Innovation district being considered for former Bluewater Youth Centre site
BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN
Central Huron Council has been presented with its first tangible feasibility analysis, strategic framework and implementation plan for a new innovation district at the former home of the Bluewater Youth Centre.
Laura O’Blenis from Stiletto Consulting made the presentation at council’s June 1 meeting, acknowledging that there was a lot of information to go through and plenty to consider, so she encouraged councillors to sit with it and review it further after her presentation, with no formal action planned until a later meeting.
To begin, the study, which had been commissioned by the municipality just about a year ago, recommends the establishment of a Central Huron Innovation Hub, which will be focused on workforce development, entrepreneurship, applied learning and regional collaboration.
“The innovation hub should operate as a flexible, partnership-driven model that connects municipalities, employers, entrepreneurs, post-secondary institutions, workforce organizations and innovation partners through co-ordinated programming and shared initiatives,” reads the report.
This concept, however, is only the beginning of what the firm envisions for the land and for Central Huron. In the report, the firm calls the aforementioned hub the “immediate priority” but further outlines a long-term vision to support the gradual development of a broader Innovation District connected to the former Bluewater Youth Centre lands and surrounding regional assets.
“The feasibility analysis identifies that pursuing an Innovation Hub first creates the strongest pathway toward achieving this longer-term vision,” the report reads. “Building partnerships, programming, workforce initiatives and ecosystem capacity now will establish the foundation necessary for future land activation and larger-scale innovation-oriented development over time.”
O’Blenis said that the firm had engaged with a number of local stakeholders during the process who identified major priorities such as workforce development, youth retention, entrepreneurship support and expanded learning opportunities. Furthermore, employers indicated that they were concerned about labour shortages, succession planning and access to skilled workers, while educational and community partners identified their greatest needs as being the development of stronger local pathways to connecting learning, employment and entrepreneurship.
The firm’s analysis identified four strategic focus sectors that align with both regional strengths as well as future growth opportunities: ag-tech and agri-food, building and construction technologies, energy and critical minerals and water and environmental technologies. The report says that those sectors provide opportunities to strengthen workforce development, entrepreneurship, industry partnerships, applied learning and innovation across the region.
This is in line with the recently completed Huron County Economic Development Strategic Plan for 2026 to 2030, which notes the key areas of focus that most deeply impact Central Huron’s ability to foster growth, prosperity and a thriving community are a lack of post-secondary and career opportunities for youth, challenges in attracting and retaining labour and a lack of affordable and diverse housing stock.
The property spans nearly 300 acres, including over 2,000 feet of Lake Huron shoreline. The centre was closed in 2012 and all of the buildings were fully abated, decommissioned and demolished by 2024. The report also notes that all of the necessary consultations, including those with the relevant First Nations communities, have been completed, so the site is ready for development.
Councillors have now been left with the full report, which is nearly 90 pages long, and will consider the proposal at a later meeting.