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.
