BARRIE, ONTARIO

community mapping presentation by Kathleen Humphries

Motto: The People are the City

POPULATION 147,000 87% WHITE- 7.6% VISIBLE MINORITY- 5% ABORIGINAL

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME $81,000

Barrie’s beautiful waterfront

1615 Samuel de Champlain arrived in Huronia 1812 this area became a detour for British supplies and troops to bypass US Forces

1833 The first settlement to be named Barrie 1870 Brick buildings were erected turning Barrie into a town with a commercial centre

1850 final destination of a branch of the Underground Railroad resulted in the development and name of Shanty Bay 1864 Barrie Examiner is established

1985 a tornado hits Barrie resulting in significant damage

A Brief History

ASSET MAP

Barrie has many social services in play including the David Busby Centre which is a drop-in centre servicing about 150 people a day. They offer a multitude of services as well as a mobile van unit which services on average 50 people a night.

BARRIE IS HOME TO THE MARIPOSA SCHOOL OF SKATING

Barrie has a vibrant performing and fine arts scene. Kempenfelt Community Players is a well known not-for-profit theatre company that puts on two shows annually. This year Seusical the Musical was the junior show which opened November 20 and the adult show is Les Miserables which will be opening in February 2015.

TOURISM IS VITAL TO BARRIE’S ECONOMY

The Barrie Waterfront Festival is one of a few festivals that brings thousands of tourists every year and Snow Valley Ski Resort is a popular winter destination. Barrie has a number of beaches which attract people from Toronto and other areas in the summer as well as ice fishermen in the winter.

The downtown community of Barrie seems to be strong and vital. There is a sense of ownership amongst the business owners and a feeling of responsibility toward those less fortunate. Primary building blocks in Barrie include the individuals who live and/or own business within the community, as well as religious organizations such as the Out of the cold program operated out of different churches. Secondary building blocks include the Barrie Public Library and the local Fire Department. Potential building blocks would include the Ontario Works Office.

NEEDS MAP

The unemployment rate in Barrie is 7.8% with about 7,500 people homeless but not seeking assistance and 1,500 living in facilities. There is a significant waiting period for housing and this exacerbates the issue as most shelters have a limit as to how long you can stay. Barrie is a city hub which means many of those utilizing services are transient.

There is a perception in the downtown community of Barrie that the rest of the population is unaware of them. Because Barrie is home to many who commute, much of the population is in the south end. They are fairly recent residents as most of Barrie’s growth has happened over the past 25 years. It is believed that this part of the demographic does not support the downtown and Kempenfelt beach (some say they don’t know there is a beach). There is also the prevailing viewpoint that these residents of the south end are afraid of the downtown core because they don’t know it and thus perpetuate the idea that it is unsafe. Their money stays in the south end with spending mostly in big box stores which widens the gulf.

BARRIE IS NOT CULTURALLY DIVERSE

Barrie needs to do more to encourage cultural diversity. Walking around Barrie the odds of seeing anyone non-white are low and this is a loss to the whole community. This lack of diversity encourages a very narrow viewpoint within the majority which is dangerous for those of different cultures who move into this community.

RAPID GROWTH

Due to the quick rise in population the infrastructure of Barrie has had challenges keeping pace. There is a lack of General Practitioners and some people travel an hour or more to see a Dr. or visit the clinic or ER for non-emergency care. If you need to visit the ER at Royal Victoria Hospital you can expect to wait a few hours before seeing a Dr. and possibly significantly more. New schools have opened their doors for the first time with six portable classrooms already on site.

ROYAL VICTORIA HOSPITALnewly renovated with a state of the art cancer wing

THE CITY OF BARRIE

thanks for joining me on an exploration of this beautiful

city called Barrie.