The Ontario government tabled this year’s budget this Thursday, focusing heavily on infrastructure spending and shielding the economy against the threat of the U.S. tariffs.
Here’s a breakdown of what is in there for Barrie.
A long-anticipated expansion of local health care services is one step closer to reality, thanks to a $15 million planning grant for the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH).
The funds will support planning work for RVH’s expansion in both Barrie and Innisfil to improve access to care across the region.
“This brings us one step closer to a full-service community hospital, strengthening local health care for generations to come,” Barrie-Innisfil MPP Andrea Khanjin said.
RVH President and CEO Gail Hunt called the investment a “monumental step forward,” saying the health centre faces urgent capacity pressures and needs to move quickly through the complex planning and approvals process.
“This grant enables us to finance further work as we get into even more detailed planning phases,” she said.
The budget also includes pocketbook relief for drivers, including many Barrie-area residents who commute daily to jobs in the Greater Toronto Area.
The government scrapped tolls on the Highway 407 East permanently: Drivers using the provincially owned portion of the highway will no longer have to pay tolls. The province estimates this will save some commuters as much as $7,200 a year.
Gas and fuel tax cuts were also made permanent: The province’s ongoing fuel tax cuts would be locked in, which the government says will save the average household about $115 per year.
The 2025 Ontario budget also includes a total of $2.3 billion over four years for municipal housing-enabling infrastructure through the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program (MHIP) and the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund (HEWSF).
Municipalities that meet at least 80 per cent of their housing targets are also being rewarded through the Building Faster Fund. So far, the province handed out more than $280 million to high-performing municipalities, Barrie included, and the budget extends the deadline to use those funds to 2028.
