Grand Trunk,
Get The Facts
I understand the frustration among residents and current council members with how long the Grand Trunk renewal project has taken. People want to see progress, and they deserve clear answers about the costs.
But we also need to remember why this conversation is happening. After years without meaningful progress, I decided to put a vision for the building on the table and get the conversation moving. Without someone taking that first step, we wouldn’t be having the discussion we’re having today.
That means explaining what the estimates include, what options remain, how funding could work, and what taxpayers could be asked to contribute. Residents should have the opportunity to understand those choices and help shape the decisions before commitments are made.
We need collaboration, transparency and realistic next steps. We also need a timetable guided by sound planning and meaningful public input.
My focus is on bringing people together and earning the community’s trust as we move forward.
In that spirit, here are clear answers to the questions raised about my proposal.
We wouldn’t even be having this conversation if I hadn’t put a plan for the building on the table. For years, no one was willing to put forward a vision and get things moving - so I did.
The $272 million preliminary estimate was the starting point for a much larger option. It was never the final plan. To be transparent, I published the estimate myself because I have nothing to hide.
I reminded everyone at my first presentation that the design would change, sizes would be adjusted, parts would be deleted and price points would reflect this. But we had to start somewhere.
The plan I ultimately presented is $143 million, with all the details available at gtrshops.ca.
To ensure a Class D budget, local contractors priced every cost in my Grand Trunk plan, then professional estimators from one of Canada’s largest construction companies reviewed it. They volunteered their time because they believe in this project. Their detailed, line-by-line “Master Spreadsheet” working estimate is dated April 23. Over the next 12 weeks, we refined facility sizes and removed overlapping items. The final numbers are in my July 16 “Detailed Cost Comparison”: $143 million. You can check both at gtrshops.ca.
The City’s own report prices a 75,000 square foot YMCA and library at $47.3 million. But today’s YMCA is 42,000 square feet. The library needs 40,000. Childcare needs at least 8,000. That’s 90,000 square feet, 15,000 square feet short, with no room to grow. At the City’s own cost of $654 a square foot, that’s about $59 million, not $47 million. Let’s build it the right size, with the right budget, once.
The City’s 75,000 sq ft plan for the YMCA, shared space and library. Source: City of Stratford, Grand Trunk Costing Report (SvecGroup, 2026). 90,000 sq ft × $654/sq ft (the City’s rate, from its 100,000 sq ft option at $65.4M) = $58.9M.
Some call my Grand Trunk illustrations “AI renderings.” They’re not. They’re computer-generated 3D renderings, created from a model of the AutoCAD architectural schematic design drawings. They’re based on the community’s 2018 Master Plan. See them for yourself at gtrshops.ca.
Council’s April decision funds a community facility, but it doesn’t decide the future of the Grand Trunk building or set aside money for it. That’s the elephant in the room. We can’t ignore its biggest part.
My plan puts the building to work instead of leaving it empty. Let's build on our past to grow into our future.
My opponent says my plan adds $42.7 million in cleanup costs. The City’s own report shows only $5 million of that is cleanup. The other $37.7 million is the cost to fully enclose and renovate 75,000 square feet of the Grand Trunk building. That isn’t a cleanup cost. It’s the price of saving the building, and every plan has to face it.
The City’s Option 2A: $37.7M (building) + $5.0M (remediation) = $42.7M. Source: City of Stratford, Grand Trunk Costing Report (SvecGroup, 2026).
How would we pay for it? A municipal services corporation, a structure Ontario’s Municipal Act allows and Ottawa already uses to develop City land. Housing on the site helps pay for the public spaces, keeping taxpayer costs to a minimum. Every decision goes to council, in public.
My Grand Trunk plan isn’t a done deal. It’s a starting point you can see, price and improve, and it still needs your input. After more than 30 years of talk, we finally have something real to build on. The building is the solution, not the problem.
The Grand Trunk isn’t my only focus.
Council has taken a first step on the Grand Trunk, and the project will now move forward. The passion and commitment I put into that work is what I’ll bring to every issue facing Stratford over the next four years, including but not limited to:
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Keeping property taxes in check
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Practical solutions to homelessness
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More housing people can afford
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Fixing roads and improving road safety
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A walk-in clinic and better access to primary care
See all my priorities at https://www.ritzfor26.ca/my-focus
Vote Robert Ritz for ’26, a Mayor for a Change.
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