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Council must always have eye on the future, says deputy mayor

'Good planning brings about good things and, when we don’t plan, we inevitably create problems for future councils,' says Barry Ward
2019-05-09 Barry Ward crop
Barry Ward is the city councillor representing Ward 4 in Barrie and also the city's deputy-mayor. Photo supplied

BarrieToday asked all 11 members of city council to pick, in no particular order, this council’s most significant accomplishments during the 2018-22 term of office. Separate stories have been written for each councillor’s answers. This council essentially becomes ‘lame duck’ when nominations close Aug. 19, although there could be meetings called due to necessity before election day, Oct. 24.
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Deputy Mayor Barry Ward views looking ahead as this council’s most significant accomplishment.

“One of city council’s most important jobs is planning for the future,” he said. “Good planning brings about good things and, when we don’t plan, we inevitably create problems for future councils.”

With that in mind, Ward said one of council’s most important accomplishments in this term has been adopting a new Official Plan (OP), and after extensive consultation with the community.

“This new Official Plan will guide how Barrie develops over the next 30 years, both in our existing neighbourhoods and in growth lands in the south,” he said. “As we move toward almost 300,000 people, we will increase densities, but try to do so in a way that is sensitive to the surrounding neighbourhood.”

The new OP will mean a Barrie that is more pedestrian-friendly, allow the city to preserve an adequate supply of industrial land to secure future jobs, protect green spaces, enhance public spaces, and require high standards of urban design so the city is attractive.

Ward next points to council’s adoption of the reports and recommendations from three task forces during the past year.

“The affordable housing task force addressed what is probably Barrie’s most pressing need right now,” he said. “Some of the recommendations have already been put into place, such as allowing residential developments on institutional lands. We have had interest from churches in doing just that. More steps will be taken to ensure people who want to live in Barrie can afford to do so.”

The Ward 4 councillor for the past 22 years next pointed to the performing arts centre task force.

“(It) gave us clear direction on how Barrie can finally get the type of theatre every comparable community has and what Barrie residents deserve,” he said. “With the closure of the Fisher auditorium and the inadequacies and challenges of the Georgian Theatre, Barrie needed a plan for a replacement. Much work still needs to be done, but we now have it.”

The third task force, which Ward chaired, called for a market to be created on the site of the current transit terminal when that facility moves to Allandale.

“This project will help revitalize the west end of Barrie’s downtown, spur new investment in the area, give area farmers and artisans a place to sell their wares and, perhaps most importantly, give Barrie residents a place to come together,” he said.

Ward said a third major accomplishment of this council was its continued effort to make it easier for businesses and residents to deal with city hall. 

“The creation of Service Barrie gave people a one-stop shop for many city services, from paying taxes and tickets to obtaining building permits to reporting potholes,” he said. “More services are being put online all the time.

“One of the few good things about the pandemic is that it forced us to expand our online services,” Ward added. “Many meetings have moved online and residents can now make deputations to council or comment at public planning meetings from their homes. City hall is being made more accessible to people, which is a very good thing.”