Lifeguards begin beach duty at Johnson’s, Centennial on Friday

Digital waterfront parking permit or hang-tag waterfront parking pass required to park for free at specific waterfront areas

A lifeguard is shown at Centennial Beach.Photo supplied by the City of Barrie

NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF BARRIE
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Residents are invited to enjoy the City of Barrie’s beaches and parks this summer season.

Lifeguards will be on duty at Johnson’s and Centennial beaches starting Friday, June 30. Here are some helpful reminders when visiting the city’s waterfront and park areas this summer season:

Beaches

Residents and visitors are asked to remember the following when enjoying the city’s beaches:

Beginning June 30, lifeguards will be on duty daily from 11:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (weather permitting) at Johnson’s and Centennial for the summer season. When lifeguards are on duty, signs are posted, and buoy lines mark the designated swimming areas supervised. As in previous years, there is no supervision at any other waterfront locations.
Parents and guardians are reminded that children require direct supervision at the beach.
The PFD loan service will be offered for the 2023 season. This program allows visitors to borrow personal flotation devices for free. (A deposit is required.)
Please be respectful and clean up your litter. If garbage cans are full, please take your garbage with you.
Barbecues and other cooking appliances are not permitted at waterfront beaches or parks.
Tents or sunshades are not permitted at waterfront beaches or parks unless they are supported by no more than one pole and have no more than one wall or side.
Dogs are not permitted on city beaches.
Beaches are smoke and vape free.

Parks

Visit barrie.ca/parks to view the full list of Barrie’s parks and their amenities, including splash pads, playgrounds, soccer fields, baseball diamonds, and tennis courts. Please note that dogs must be leashed at all times in city parks, aside from the dog off-leash recreation areas.

06252023hangtagsignrb3 — A sign with details about the City of Barrie's new digital waterfront parking passes sits at the lakeshore. | Raymond Bowe/BarrieToday

Waterfront parking

A digital waterfront parking permit or hang-tag waterfront parking pass is required to park for free at specific waterfront areas. The hang tag pass system is being phased out, and all hang tag passes will expire Dec. 31, 2023. Residents are encouraged to apply for their digital waterfront parking permit, which is replacing the hang tag waterfront parking pass system. Visit barrie.ca/WaterfrontParking for detailed instructions on how to apply. You can park without a pass/permit for $10 per hour with a daily max of $50 in waterfront parking areas.

Effective until Sept. 15, 2023, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., ‘no parking except by permit’ will apply to all previously available on-street parking in select spillover waterfront parking areas, areas within walking distance (approximately 500 metres) of the following waterfront locations:

Centennial Beach (65 Lakeshore Dr.)
Dock Road Park (200 Dock Rd.)
Johnson’s Beach (2 Johnson St.)
Minet’s Point Park (10 Lismer Blvd.)
Tyndale Park (45 Tyndale Rd.)
Wilkins Park (121 Crimson Ridge Rd.)

These parking restrictions are also in effect for the following waterfront parking lots:

Gables Park parking lot (250 Tollendal Mill Rd.)
Dock Road Park parking lot (200 Dock Rd.)

Signage reflecting the restrictions is currently installed to identify areas where the restrictions are in place. For a full list or map of waterfront parking areas, visit barrie.ca/parking.