Call it a budget bookmark: the Barrie Public Library is turning the page with a 2.9-per-cent increase in its 2026 spending plan.
Barrie Public Library CEO Lauren Jessop and board member Austin Mitchell presented the proposal to city councillors during a recent Finance and Responsible Governance Committee meeting. They outlined a budget aimed at supporting continued growth, rising demand and the development of a new northwest branch in the Letitia Heights area.
The library’s operating budget is set to rise from $11,023,517 in 2025 to $11,342,740 in 2026 — an increase of $319,223.
Jessop highlighted several achievements from the past year, including the launch of a new strategic plan, more than 5,500 new members in the first half of 2025, over $100,000 raised through the annual Barrie Dragon Boat Festival and early community consultation for the planned northwest branch.
“2025 has been another strong year of progress and community engagement,” she said.
Staffing levels — including full-time, part-time and casual positions — are expected to increase once the northwest branch opens, a milestone targeted for fall 2026. Library officials are requesting $295,000 from the city to support a partial opening, with full operating costs estimated at more than $1.2 million once the branch fully expands into the neighbourhood.
Council formally approved the northwest-branch project in January 2025, committing funding for design work, demographic analysis and public engagement. The branch is expected to serve about 26,000 residents — including roughly 5,000 youth — in a growing area with several nearby schools.
Plans include new programming, community and study space, and access to public computers with Wi-Fi.
The branch is expected to operate as a boutique-style facility similar to the Holly branch in the city’s southwest end.
In Sept. 2025, Deputy Mayor Robert Thomson announced on Facebook that the city had secured a lease for the new branch at the former O’Hara’s Public House at 420 Leacock Dr. The space is just under 2,500 square feet, with plans to expand.
A community survey conducted during the planning process found strong support for the new branch.
“Residents in this neighbourhood are really looking forward to library services. Our community consultation survey had more than 2,000 responses, many of them from youth,” Jessop said.
Coun. Jim Harris called the progress “really exciting” and asked whether digital borrowing is now outpacing physical loans. Jessop said she did not have the exact numbers available but estimated usage is nearly even.
“I think it’s about 50/50,” she said. “I think we are maybe around 51 per cent digital and 49 per cent physical.”
Jessop said the library continues to face pressures, including rising material costs, flat provincial funding, a new collective agreement, increasing demand, higher IT expenses and an overreliance on reserves.
