More affordable housing planned for Barrie

Stephen J. Donkers — Mon, 25 May 2026 17:25:48 +0000

Another 69 affordable housing units are coming to Barrie.

Mayor Alex Nuttall announced on May 21 that two new apartment rental developments will bring a total of 341 rental units to the city.

A 12-storey apartment building at 53 Coulter St. will mean 188 units, including 38 affordable units. Another development – an eight-storey apartment building at 375 Yonge St. – will add 153 units, including 31 affordable units.

Nuttall, who made the announcement at the Coulter Street site, said improving housing affordability remains a top priority for the city.

“Across our community and across the province, we continue to hear from residents who are struggling to find housing that fits their budget,” he said.

“That’s why we’re increasing supply and improving affordability, and it remains one of the city’s top priorities.”

Nuttall said council will continue working to bring more affordable housing options to Barrie.

“Our focus remains on ensuring we’re building the housing people need in the places where growth is already happening, while maintaining the viability required to actually deliver these projects,” he said.

“At the end of the day, it’s about results. More housing means more affordability and steady progress toward a stronger, more affordable Barrie.”

The projects are part of Barrie’s development charge waiver program, which temporarily reduces fees for developers building affordable housing. The program began earlier this year and applications close this spring.

Sam Di Pasquale of YYZed Project Management, which is overseeing the developments, praised the city’s approach.

“The city has taken a practical, solutions-focused approach that helps keep projects moving instead of getting stalled in process,” he said.

“In today’s environment, that collaboration matters.”

Earlier in May, the city announced another affordable housing project in Barrie’s north end at 52 Lakeside Ter. The 12-storey apartment building will include 185 market-rent units and 46 affordable units.

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Council pledging $250k for construction trades training program

Gideon Scanlon — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 17:32:18 +0000

Barrie is allocating $250,000 to a skills development program designed to train people from disadvantaged communities for a career in residential housing construction.

In a last-minute amendment to a housing bylaw, deputy mayor Robert Thomson proposed funding a grant for a Barrie-based non-profit, Community Builders, for its Reframe initiative.

“We’re in a housing crisis and one of the issues is a labour shortage,” said Thomson. “Hopefully, this pays dividends in terms of us building houses.”

Reframe provides paid construction training to people facing barriers to employment. Over the course of its three-month program, 15 participants are paid to receive training in one of fifteen skilled trades.

“I’m happy to see this is moving forward,” said Ward 3 councillor Ann-Marie Kungl.

“Community Builders is a social enterprise doing really impressive work around training and accessible jobs in a great way that aligns with our strategy.”

Mayor Alex Nuttall also spoke in favour of the amendment, saying it was “wonderful” that Reframe was giving young people from all walks of life an opportunity to learn a trade.

“In Ontario, more than 700,000 people will be leaving the trades over the next ten years,” he said.

“This donation isn’t going to solve that — but it highlights where we need to see some funding put in place.”

The funds used to pay for the grant come from the Federal Housing Accelerator Fund, which provides local governments with capital to accelerate home construction projects. Through this fund, Barrie will receive $25,684,990 over the next three years.

“This is exactly what the fund is supposed to be used for,” said Nuttall. “We even asked the feds, ‘Does this make sense?’ And they gave us the nod.”

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More affordable housing planned for Barrie

Council pledging $250k for construction trades training program