Building Services staff are doing everything possible to keep the building process moving in these unprecedented times. Please refer to the latest Building Services Announcement for detailed information.

Staff continue to take reports regarding by-law enforcement at (705) 739-4241 or enforcement.services@barrie.ca. The Barrie COVID-19 Emergency Measures By-law helps protect the health and safety of residents. For full information visit barrie.ca/bylaws.

Outstanding parking tickets can be paid via barrie.ca/OnlineServices.

In light of recent developments related to COVID-19, project teams are monitoring and assessing impacts to construction schedules.

City road construction projects are generally proceeding as scheduled at this time. Please refer to the specific projects via barrie.ca/roadwork for detailed information.

As announced by the Province on March 23, construction work is included in the Provincial Government's list of essential services. We have ensured that all our City construction contractors have implemented COVID-19 safety protocol. Construction workers working on City projects are limiting contact with each other and additional hand sanitizers and wipes have been made available to them. No meetings are being held inside construction trailers, instead site meetings are being conducted via teleconference.

City staff (project managers, inspectors) involved in these projects are also following appropriate distancing and sanitizing protocols. The safety of City staff and our contractors is of utmost importance.

On March 19, the Province of Ontario passed the Municipal Emergency Act, 2020 to permit virtual participation in council, committee or local board meetings.

City Council, General Committee, and Planning Commitee meetings are being live streamed on the City's YouTube channel and Rogers TV. Upcoming virtual meetings are open for public participation. Information about how to participate in virtual meetings is outlined at Communicating wiith Council.

Meeting agendas are available at barrie.legistar.com.

Advisory Committee and Reference Committee meetings are not occurring at this time.

Provincial Offences Act Offices (45 Cedar Pointe Dr. & 575 West St. in Orillia) are closed. Visit barrie.ca/CourtServices for full information.

Traffic Violations and other Provincial Offences Act tickets can be paid via barrie.ca/OnlineServices.

All City special events and theatre shows are cancelled until further notice, and no new special event permits will be issued until at least September 8.

The annual Canada Day event took place virtually so residents could enjoy programming from the safety of their own homes. Visit barrie.ca/CanadaDay for details. 

Barrie Fire's annual Hot Summer Nights are currently cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on public gatherings.

Fire & Emergency Service

• Barrie Fire response times are not impacted. Stations are closed to the public.
• Outdoor burning permits are available for purchase online only via barrie.ca/BurnPermits.
• Education events and activities, including station tours, are temporarily suspended.
• Fire Inspections for building permit purposes continue for non-occupied structures only, following public health standards. If an Emergency inspection situation should arise, it would be assessed on a case by case basis by the Fire Chief and would have to follow public health standards.
• Fire Prevention Officers are available to follow up on violations using photographs and video. They can be reached by phone or email: (705) 728-3199 or fire.prevention@barrie.ca .

Barrie Police Service

BPS is providing updates on how their response to COVID-19 will affect the public. The public is assured that the 911 system continues uninterrupted. Visit                      www.barriepolice.ca/bps-covid-19-updates for up-to-date information.

Service Barrie continues to be operational for email and phone service: ServiceBarrie@barrie.ca or 705-726-4242.

Service Barrie, the City’s customer service centre located on the first floor of City Hall, will reopen starting July 13 to provide in-person services to the public by appointment only. The hours of operation will be Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Appointments must be booked in advance by calling 705-726-4242. 

The following services will be available by appointment:

• Burial permits
• Freedom of Information payments and pickup of documents
  
• Payments for records requests, tax certificates and compliance letters
  
• Tax receipts
  
• Pickup/drop-off of engineering drawings
  
• Sewer Lateral Backup Program requests
  
• Payment and submission of business licenses and renewals
  
• Debit purchases of waterfront parking passes
  
• Purchase of garbage bag tags
  
• Purchase of Barrie Transit passes
  
• Commissioning only of City documents and vital statistics
  
• Tax/Water payments (if unable to use online options)

Other City facilities are closed to the public until further notice (community centres are closed until further notice).

Buildings remain open to staff for essential service delivery. Staff are ensuring increased sanitizing practices on all common touch points and public spaces at buildings that remain open, as well as Barrie Transit buses.

Cooling Centre
If there is a heat warning, the Transit Terminal (24 Maple Avenue) will act as a cooling centre with provisions as of July 6. There will be time limits in place to keep within the maximum number of people allowed in the facility at one time and allow for turnover. Now that the Province is in Stage 2 of the reopening plan, beaches and splash pads, as well as air-conditioned facilities such as malls and retail stores are available for people who are looking to get relief from the heat.

Curbside collection is occurring as scheduled. Visit barrie.ca/CurbsideCollection for full information.

The landfill (272 Ferndale Dr. N.) is open Tuesdays to Saturday. Visit barrie.ca/landfill for full details.

The Household Hazardous Waste Facility (272 Ferndale Dr. N.) is open on Saturdays only. Visit barrie.ca/HHW for details.

The Environmental Centre (272 Ferndale Dr. N.) remains closed to the public until further notice.   

Residents can request home delivery of recycling boxes and green bins by calling 705-739-4219.  

Please visit barrielibrary.ca for full information.

Building Permits
Building permit applications and inspections, subject to a few exceptions, remain operational. New permit applications are available through APLI. Please refer to Building Services Announcements for up-to-date information. Please call Service Barrie 705-726-4242 to book an appointment to make a permit payment.

Burn Permits
Outdoor burning permits are available for purchase online only via barrie.ca/BurnPermits.

Event Permits
No new special event permits will be issued until at least September 8, 2020.

Marriage Licences (Barrie residents only)
Please call Service Barrie 705-726-4242 to book an appointment.

Right Of Way Activity (ROWA) Permits                     
Applications can be submitted through email and payments can be made by cheque and dropped off at City Hall drop boxes (front entrance at 70 Collier St or entrance at back parking lot).  ROWAP applications ​are being processed ​online through APLI​. Please call Service Barrie 705-726-4242 to book an appointment to make a permit payment.

Downtown Parking
Parking is free downtown until September 8, 2020, and there is a 10-minute parking limit on Dunlop Street & side streets to help businesses and customers with curbside pickup. Visit barrie.ca/DowntownParking for full information. ​​

Waterfront Parking
Non-resident waterfront parking rates increased to $10 per hour (daily maximum of $50) on July 8, 2020. Specific on-street areas near beaches are reserved for Resident Parking Pass holders only. Visit barrie.ca/WaterfrontParking for full detail and applicable areas.

Marina Patron Parking Options
Marina Patron Parking Passholders can park for free in the Marina, North Marina, Spirit Catcher and Lakeshore Lots as per the Barrie COVID-19 Emergency Measures By-law.

Development Services and other supporting department’s staff continue their work remotely. Staff are not available for in-person meetings but phone calls, conference calls, video meetings are all being used and we are happy to make arrangements to meet with you.

Planning support services can be obtained by emailing planneroftheday@barrie.ca.

Online applications for Committee of Adjustment, Pre-consultations, Site Plan, Site Plan exemptions and building permits are being processed.

Council, Planning Commitee & Committee of Adjustment meetings are being live streamed on the City's YouTube channel and Rogers TV. Upcoming virtual meetings are open for public participation. Information about how to participate in virtual meetings is outlined at Communicating wiith Council.​

Due to COVID-19 emergency measures, final property tax bills were completed and mailed between June 23 and July 3, 2020, with extended due dates. Payment dates for pre-authorized payment plans have been impacted. View full notice.

Road and sidewalk maintenance work is generally proceeding, although street sweeping of the downtown Business Improvement Area is only occurring twice per week and as needed (instead of daily).

Visit barrie.ca/SportsFields for the current status of sports fields and courts. Starting June 22, the City began accepting permits for sports fields.

City-run theatres will remain closed until January 2021. Theatre shows are cancelled until further notice.

Should you have a question or concern related to a facility rental, ticket sale or any other inquiry please e-mail CE.Venues@barrie.ca or call 705-739-4299 and a member of the Recreation and Culture Services Departments will get back to you as soon as possible.

The City is working with the SMDHU to review all of the safety guidelines that need to be in place before we can reopen our recreation and cultural facilities as part of Stage 3. There are many tasks to complete before these facilities can reopen, including rehiring and reallocation of staff, ice installation, pool refilling and safety measures to ensure the required physical distancing. More information on the reopening of these facilities will be shared as it becomes available.  

As of Saturday, August 1, all Barrie Transit buses will have protective, plexiglass shields that provide a safety barrier between riders and bus operators. Fares will be collected again as riders can now safely board the bus from the front doors. Mask use on public transit is mandatory. Please refer to barrie.ca/TransitNotices for full details.​

Water Wastewater Billing
Effective March 20, 2020, There were new late fees or City-imposed non-sufficient funds (NSF) charges for property tax and water wastewater bills until June 30, 2020. Residential water/wastewater account holders can apply to eliminate the fixed charge for water and wastewater on their next bimonthly bill if they are suffering from financial hardship as a result of COVID-19. In addition, the payment due date grace periods were extended for all residents and businesses for two billing periods. Please visit Water Wastewater Billing for full information.

Water Treatment
The Surface Water Treatment Plant (20 Royal Parkside Dr.) and Wastewater Treatment Facility (249 Bradford St.) are closed to the public. Residents may notice water service crews working around the city in teams of one or two to complete essential work to keep water services working effectively and efficiently. These staff are practising physical distancing and taking precautions as advised by the Health Unit.