Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall expressed eagerness about working alongside re-elected MPPs Doug Downey and Andrea Khanjin to address key local issues.
Downey, MPP for Barrie–Springwater–Oro-Medonte, and Khanjin, the MPP for Barrie–Innisfil, both secured their third consecutive terms in the Ontario election held in February.
Nuttall said the importance of collaboration in shaping the city’s future, stating that a key priority is working together to drive growth and development.
“There is an opportunity for city building in Barrie,” he said. “You look at the performing arts centre, as an example, that we have coming down the line. I think we could work at getting it financed and move forward.”
He said the securing provincial support for a new performing arts centre would provide
significant benefits to the community.
“It would be a beautiful addition and provide a beautiful fabric to the city,” he said. He also said the Royal Victoria Health Centre (RVH) expansion is critical for Barrie, highlighting
the need for city services to keep pace with growth. Plans include a multibillion-dollar expansion of RVH and a new hospital campus in Innisfil on an 83-acre parcel of land.
During the Ontario election, Downey stated that the PC government would continue collaborating with hospital partners and local leaders to ensure they have the necessary
resources.
Nuttall emphasized his eagerness for the RVH expansion, noting that as the city continues to build new homes, expanding city services must remain an equal priority.
“The RVH expansion is incredibly important,” he said. “We’re trying to keep up, however, to put this into perspective, we’ve seen about 20,000 new people come to Barrie in the last few years, so we have to make sure the capacity exists at RVH to service residents.”
He expressed optimism that by collaborating closely with Downey and Khanjin, the next steps will be taken soon.
“I want to work with them to ensure we get to the next steps for the RVH expansion and I do think we will get there soon.”
