Barrie's Vision for Growth
Barrie continues to take the steps necessary to build a sustainable complete community. The City’s vision for growth is an Urban Growth Centre that provides its residents with jobs close to home; diverse housing choices; a clean environment; full services including water, wastewater and transit; a balanced lifestyle with state of the art recreation facilities and cultural opportunities; first class health care services and opportunities for post-secondary education; and a dynamic and vibrant City Centre.
After years of study, including the 1981 Barrie/Innisfil Annexation Agreement, the 2002 Greater Barrie Area Local Government Review (Meridian) report and the 2006 Intergovenmental Action Plan (Dillon) report, all conclusions have recommended an expanded City boundary to accommodate the population and employment growth forecasted for the Barrie area. Places to Grow the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2006) confirmed that the Province’s expectations for Barrie and the City’s vision for growth were consistent with one another.
As the only designated Urban Growth Centre in Central Ontario, Barrie is committed to implementing the Province’s Growth Plan and becoming a complete community.