As Doug Downey begins his third term as MPP for Barrie–Springwater–Oro-Medonte,
he’s honing in on the city’s rapid growth, infrastructure needs, and economic
development.
With Barrie’s population projected to reach 298,000 by 2051, Downey said the city must
be well prepared in multiple ways.
“I want to focus on infrastructure, jobs for our economy, housing, and social services to
support our growing population,” he said.
Keeping major projects on track and attracting private industry remain top priorities. One
key focus is the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) expansion, a multi-billion-
dollar plan to enhance healthcare in the region.
“The RVH expansion is a big one, I want to continue coordinating priorities with Barrie
and the other municipalities and attracting new industries, as we have been,” he said.
Downey also acknowledged potential challenges, particularly economic uncertainty tied
to Canada-U.S. tariff tensions.
“The situation with the U.S. can dramatically affect Barrie and we need to be proactive,” he said. “We continue to be growing at a rapid pace, so we need infrastructure and
services to keep up.”
To tackle the challenging issues, Downey emphasized the importance of his good
working relationship with Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall and city council members.
“I think we will continue to achieve important milestones by working together,” he said.
“We are starting with an already excellent working relationship with Mayor Nuttall and all of council and I believe I will keep a great relationship with Springwater and Oro-Medonte, as well.”
Downey is also remaining in his ministry position as Attorney General of Ontario, a position he has held since June 2019.
