Mayor tours progress on Lakehead STEM Hub in downtown Barrie

Barrie is a step closer to establishing a permanent university presence, as renovations continue on the upcoming Lakehead University STEM Hub.

Mayor Alex Nuttall toured the progress at the main hub, located on the ground floor of 24 Maple Ave. in downtown Barrie. The Sandbox Centre, a regional innovation centre, occupies the second floor of the same building.

The Maple Avenue site will include specialized research and teaching labs, featuring advanced equipment for motors and robotics, machinery, instrumentation and mechatronics. The facility is intended to support applied learning and industry collaboration, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

A second STEM Hub is also planned at 5 Ross St., expanding the university’s footprint in the city’s downtown core. Both locations are scheduled to open in September and are expected to bring in hundreds of students.

Nuttall spoke to invited guests and officials during the tour, highlighting the broader impact of the project.

“This isn’t just about a university improving the private sector, improving the way the government and education and business work together,” he said.

“It’s also about our young people having access to education in an affordable way and one that’s going to put them onto that path of hope and opportunity.”

Nuttall added that he plans on championing the university as progress continues.

“I’ll be cheering this along because this September, we’re going to have hundreds of students in our downtown and that’s all thanks to Lakehead University and the vision they’ve put forward,” he said.

The STEM Hub initiative is part of a broader partnership between the university and the city, aimed at expanding post-secondary access. Officials first announced the Maple Avenue location in November 2024, followed by the Ross Street expansion earlier this year.