The Innisfil ideaLAB & Library Master Plan: A Community Conversation

Your ideaLAB & Library is engaging our community in the creation of a new Master Plan for our facilities through 2051. And YOU can help!

The Master Plan’s purpose is to guide the Library to best serve Innisfil today and over the next 20-30 years. The plan considers library programs and service goals, and the physical space needed to do so. The plan complements the Town’s strategic initiatives and plans, such as economic development, social and cultural strategies.

Today, the library system has four branches and is proportional to the population it serves. However, the population of Innisfil will grow over the coming years, and some facilities will reach the end of their useful life. This means that new space will be required, and the plan will help determine how much space is required and where that space should go (e.g., new branches, mobile kiosks, hold lockers, etc.). We need your feedback to shape our plan for growth.

Growth pays for growth. Current forecasts (based on goals set by the provincial government) show that Innisfil will more than double in size by 2051. Growth requires new infrastructure like roads, transit, sewers, water and hydro service and of course, social infrastructure like schools, libraries, recreation centres, parks and social services. Thanks to the recently revised provincial development charge (DC) system that funds the infrastructure, growth for the library component can be primarily funded by these development charges, and not, as you may have wondered, by increases to property taxes.

Now is the time to plan ahead!

As the growth plan for our community evolves, our Library system must grow and evolve to continue to meet your needs. With your help, we will create a Master Plan that guides our Library system over the next 30 years that ensures meaningful programs and activities are delivered to our community in the areas where they are most needed.

To date we have consulted local community leaders, elected officials, social service providers, municipal managers, and the community at large – including parents, teens, older adults, and more. We have reviewed a wide range of Municipal and County planning reports and integrated their plans into our thinking to avoid duplication while encouraging collaboration and cooperation.

How to Participate

We have talked to and heard from a lot of our community already and that has generated some amazing ideas. We want to hear from you and this is how you can contribute:

• Check out the Conversations section to see what we are thinking for our existing branches, and where we could add more library service to Innisfil. "Like" the ideas you want to see supported, add comments or contribute your own great ideas.
• Visit the map and drop a pin to show us where you would like to see MORE library access in Innisfil.
• In the Tell Us What You Need section let us know what additions to our core services would help you. What do you need to help you meet your goals? What does your community need? Where do your passions lie and how can your Library help build them?

If you missed the Virtual Town Hall on Tuesday November 30th you can watch the recording of the presentation, or view the slideshow, check out the Documents and Links section on this page. If you’d like to attend and add your voice, you can register here:

Contribute and Win!

Prizes! For every contribution you make on this site, every pin dropped on the map, every comment, every question answered, and for every ‘follow’ of the project, you will be entered into a draw for a $50 gift card to a local restaurant of your choosing! We will keep this site open for your contributions until December 15, 2021. Make sure you register to participate and make your contributions eligible for the prize draw!

You’re ready to begin - - - Explore the tabs below to get started.

Thank you for your Feedback!

Comments are now closed on the project. We will be compiling your feedback with all the data we have collected to make recommendations for the Library Master Plan. Check back on this page for future updates, or follow the project to receive updates straight to your inbox!