Community safety, road infrastructure, growth, development and affordability are among the key issues shaping the race for Barrie’s new Ward 4 council seat.
The ward is new for the 2026 Barrie election following a redrawing of municipal boundaries. Ward 4 has moved from the city’s northwest end to the southeast end.
Four of the five candidates who responded to Compass News about their campaigns – Arif Khan, Patrick Harriott-Stewart, Lori Galeazza and Iradat Ahmad – have emphasized their priorities.
Practical representation
Khan, a former city councillor who served from 2012 to 2018, is campaigning on his previous municipal experience and what he describes as practical representation.
“I decided to run because I believe Ward 4 needs experienced, practical representation at a time when Barrie is facing significant challenges related to community safety, transportation, growth and affordability,” he said.
His top concern is community safety, including concerns about open drug use, theft, property crime and disorderly behaviour.
“My first priority would be improving community safety. Residents are concerned about open drug use, theft, property crime, disorderly behaviour and the growing perception that some public spaces no longer feel safe or welcoming,” he said.
“My second priority would be road safety and transportation planning. This includes addressing speeding, improving traffic calming where appropriate, reviewing road and intersection design, responding to changing traffic patterns and ensuring long-term transportation planning reflects realistic future demand.”
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He also pointed to previous work on the Harvie Road overpass, which he says was advanced 20 years ahead of schedule, as evidence of his ability to deliver infrastructure projects.
Speeding and community safety
Harriott-Stewart, who has lived in Barrie for nearly 30 years and has strong ties to the Ward 4 community, said he wants to contribute to the city’s development and address issues he believes need improvement.
“I want to be part of the growth and be part of the solution that’s going to be taking place within not just Ward 4 but Barrie in general,” he said.
“It’s always been a long-time goal of mine to run for council.”
Speeding and community safety are among his primary concerns.
“Speeding and community safety are two things that are paramount in the ward. We have more crime coming into the city – a lot of it comes from the downtown right into other communities,” he said.
“I want to work on safety within our communities. I’m a big community person. I want to be the community person who really understands the issues and sees everything I can do to help everyone.”
Speaking up about problems
Galeazza, a Ward 4 resident, said her campaign is focused on speaking up about problems while supporting initiatives that are working.
“I want to keep the good and help build a better future for all of the people who live not just in Ward 4, but our beautiful city as a whole,” she said.
She wants the city to focus more on attracting good-paying jobs and large employers, saying more businesses are closing while not enough major employers are entering the city.
“Decent-paying jobs for local residents,” she said.
“More and more businesses are closing, and not too many big employers are hiring – that deserves a lot more attention.”
Galeazza also wants greater communication between planners, developers and residents as new projects are proposed. She said questions around issues such as fire safety, stormwater management, snow storage and parking need to be addressed before developments are completed.
Traffic calming and road safety
Ahmad, a Ward 4 resident and businessman, said he decided to give back to the community.
“As I was closing my business last September, I decided that I wanted to give back to the community I have lived and worked in for several years,” he said.
He said he has knocked on more than 4,700 doors and spoken with more than 1,450 residents. The most common concerns he hears are traffic calming and road safety, snow removal, development keeping pace with infrastructure, property taxes, crime and disorder.
“Sometimes we tend to overlook residents and quality of life in our plans for growth,” Ahmad said.
“Their perspectives are very important, which is why I have built my campaign around bringing the voice of the people forward.”
Ahmad said those issues would form the basis of his work at city hall if elected.
Candidate Matthew Corbett did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.
Voters will elect Barrie’s new Ward 4 councillor on Oct. 26.
