Barbara Patrocinio, Author at CompassNews

‘A huge opportunity’: Mayor of Barrie, OBCM call for expansion of rehab programs behind bars

Barbara Patrocinio — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:19:41 +0000

Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall is calling on the provincial and federal governments to expand addiction treatment inside correctional institutions, arguing that people struggling with substance use should have an opportunity to leave custody in better condition than when they entered.

The proposal is among the Ontario Big City Mayors’ latest asks as municipalities push senior levels of government for a broader response to homelessness, addiction and mental health crises playing out in communities across the province.

The mayors want addiction treatment and rehabilitation programming expanded in both provincial and federal correctional institutions, alongside stronger discharge planning to connect people leaving custody with treatment, supportive services and housing.

Nuttall, who serves as vice-chair of OBCM, said the request is not aimed only at Queen’s Park, saying that Ottawa also has responsibility for people serving sentences in federal institutions.

“Anybody who’s going into detention, especially those who are suffering from addictions, need to be able to have the opportunity to come out of detention in a better place than they’ve gone in,” Nuttall said.

For the mayors, the correctional system represents an opportunity to intervene in a cycle they say municipalities are increasingly dealing with after people return to their communities.

Nuttall argued that when someone enters custody struggling with an addiction but does not receive adequate treatment, releasing that person without addressing the underlying issue makes it more likely the same problems will continue outside the institution.

“The fact that we would have somebody go in with an addiction, not be able to treat that addiction while they’re in detention, then released out back into the community with that same addiction, well, we’re gonna get the same result if we keep doing the same thing over and over again,” he said.

“We need to break that cycle.”

Nuttall said the caucus has been looking outside Ontario for examples of how correctional institutions could incorporate rehabilitation more directly into their operations, pointing to programs the mayors observed in Alberta.

“What Alberta’s done is they’ve made the ability to get rehabilitative help at the fingertips of those who are currently detained,” he said.

Nuttall said the approaches OBCM members saw there stood out because similar options are not as readily available in Ontario.

“When you look at the types of things that are being offered in other places that we just don’t have here in Ontario, it is a no-brainer to each of us,” he said.

He said that there is a correctional program in Calgary where people who voluntarily choose rehabilitation can leave the institution’s general population and move into a progressively less restrictive setting.

“They no longer lock the prison cells at night,” Nuttall said. “They have an open forum and an opportunity to start moving back towards a life of opportunity and earning those freedoms back.”

Nuttall described this approach as “a very beautiful model” and said he would like to see similar programming adopted much more broadly.

That includes not only Ontario’s provincially operated correctional facilities, but federal institutions across the country.

“Hopefully [it will] be emulated here, and quite frankly, across every federal prison, not just in Ontario, but every federal prison across Canada,” Nuttall said.

The correctional-system proposal adds another element to OBCM’s argument: governments need to intervene earlier in the cycle of homelessness, addiction and mental health crises rather than leaving municipalities to deal with the consequences once people are back in the community.

By coupling rehabilitation behind bars with discharge planning, OBCM wants governments to create a more direct path from custody into addiction treatment and stable housing.

Nuttall said the goal is ultimately to use a period of incarceration as an opportunity for recovery rather than allowing it to become another stage in a repeating cycle.

“This is a huge opportunity to do so,” he said.

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Ontario announces $47M research investment, with nearly $1M headed to Georgian College in Barrie

Barbara Patrocinio — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:20:21 +0000

The Ontario government is investing more than $47 million into research projects across the province, and a portion of that funding is coming directly to Barrie.

Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security Nolan Quinn made the announcement Tuesday at Georgian College, where the school will receive nearly $1 million to upgrade its Centre of Industrial Simulation and Prototyping, a facility focused on advanced manufacturing research and training.

The funding is part of a broader investment supporting 195 research projects at universities, colleges and hospitals across Ontario through the Ontario Research Fund. The money can be used for infrastructure upgrades, lab renovations and the purchase of advanced research equipment.

“In the face of economic uncertainty, Ontario researchers are bolstering our critical industries with discoveries that cement our province as a global leader,” Quinn said at the announcement.

Georgian College says the investment will directly strengthen its applied research capacity and deepen partnerships with manufacturers across Simcoe County and beyond. The Centre of Industrial Simulation and Prototyping, launched in 2024, supports local employers by offering access to technology, testing environments and research expertise.

Kevin Weaver, president and CEO of Georgian College, said the funding will expand hands-on opportunities for students while helping regional employers stay competitive.

“This funding is an important investment in innovation and in the people who drive it,” Weaver said. “We’re grateful for the Government of Ontario’s support to expand our Centre of Industrial Simulation and Prototyping to further strengthen applied research and create even more hands-on learning opportunities for our students.”

According to the province, the centre is expected to help create up to 460 jobs while training future workers in advanced manufacturing fields.

Local MPPs also highlighted the economic impact of the investment for Barrie and surrounding communities.

Andrea Khanjin, MPP for Barrie–Innisfil, called the funding a way to anchor economic growth locally.

“This funding will help researchers and innovators at institutions like Georgian College drive cutting-edge discoveries, create good-paying local jobs, and ensure our region continues to play a vital role in keeping Ontario competitive on the global stage,” she said.

Across the province, the government says the funded projects will focus on sectors such as agri-food, critical minerals, information technology, life sciences and manufacturing.

The province notes that research projects supported through the Ontario Research Fund are selected through a competitive peer review process.

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Small landlords say Ford government’s latest housing shift was a missed opportunity to fix Ontario’s broken LTB

Barbara Patrocinio — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 18:01:18 +0000

The Ford government’s decision to scrap consultations on month-to-month leases closes a potential avenue to fix Ontario’s clogged Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), according to a group representing small landlords.

Housing Minister Rob Flack on Sunday backtracked on the Ford government’s plans to consult on changes to Ontario’s long-standing “security of tenure” rules, a move critics warned might undermine rent control protections.

“Residents expect stability and predictability in Ontario’s rental market, and now is not the time to consider changes to this system,” Flack said in a statement posted on X.

Instead, the province will “continue to implement common-sense reforms” to the LTB, including efforts to crack down on abuse of the system and encourage new rental construction.

The decision came just three days after the province floated the idea of giving landlords more “flexibility” to adjust tenancy arrangements based on “market conditions, personal needs, or business strategies.”

That suggestion drew swift backlash from tenant groups and housing advocates, who warned it could lead to the end of automatic lease renewals and ultimately weaken rent control protections.

But for small landlords, the government’s initial proposal would go a long way toward improving the LTB, and it was a long-awaited opportunity to address one of the system’s biggest failures: its massive backlog.

Boubah Bah, chair of the Small Ownership Landlords of Ontario (SOLO), said the LTB’s delays, often stretching six months to a year for simple eviction hearings, have driven many small property owners out of the market.

“That will resolve the backlog,” Bah said in an interview. “The backlog is for nonpayment of rent. If it’s straightforward, you won’t need a full hearing.”

Bah said that most cases before the LTB are tied to nonpayment of rent, and the current process, which can take up to 10 months for a decision, is punishing both landlords and good tenants.

“There is no justification that it can take six to nine to ten months for a nonpayment of rent,” he said. “What small landlords are asking for is a resolution within 30 or 45 days.”

Bah argues that clearing the backlog would not only free up adjudicators’ time but also improve fairness for tenants dealing with negligent landlords.

“The way the system is right now is not helping good landlords or good tenants,” he said. “It’s only helping those who abuse the process.”

He added that small landlords play an outsized role in providing homes to vulnerable Ontarians, including newcomers, people on social assistance, and young renters, groups often rejected by large corporate landlords with stricter criteria.

“Small landlords are the ones giving vulnerable people a chance,” Bah said. “The big corporations have their bureaucratic credit checks and policies. But small landlords will look at you like family.”

Many of these smaller landlords, however, have been exiting the rental market due to long delays at the LTB and the financial strain of unpaid rent.

“Once you go through this process, like when somebody didn’t pay you for 16 months and you can’t even collect the money, you don’t want to be a landlord anymore,” Bah said.

Tenant advocacy group ACORN Canada, meanwhile, has criticized the government’s broader reforms as being overly focused on landlord complaints rather than tenant protections.

The group had launched a campaign against the proposed lease consultations, calling them a “dangerous” move toward fixed-term leases that could have made it easier for landlords to evict tenants and raise rents.

The Ford government has faced mounting pressure to fix the LTB, which has been criticized for chronic understaffing, long delays, and an imbalance in how it handles cases from landlords versus tenants.

In April, the LTB reported that nearly 70,000 applications were waiting to be processed, with the average landlord application taking 10 months to reach a hearing.

Flack said the government’s priority now will be restoring “balance” to the LTB while ensuring Ontario’s rental housing market remains stable.

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Premier Ford promises “Andrew’s Law” with tougher penalties for impaired and reckless drivers by the end of the year

Barbara Patrocinio — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:00:36 +0000

Premier Doug Ford says his government will introduce legislation this fall to impose lifetime driving bans, mandatory jail time, and tougher penalties for reckless and impaired drivers, following the tragic death of a man killed by a repeat offender behind the wheel.

“This wasn’t an accident, it was murder,” Ford said this Friday, speaking alongside the family of Andrew Cristillo, a 35-year-old man killed by a driver who had previously been suspended and involved in a car crash with the Premier himself.

“The person who took Andrew’s life was reckless, careless, and didn’t care,” Ford said. “There’s going to be lifelong scars for the family. I promised them we would get through this together, and make sure this never happens to another family.”

The new measures, which Ford referred to as “Andrew’s Law,” could include:

Immediate suspensions for serious charges like impaired or dangerous driving
Lifetime driving bans for repeat offenders
Mandatory minimum jail time (potentially 30 to 90 days) for driving while disqualified or unlicensed
Mandatory driver education in high school before obtaining a license
Expanded road safety programs in schools

Ford said the legislation will be introduced this fall and pushed through “by the end of the year.”

“We’re going to come down hard on this, just like we did with impaired driving,” he said. “If a lot of people are doing it, that’s all the more reason we need bigger deterrents.”

Andrew’s brother, Jordan, stood beside the premier and called the tragedy preventable.

“My brother Andrew was a fantastic man,” he said. “Having a premier who picks up the phone, who has your back, it gives you confidence in this country.”

Jordan said the family wants to ensure Andrew’s death leads to action: “ This means that my brother’s not dying in vain, and it means that this is gonna help save countless life going forward.”

Ford also promised support for Andrew’s wife Christina and their two young daughters, who are returning to school this fall.

“I saw pictures of the girls — they’re around the same age as my grandkids,” Ford said, his voice cracking. “It’s heart-wrenching. We’ll be there to support them and Christina at her job with the school board.”

When asked how the government would balance harsher penalties with due process, Ford said his government would differentiate between true accidents and “reckless, criminal behaviour.”

“There’s a difference between someone who makes a tragic mistake and someone who chooses to break the law and put lives at risk,” he said. “We’re reviewing all of it, and we’ll stay in close contact with the family throughout.”

Ford said consultations are ongoing with police forces across Ontario, including the OPP and municipal services, to determine the full scope of the changes.

“We’re going to give this law teeth,” he said.

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MPP Andrea Khanjin and MP John Brassard holds largest-ever community BBQ

Barbara Patrocinio — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 19:29:40 +0000

Over 1,500 residents packed the grounds of the Stroud Arena over the weekend for the largest-ever edition of MPP Andrea Khanjin’s and MP John Brassard annual Community BBQ.

Co-hosted by MP John Brassard, the event marked its eighth year with an afternoon of food, music, and family-friendly activities designed to bring neighbours together and connect constituents with their provincial and federal representatives.

“Our teams work very hard to create the atmosphere of a true community event,” Khanjin said. “It’s a chance to enjoy the summer with live music, delicious BBQ, and conversations with your elected officials,all while celebrating what makes Barrie-Innisfil feel like home.”

The BBQ has become a fixture on the summer calendar, drawing support from local organizations such as the RVH Foundation, South Simcoe Police, Innisfil Firefighters, Kool FM, and the Canadian Musicians Co-operative. This year also saw new participants like the Innisfil Volunteer Firefighters join the festivities.

Khanjin expressed gratitude to the volunteers who spent months preparing for the event. “It takes a dedicated team of hardworking individuals to make something like this happen. I can’t thank them enough.”

In addition to connecting with constituents, Khanjin used the opportunity to reiterate the provincial government’s ongoing focus on economic growth and regulatory reform.

She affirmed the Ford government’s commitment to “protecting what matters most to the people of Ontario” by reducing red tape and creating space for economic growth.

Constituents were encouraged to share their own ideas for regulatory improvement by reaching out to Khanjin’s office.

Khanjin hopes to see even more new faces at next year’s event.

“Bring a neighbour or a friend, especially someone new to our community,” she said. “Let’s continue to grow this tradition together.”

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Auto Mayors pressure the federal government to reverse course on EV mandates

Barbara Patrocinio — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 17:28:51 +0000

A coalition of Ontario mayors from cities with deep ties to the automotive sector is urging the federal government to withdraw its mandatory electric vehicle (EV) sales targets, warning the policy could devastate local economies and undercut Canada’s manufacturing competitiveness.

The group, known as the Auto Mayors, represents 48 municipalities, including Barrie, Oakville, Windsor, Cambridge and Toronto.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Mark Carney, they argue that current EV mandates could trigger plant closures, threaten tens of thousands of jobs, and drive away future investment.

At the heart of their concern are federal regulations requiring automakers to ensure 20 per cent of all new vehicles sold by 2026 are zero-emission, powered by battery, hydrogen fuel cell, or plug-in hybrid technology. That threshold rises to 60 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2035. Manufacturers who fall short must purchase credits from competitors or reduce the number of internal combustion vehicles they sell.

Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, who is the chair of the group, said these rules are out of sync with market realities and risk creating an economic crisis for Ontario’s auto towns.

“If Canada doesn’t align its policies with the rest of North America, we’re going to do more damage to our own auto sector than anything Donald Trump might threaten through trade measures,” Burton said.

Recent signals from the industry have reinforced the group’s alarm. Honda recently paused its $15-billion EV and battery plant plans in Ontario. Stellantis has delayed the rollout of its electric Dodge Charger at its Windsor facility, and Ford abandoned its proposed EV line in Oakville in favour of gasoline-powered trucks. These setbacks come amid a cooling in EV demand, especially after the expiration of key U.S. consumer incentives.

According to Statistics Canada, electric vehicles accounted for just under eight per cent of new car sales in May, a sharp drop of more than 30 per cent from the year before. Automakers and dealers attribute the decline to Ottawa’s lapsed purchase incentives, which the federal government has promised to reinstate, though details remain sparse. In the meantime, the uncertainty has caused many consumers to hold off.

The Auto Mayors say that instead of mandates, the federal government should promote electric vehicle uptake using “market-based strategies” developed in consultation with the auto industry.

“The automotive sector is a cornerstone of both innovation and employment in our cities,” the letter reads. “We can’t afford to undermine it with rigid and premature regulations.”

The mayors also warned that the knock-on effects of losing even one major assembly plant would ripple across hundreds of parts suppliers concentrated in Southwestern Ontario, where the automotive supply chain remains one of the province’s largest economic engines.

Ontario currently hosts manufacturing operations from global auto giants including Ford, Stellantis, General Motors, Toyota and Honda.

The federal government’s zero-emission targets are modelled on similar frameworks in U.S. states such as California, which requires 35 per cent of vehicles sold by next year to be electric. But even there, automakers are struggling to meet targets, and industry pushback is mounting.

The Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to a request for comment on the mayors’ letter by publication time.

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Simcoe’s first HART Hub to begin services by mid-July

Barbara Patrocinio — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 23:09:54 +0000

Simcoe County’s first HART Hub is expected to be operational by July.

The Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) program is a “first-of-its-kind” initiative in the county designed to deliver wraparound support to individuals facing addiction and housing instability.

The first participants are expected to begin treatment by mid-July.

Last year, during the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference, municipalities learned they would have just 30 days to submit a letter of intent to join the provincial initiative, and then another 30 to submit a full application.

Simcoe made the cut.

Now, after months of intensive planning, the HART of Simcoe County is open, though not as a single facility. Rather than one central site, HART is a network of services offered across multiple local organizations, providing outreach, addiction treatment, mental health care, housing and employment support, and Indigenous-specific services.

Partners include the Barrie and Area Ontario Health Team, the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Simcoe County Branch (CMHA SCB), County of Simcoe, Barrie Native Friendship Centre, Mamaway Wiidokdaadwin IIPCT/Barrie Area Native Advisory Circle, Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, and Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care.

Mayor Alex Nuttall praised the collaborative effort, saying the model moves away from fragmented services and toward an integrated, person-focused system.

“The outlook for too long has not been focused on how we bring everybody together to work together to help one individual,” he said. “It’s quite a concept if you think about it… If I could describe what the HART hub is going to do, it’s going to take a whole bunch of people who are specialists, bring them together, in some ways in location and in some ways in pathways outside of a single location, but all focus on helping one person. That is something we should be incredibly proud of.”

The HART model is also the Ford government’s preferred alternative to supervised consumption sites (SCS), which have proven politically and socially contentious in some communities.

Unlike SCS facilities, the HART hub will not include a space for supervised injection or drug consumption. Instead, the focus is on a broader suite of supports to stabilize and empower individuals on the road to recovery. Once enrolled, participants will be guided through a personalized care plan that may include:

Outreach and engagement
Withdrawal management
Live-in addiction treatment and pre-treatment
Mental health services and crisis support
Housing navigation
Employment and social assistance
Indigenous-led and culturally specific services

The program is being phased in gradually, with provincial funding first announced in January. The rollout began in late June and will continue through the summer as partners expand their capacity to serve.

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With Bill 9, municipalities may soon be able to remove councillors for misconduct — but is it built to stall?

Barbara Patrocinio — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 13:55:53 +0000

What to do when an elected councillor becomes a chronic source of disruption, misinformation, or worse, and refuses to resign?

The existing answer, under Ontario law, is: not much.

Pickering councillor Lisa Robinson, for example, has now gone a full calendar year without pay, but not a single day without her seat on council.

Currently municipalities don’t have a tool to remove an elected representative from office, having their hands tied when it comes to cases of misconduct. The highest punishment a councillor can get under Ontario’s Municipal Act is a 90-day unpaid suspension.

But that may change soon.

Earlier this year, the Ford government introduced Bill 9, the Municipal Accountability Act. If passed, it would allow municipal councils to expel one of their own in case of serious misconduct.

Municipalities have long called for these tools, but even supporters of the bill are skeptical that they will be able to use it effectively.

“AMO and members across the province have been advocating for action on this since 2020,” said Alisha Neufeld, a senior advisor at Association of Municipalities of Ontario. “This is a really big step for improving healthy local democracy across the province.”

But while the bill has been broadly welcomed, there’s growing concern in the municipal sector that the process it outlines is so complex that it might be unusable in practice.

Bill 9 lays out a multi-stage, multi-jurisdictional process that critics say borders on procedural paralysis.

Here’s how it would work as it is right now:

A municipal integrity commissioner investigates the councillor’s conduct and finds a serious breach.
That commissioner then refers the case to the provincial integrity commissioner for a second, independent investigation.
If the provincial integrity commissioner agrees the conduct warrants removal, the recommendation goes back to the local council.
Council must then vote unanimously, excluding the offending member, to vacate the seat.

Neufeld said AMO supports the bill’s general framework but is pushing for two key amendments to make it viable. The first: lower the voting threshold for removal from unanimous to a two-thirds majority.

“We recognize that a vote to remove an elected official is fundamentally different from a routine council vote,” she said. “But a unanimous vote poses equity issues. It’s far harder to get unanimity on a 20-member council than on a five-member one. A two-thirds vote would be more proportionate and still reflects the seriousness of the decision.”

The second amendment AMO plans to propose would allow for a range of progressive disciplinary options, not just removal from office.

“Obviously, removal is a severe disciplinary action,” she said. “But in many cases, there are other steps that could be appropriate, like barring a councillor from chairing committees or speaking during meetings. That flexibility would help address misconduct that doesn’t rise to the highest threshold.”

Even assuming all the investigations happen swiftly, Bill 9 also includes a sunset clause: if any part of the process is still ongoing when nominations open for the next municipal elections, set to happen next by the end of August next year, 2026, then the entire effort is automatically terminated.

“That’s to avoid frivolous, politically motivated complaints meant to damage candidates,” said Marianne Meed Ward, Mayor of Burlington and Chair of the Ontario Big City Mayors (OBCM). “And I support that,” she added.

That means if Bill 9 isn’t passed and operational well before the end of 2025, the next municipal election cycle could kill its use in real time.

Guy Giorno, a political law expert and partner at Fasken, supports Bill 9, calling it a “valid and necessary tool” for rare, but serious cases.

“It’s a big thing to overturn an election result. That’s why the process should be rigorous,” he said.

He defends the need for a high threshold, warning that without safeguards, councils might start using the law against political opponents who simply say unpopular things.

“No MP or MPP in Canada has ever lost their job just for saying something people didn’t like,” Giorno said. “We have to be extremely careful before we overturn a democratic election.”

He also raised a deeper concern: the variable quality of municipal integrity commissioners.

“There’s no professional standard. We’ve seen integrity commissioners with criminal records, or who were suspended by the Law Society for misappropriating funds,” Giorno said. “That’s why I support the bill’s use of the provincial integrity commissioner, even if it makes the process lengthier. It adds a layer of credibility and consistency.”

Municipalities have been asking for stronger accountability tools for years. Introduced in early May, the bill made no meaningful progress before the summer recess. No timelines have been announced for regulation or implementation.

Meed Ward said that “there should be a process that allows an independent judge, based on independent findings, to recommend removal from office.”

Meed Ward emphasized that the bar for removal should remain high, and that the process must be protected from being misused to settle political scores. But she acknowledged the ongoing debate over whether a unanimous council vote is realistic.

“I think that’s a valid concern,” she said of AMO’s proposal to switch to a two-thirds vote. “There are folks who say it needs to be unanimous to avoid political ganging-up. Others say the bar is too high. Both perspectives are valid.”

Still, Meed Ward said her priority is seeing the bill passed, with amendments if necessary. “I’ll support the legislation either way,” she said. “We need it. We hope we never have to use it, but we need to have it.”

“Right now, all we can do is dock pay, remove committee privileges, or restrict office budgets,” she said. “But if the conduct makes a councillor unfit to serve or unsafe to work with, the public deserves a way to hold them accountable.”

As Giorno put it: “This is a delicate matter and that’s why the system is built to be cautious. But it’s also built to work, and it has to work eventually.”

Whether “eventually” is soon enough for municipalities facing these issues today remains an open question.

The office of the Minister of Municipal Affairs Rob Flack didn’t provide a comment by deadline.

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Barrie’s 2026 budget focuses on collaboration and cost savings, supports Georgian College expansion

Barbara Patrocinio — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 20:49:54 +0000

Mayor Alex Nuttall delivered his 2026 budget directions this Tuesday at Liberty North.

Here go some highlights:

Nuttall wants to make a “major strategic shift” that aims to strengthen intergovernmental partnerships without raising taxes.

Beginning in 2027, one percent of the city’s existing two per cent capital levy will be reallocated to fund joint initiatives with provincial and federal partners. Rather than raising new taxes, that one percent will now be redirected to support “intergovernmental partnership projects,” initiatives co-funded by municipal, provincial, and federal governments to address shared priorities.

The first beneficiary will be Georgian College, which will receive $7.5 million to support its expansion in downtown Barrie.

“This is about ensuring taxpayers get maximum value for their dollars,” Nuttall said.

Barrie recently boasted a series of financial wins, including more than $125 million secured from other levels of government and $80 million in savings from the merger of two planned recreation facilities.

Councillor Harvey also reaffirmed the city’s updated approach to recreation infrastructure.

A previously planned large-scale expansion of the Allandale Recreation Centre is no longer necessary thanks to a new YMCA facility slated to open in South Barrie. That change alone represents an additional $45 million in avoided costs.

In total, Harvey said the city has created more than a quarter billion dollars in financial flexibility, money that can be reinvested into infrastructure, housing, social supports, and economic development.

The 2026 budget directions come at a time when municipalities across Ontario are grappling with inflation, downloading of services, and infrastructure backlogs. Barrie’s approach, Nuttall said, is designed to balance caution with ambition.

City staff will now take these directions and begin the formal process of preparing the 2026 municipal budget, which will go through committee and public consultations later this year.

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Mayor Nuttall uses strong mayor powers to fast-track Sikh temple in South Barrie

Barbara Patrocinio — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 20:30:10 +0000

Mayor Alex Nuttall has invoked his “strong mayor” powers to fast-track the rezoning of land in south Barrie, clearing the way for a new place of worship that will serve the local Sikh community.

On May 14, Nuttall directed city staff to notify the Salem Landowner’s Group and nearby property owners of the intention to rezone a nearly three-acre property at 264 Salem Road, near Essa Road.

The rezoning shifts the land from residential rural and environmental protection zones to neighbourhood residential and environmental protection, specifically to permit the development of the Gurudwara Guru Tegh Bahadur Religious Society temple.

“This was about cutting red tape and moving efficiently on a matter that brings value to residents and reflects the cultural vibrancy of our city,” Nuttall said. “It’s one more step toward making Barrie a place where everyone feels they belong.”

Beyond serving as a place of worship, the facility will also function as a community centre and operate a free daily community kitchen run by volunteers for all residents.

“For years, members of our Sikh community have had to travel outside Barrie to attend temple,” Nuttall said. “By enabling a local place of worship, we’re responding to a real need and helping to strengthen community connections.”

The introduction of strong mayor powers came into effect July 1, 2023, expanding authority to mayors in Barrie and 25 other large and fast-growing municipalities across Ontario.

These powers allow mayors to exercise unilateral decisions on certain municipal matters, including zoning, provided they document their decisions in writing and make them publicly available.

A public meeting on the rezoning was scheduled for Wednesday during Barrie’s affordability committee meeting, with city council set to consider the bylaw to finalize the rezoning before the summer recess.

The property at 264 Salem Road covers almost three acres, featuring approximately 63 metres of frontage along Salem Road.

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