, and school-zone safety, with increased transit and active transportation as longer-term goals.

Protecting the Moraine, With Room to Review

Simpson “strongly” supports protecting the Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine, tying them to groundwater, farmland, and rural character. But he said policy should be “practical, clear, and based on sound evidence.”

He would support reviewing rules that create unnecessary barriers for legitimate agricultural operations, existing rural businesses, or essential infrastructure, provided environmental protections are not undermined. He would not support opening sensitive or productive agricultural lands to “inappropriate development” simply to accommodate growth, saying other areas are better suited where servicing exists.

Main Street Support and Lessons

When it comes to reconstruction, Simpson said Main Street “needs this investment,” but that businesses must be able to operate through it. He would benchmark the Town’s plan against Markham and Unionville and work to maintain pedestrian and vehicle access where possible. He also proposed additional temporary parking and loading solutions, posting clear “businesses are open” signage, and issuing predictable construction updates.

Asked about financial help, he said he would be open to “targeted, temporary” assistance for businesses that can demonstrate significant construction-related impacts, provided the program has clear eligibility requirements and is financially responsible.

Looking Back at Council

Simpson credited Council with recognizing that a growing municipality needs continued investment in infrastructure and recreational capacity. Rather than a single vote, he pointed to process as the shortfall.

Planning for how major projects affect nearby residents and businesses must include mitigation measures and better communication with communities, he suggested. Projects like the Ballantrae Sports Dome and Main Street Reconstruction should see that engagement “from the beginning, not treated as secondary considerations,” he added.

“A project can be worthwhile and still require a better process,” Simpson said.