- Magna International is donating its 95-acre Simeon Park site to the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville.
- The Woodbine Ave. property includes an outdoor pool, sports fields and courts, a playground, and an assortment of buildings.
- Passive areas of the park include an expansive trail network, wooded areas, and Simeon Lake.
- The Town expects to take possession by the end of September and open the park to the public in summer 2027.
- The transfer agreement requires the site to remain a public park for at least 25 years, granting Magna occasional “modest use” of facilities.
- Although the property comes at no purchase cost, Stouffville will face new budget demands to bring park facilities into the municipal system.
- The acquisition will increase the Town’s parkland area by nearly 50 percent, with upgrades likely phased over years.
After more than 40 years as a private retreat for Magna International and its employees, Simeon Park is beginning a new chapter as Stouffville’s largest public park. The Aurora-headquartered auto parts manufacturer marked its donation of the 95-acre Gormley property to the Town during a key exchange ceremony Friday morning.
Located at 13078 Woodbine Ave., Simeon Park is extensively programmed. On-site amenities include an outdoor swimming pool, sports fields, playground, pavilion, volleyball and tennis courts, guest house, and a variety of other buildings.
The property also includes extensive passive and natural areas, with trails winding through woodlots and around Simeon Lake, a 23-acre waterbody. While smaller than Bruce’s Mill Conservation Park, which is owned by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, Simeon will become Stouffville’s largest park.
Park trails circle Lake Simeon, which covers more than 20 acres of the site. (Randy Barba | Sept. 11, 2026)
“At Magna, we believe in creating a better world of mobility responsibly,” said Erin Cerenzia, Manager of Global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Community Relations at Magna International. “That commitment includes investing in philanthropic programs and partnerships.”
Simeon Park has long served as an employee gathering place for connection and the creation of lasting memories, she added, calling the donation a community investment that will deliver lasting, positive impact to Stouffville.
“We are so proud that it will now begin a new chapter, serving the broader community,” Cerenzia said before handing the key to Mayor Iain Lovatt. He called the donation “extraordinary” and thanked Magna for its generosity and partnership.
“This donation protects an important green space and creates exciting new opportunities for residents, families, and visitors alike to connect with nature, enjoy recreation, and build community for generations to come,” Lovatt said.
Stouffville is expected to take possession of the property by the end of September, and according to the Town, the park will open to the public next summer.
“At No Cost” Doesn’t Mean Free
While the Town is acquiring the property and its facilities at no cost, operating and maintaining a 95-acre park with numerous existing amenities will create new demands on municipal resources.
Town Staff see significant potential for public programming, ranging from winter snowshoeing to summer camps. Revenue-generating opportunities, such as leases for recreational services, could also be explored.
Before those opportunities can be fully realized, however, Staff will need to analyze the operating and capital requirements of the new assets and determine how the park can be brought into the Town’s broader parks system within its available budget.
Existing on-site facilities do require investment. Playground, court, and sports field upgrades of varying degrees appear to be necessary, as some assets are nearing the end of their useful life or may not meet current safety or Town standards.
A guest house in relatively good condition joins other buildings within a private area of the property, and it could provide space for municipal offices or other supportive uses. Repurposing of the lands surrounding the dwelling could further expand the public realm, but those upgrades would demand capital investments.
Other buildings in poor condition may require demolition, and Stouffville will need to assess the maintenance equipment acquired from Magna to determine whether any additional fleet expenditures are needed.
Given budget constraints, capital improvements and expenses will likely need to be completed in phases. All new costs will be considered through the Town’s annual budgeting process.
“Over the coming months, our team will evaluate the property, its amenities, and our maintenance and staffing needs, as we prepare to welcome residents,” Commissioner of Community Services Rob Braid stated in a Town press release. “We look forward to building on the park’s recreational legacy and exploring how this unique space can best serve the community.”
The Return of an Outdoor Pool
While concluding his remarks, Lovatt touched on decisions dating back to 2010 that closed Stouffville’s outdoor pool at Memorial Park. He said it was an issue that drew him into local politics.
The pool’s closure remains a recurring and, at times, contentious topic in the community, with residents continuing to reminisce about or debate the decision on social media.
The bean-shaped pool at Simeon Park is generally smaller than a traditional outdoor public pool, but the facility, including the pumps and other mechanical equipment, has been maintained. It features a large deck area and appears to offer room for expansion.
The park’s outdoor swimming pool has been maintained, offering an amenity lost to Stoufville over a decade ago. (Randy Barba | Sept. 11, 2026)
“We now have an outdoor pool in Stouffville, which is very, very exciting,” Lovatt said, “and I know…residents that were upset that that pool got closed will be here for years to come, enjoying the outdoors and the swimming lessons that we’re going to be able to offer.”
Increasing Stouffville’s Parkland Supply
The addition of Simeon Park represents a nearly 50 percent increase to the Town’s total parkland area, based on surface area.
An investigation presented in 2024 as part of Stouffville’s Parks Plan development and Parkland Dedication By-law update found the municipality had 81.4 hectares of public parkland across 39 parks.
Because different types of parks serve different purposes and locations, the analysis identified specific parkland needs within each typology. Together, however, those needs amount to a target of more than 160 hectares across Stouffville’s developed and greenfield areas by 2051.
While centralized in a less-dense area of the community, the addition of Simeon Park will see roughly 75 percent of that combined parkland target met.
Reaching the Agreement
According to Stouffville CAO Sunny Bains, the property donation came together in less than a year. Magna approached the Town last December to ask whether it would be interested in acquiring the property, which Bains quickly pursued alongside Braid and Town Staff.
“There was a lot of excitement about the park, particularly given the size of it,” he told Bullet Point News. “We had never been on the site, but we knew there were some amazing amenities there.”
Although discussions are not made public and therefore cannot be confirmed, a closed-session item during Council’s March 11 meeting appears to have advanced the acquisition. Council unanimously directed Staff to proceed and authorized Lovatt and the Town Clerk “to sign all documents necessary to complete the transfer of parkland to the Town.”
A final agreement was reached last week, Bains said, with two important conditions attached to the donation.
First, the property must be used as a public park for a minimum of 25 years. Terms also allow uses for “other complimentary municipal purposes,” and have been added to the property’s title.
The second condition provides Magna with “modest use” of park facilities, including sports fields for its intramural leagues. Those limited access rights will not generally restrict the public from using other portions of the park, with the company’s annual charity run expected to be the only occasion when Simeon is closed to public visitors.
A gateway booth is already in place just inside the entrance to the Simeon Park property. (Randy Barba | Sept. 11, 2026)
“We believe the Town is best positioned to steward and enhance Simeon Park for the long-term,” Cerenzia said in later comments to Bullet Point News. Magna can “remain focused on its automotive business,” and the park will be in the hands of “an organization whose core focus is community recreation and public spaces.”
Simeon “will continue serving residents, community organizations, and [Magna] employees for years to come,” she added. Finalization of the donation will also end the company’s responsibility for management of the site, its staffing, and its operating costs.
For Stouffville, the transfer brings both responsibilities and possibilities as the Town looks to turn a longstanding private property into a lasting public asset, adding new recreational opportunities, natural spaces, and a significant increase to its parkland supply.
Cover image shows, left to right: Roger da Cunha, Manager, Park Operations and Development, Stouffville; Rob Braid, Commissioner of Community Services, Stouffville; Hugo Kroon, Ward 1 Councillor; Iain Lovatt, Mayor; Erin Cerenzia, Manager of Global Corporate Social Responsibility & Community Relations, Magna International; Sue Sherban, Ward 6 Councillor; Sunny Bains, CAO, Stouffville; Keith Acton, Ward 3 Councillor (Randy Barba | Sept. 11, 2026)
