Free transit, recreation and fun for Barrie youth with Licence 2 Ride
Applications are open for the City’s Licence 2 Ride (L2R) program, which is available for Barrie youth aged 12 to 17. The program includes free unlimited summer rides on Barrie Transit and free, select drop-in access at Peggy Hill Team Community Centre, Allandale Recreation Centre, and East Bayfield Community Centre.
Find out more and apply at barrie.ca/Licence2Ride.
Have your say on the future of downtown waterfront parks
The City is redeveloping Heritage Park (Phase 1) and Sam Cancilla Park and is inviting the community to share input on the designs.
Residents can review the proposed concepts and take the online survey until Sunday, May 24, 2026 at BuildingBarrie.ca/DowntownWaterfrontParks, for the chance to win a prize.
Thinking About Running for Office? Join an Information Session
Nominations for the 2026 Municipal Election are now open. The City is hosting two sessions for anyone considering running for mayor, councillor, or school board trustee, or registering as a third–party advertiser. Each session covers different topics, so attending both is recommended. The sessions will be held in Council Chambers at City Hall (70 Collier Street), with the option to attend in person or via Zoom.
Session One: May 11, 6 – 8 p.m.
Session Two: May 28, 6 – 8 p.m.
To learn more and for full details visit barrie.ca/election.
Attending the 2026 Barrie Airshow? Interested in aviation and aerospace? Join us at the 2026 Flight Path to Careers in Aviation and Aerospace!Â
As part of this year’s Airshow excitement, Invest Barrie will be hosting Flight Path to Careers in Aviation on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, from 4 to 7pm at the General John Hayter Southshore Community Centre. Find out what it takes to have a career in aviation and/or aerospace! Make connections with local/regional aviation and/or aerospace companies and organizations. Hear from real life commercial airline pilots as well as a former member of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds. The event is open to the public.
For details visit Flight Path to Careers in Aviation & Aerospace.
Reminder: Property tax bill due dates
Final 2026 tax bill installment due dates are June 30 and September 29, 2026. Final tax bills are issued each May. All payments must be received by the City on or before the due date to avoid late payment fees of 1.25% per month. Simplify your payments—join the Pre-Authorized Payment Plan and never worry about missing a due date!
Visit barrie.ca/PropertyTaxes for more information.
Applications open for Doors Open Barrie 2026 site hosts
The City of Barrie is inviting owners and operators of heritage buildings, cultural sites, and unique spaces to participate in Doors Open Barrie, taking place on Saturday, September 26, 2026. Part of the province-wide Doors Open Ontario program, the event offers free public access to sites of interest for one day only and helps bring communities together through shared heritage experiences. Doors Open Barrie is hosted by the City of Barrie in partnership with the City’s Heritage Committee and the Ontario Heritage Trust.
For more information and to apply, please visit barrie.ca/DoorsOpen before the July 6 deadline.Â
Reminder – Report potholes!
City of Barrie crews are busy filling hundreds of potholes every day this spring. In 2025, over 12,900 potholes were repaired. To report a pothole, please provide specific location details using one of the following channels:Â
- Visit ServiceBarrie.ca
- Call Service Barrie at 705-726-4242
- E-mail Service Barrie at [email protected]
- Use the City’s mobile appÂ
Pothole complaints are addressed on a priority and scheduling basis. By reporting potholes​, you help ensure that they are repaired in a timely manner. Visit barrie.ca/potholes for more information.
Welcoming the Lakehead University Barrie STEM Hub — Fall 2026
The City is partnering with Lakehead University to bring a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) university hub to downtown Barrie. Set to open fall 2026, the Barrie STEM Hub’s two downtown locations will be only blocks apart at 24 Maple Avenue and 5 Ross Street, delivering programs in engineering and computer science at the under-graduate and graduate level, growing to approximately 800 students over the next several years. Together, these complementary facilities will enable students to learn locally for high-demand careers while supplying industry with skilled, job-ready talent—positioning Barrie as a competitive destination for investment, innovation, and future-focused growth. Bringing a university presence into the downtown will animate the core year-round: supporting local businesses, housing development, and a vibrant urban environment.
Learn more at lakeheadu.ca/barrie.
Explore opportunities at the Construction Job Fair on May 21
Invest Barrie and the Barrie Construction Association are hosting a Construction Job Fair on Thursday, May 21, 2026, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Allandale Recreation Centre (190 Bayview Drive). This free event connects job seekers with local employers who are actively hiring. No pre-registration is required—just bring copies of your resume and be ready for possible on-the-spot interviews.
Learn more at investbarrie.ca/ConstructionJobFair.
Save time with the City’s Recycling Depot!
The Recycling Depot is located at the lower gate area of the City’s landfill site (272 Ferndale Drive North). This facility helps reduce wait times and makes dropping off select materials more efficient.Â
Drop off these items at the depot for free:Â
- NEW: Yard waste, residential only (maximum 4 bags)
- Tires on or off the rim
- Organics (items that go in the organics cart)
- Blue and grey box recycling
- Scrap metal
- Textiles
- Electronics – anything with a cord or a battery
- Broken recycling or organics bins
- Light bulbs
- BatteriesÂ
- Saturdays only: household hazardous waste (like paint or chemicals)Â Â
The depot is open seasonally Tuesday to Saturday, from 8:30 a.m.– 3:30 p.m. Learn more about the Recycling Depot at barrie.ca/Landfill.
Presented by The City of Barrie
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of The City of Barrie and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of iPolitics.
