Age-Friendly Barrie
Age-friendly cities provide access to services that enable everyone, not just seniors, to live full and productive lives.
COVID-19 Information for Older Adults
In these challenging times the City of Barrie is working to support our older adult community with factual, timely and relevant communications. Staff have compiled Vital COVID-19 Information for Older Adults, which includes quick tips for an older adult audience in Barrie.
Barrie Awarded for Age-Friendly Plan
On Monday March 26, 2018 Jessica Gourlie, Recreation Programmer with the City’s 55+ Centres and Cheryl Dillon, Accessibility Coordinator accepted on behalf of the City of Barrie, the Ontario Age-Friendly Community Recognition Award as presented by the Honourable Dipika Damerla, Minister of Seniors Affairs. The award was presented at an Age-Friendly Communities Symposium that was held in Toronto to celebrate and recognize 40 communities in Ontario that have been recognized for making strides to become Age-Friendly communities.
Learn more.
Barrie’s Age-Friendly Plan
The City has developed an Age-Friendly Community Plan with assistance from a
grant received from the Ontario Government. An Age-Friendly Community is one where policies, services and facilities support older people to live in a secure environment, enjoy good health and continue to participate fully in their communities. Work on the plan included:
- A needs assessment
- A successful community forum was held
- A discussion paper was circulated to gather further input.
The City of Barrie's Age-Friendly Community Planning Project is complete. Please review the
Final Report on our Age-Friendly Community Plan. For more information on the plan going forward, please contact Cheryl Dillon at
Cheryl.Dillon@barrie.ca or by calling 705-739-4220 Ext. 5237.
Age-Friendly Barrie Initiative
Age-Friendly Barrie is a City initiative to improve the quality of life for Barrie residents in alignment with the World Health Organization's (WHO) Checklist of Essential Features of Age-Friendly Cities to identify gaps, needs and recommended action plans for eight (8) key areas including:
| Outdoor Spaces & Buildings | |
The outside environment and public buildings impact the mobility, independence and quality of life of seniors and their ability to “age in place”. An Age-friendly Outdoor Spaces and Buildings Checklist may include: Environment, Green Spaces and Walkways, Outdoor Seating, Pavements, Roads, Traffic, Cycle Paths, Safety, Services, Buildings and Public Toilets.
Related Page:
Accessibility |
| Transportation | |
Accessible and affordable public transportation is important to the ability of seniors to access services and participate socially and civically. An Age-friendly Transportation Checklist may include: Affordability; Reliability and Frequency; Travel Destinations; Age-Friendly Vehicles; Specialized Services; Priority Seating; Transport Drivers; Safety and Comfort; Transport Stops and Stations; Information; Community Transport; Taxis; Roads; Driving Competence and Parking.
Related Pages:
Barrie Accessible Community Transportation Services (BACTS)
Getting Around Barrie
Related Links:
Canadian Red Cross |
| Housing | |
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| Recreation & Social Participation | |
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| Respect & Social Inclusion | |
It is important for all citizens, regardless of age, to feel respected, recognized and included. An Age-friendly Checklist may include: Respect and Social Inclusion Checklist includes: Respectful and Inclusive Services, Public Images of Ageing, International and Family Interactions, Public Education, Community Inclusion and Economic Inclusion. |
| Civic Participation & Employment | |
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| Communication & Information | |
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| Community & Health Services | |
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Seniors Advisory Committee
Committee Vision: that Barrie be recognized as a member of the
WHO Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities.
In 2014 the City established a Seniors Advisory Committee to provide advice and recommendations to
City Council concerning opportunities to make Barrie a more age-friendly community, and to enhance and develop our community so all seniors can be meaningful participants. The committee is made up of representatives of City Council, City staff, public and not-for-profit organizations representatives, and seniors living within the community.
The objectives of the Seniors Advisory Committee are to:
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provide advice and recommendations to City Council concerning opportunities to make Barrie a more age-friendly community, focused on the services, roles and responsibilities within the City's jurisdiction related to housing, transportation, communications and civic participation
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develop a work plan with specific actions to address the checklist developed by the WHO Age Friendly Cities Guide and submit an Annual Report to the Community Services Committee on Seniors Advisory Committee accomplishments
Seniors Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public. Please visit The City of Barrie Legislative Portal to access agendas and minutes.