A Campus Grows In Orillia
When I first caught wind of the plans for Lakehead Orillia’s campus expansion, it felt like a quiet promise that was finally being given the attention it deserved. The campus, which opened as an extension of Lakehead University in 2006, has steadily grown in enrolment and ambition, and now the gears are spinning for proper expansion.
In January 2025, Simcoe County committed $15 million over ten years toward the Orillia campus expansion. This builds on an earlier $10 million investment back in 2009. With that funding in place, Lakehead University is actively designing a new building to accommodate more students, new programs and pressing campus needs. Lucratively, the university states that the Orillia campus will grow from its current student body of approximately 2,100 toward an estimated 3,500.
At the same time, the student voice is making itself known - LUSU announced a landmark $400,000 contribution toward the future Orillia building, marking the largest one-time donation by the union to date. In addition to this, a referendum was passed approving a $50 per-term fee to support construction of a building that will house key services: a dedicated Indigenous Initiatives Centre, centralized student services, expanded classrooms and club spaces.
These moves are not just about building. They reflect a broader strategic vision: as spelt out in Lakehead’s 2025-2030 strategic plan, the campus is intended to be “a catalyst for personal and professional growth, the exchange of ideas, collaboration and innovation, and community development across north-western and central Ontario.” There is another huge question that remains after all this is said: How will this expansion affect the rest of the region?
For one, this expansion will result in a local economic uplift. Already, Lakehead’s Orillia campus claimed a local economic impact of $328 million in 2024, and ripple effects province-wide of $4.54 billion. Expansion means more students, staff, amenities and construction jobs, and as a result, money circulating in housing, dining, transit, services and local businesses.
Secondly, there is something to be said for the talent retention and talent pipeline that will be created from this. With more space for new programs and a stronger campus draw, young people in the region may be more likely to stay in Simcoe County rather than migrate elsewhere. The expansion signals that higher education is being invested in locally. In addition to this, the university has already stated that it will “work collaboratively with local industry, partners and stakeholders to identify in-demand fields requiring local talent” as part of the building’s programming.
The expansion allows for Lakehead to broaden its offering in Orillia, not just more seats in existing programs but new fields tied to regional needs. For example, with the campus located in a growing area north of Toronto, there is a potential to serve industries such as digital media, environmental science, indigenous studies, health care administration, and more. The building will also relocate the faculty of education to the University Avenue site, helping consolidate and modernize the discipline’s physical presence. In addition, strong student engagement through LUSU’s feedback and investment means that the spaces themselves will be shaped by those who use them, which might lead to more modern and adaptive learning environments rather than static lecture halls.
Of course, ambitions alone do not guarantee any outcomes. The expansion will require a successful fundraising campaign beyond the $15 million seed, timely planning and permission. If these steps falter, the scheduling and scale may slide. Moreover, with growth comes other concerns. Will local infrastructure (housing, transportation, and local services) keep pace with increased enrollment? How will community campus relations evolve with a more prominent footprint? How will Lakehead ensure that the growth aligns with social justice, Indigenous leadership, and regional equity? These questions are yet to be concretely answered. Regardless, I personally see hope in the steps taken by the university. Orillia needs positive growth like this, and so does our campus.