Alex Nuttall is promising to make the Centennial Park parking lot resident-only during the summer months if re-elected to a second term as Barrie’s mayor.
Nuttall, the city’s incumbent mayor, made the campaign commitment Tuesday, Oct. 6, in front of Centennial Park along Lakeshore Drive. Nuttall said the change would make it easier for Barrie residents to access the waterfront they help fund through property taxes.
“Families come down here all the time to check out the park, to enjoy the water, but during the summer months, it’s so hard for Barrie residents to access their own beach in their own parking lot that they pay for through taxes,” he said.
“We will turn this Centennial Beach parking lot into resident-only parking in the summertime to allow for our families who already pay for this beautiful waterfront through your taxes, to be able to come down and enjoy our waterfront.”
The City of Barrie currently offers a free digital waterfront parking permit to residents. The permit applies to several waterfront parking areas, including the Centennial Beach Lot. Non-residents can purchase a waterfront permit for $150 plus HST, while parking without a permit costs $15 per hour, to a daily maximum of $60.
Centennial Beach–Southshore Park along Lakeshore Drive brought in more than 650,000 visits during the summer of 2025, according to Tourism Barrie. That includes 134,207 unique visitors recorded.The number of visits increased 7.4 per cent compared with the previous summer.
Nuttall said visitors from outside Barrie would still be welcome to enjoy the waterfront, but would be directed to other transportation and parking options.
The parking lot next to Centennial Park.
Nuttall is being challenged for the mayor’s chair by local realtor Tanya Saari, Kay Sayer and Russell Tighe. Barrie’s municipal election is set for Oct. 26.
