Have you recently used a driver for hire, rideshare or taxicab company in Barrie?

The City of Barrie is seeking feedback on your experiences with passenger transportation companies (driver for hire, rideshare and taxicab). The Business Licensing (Transportation) By-law was recently updated and your input will give insight into whether the updates are having their desired impact: to ensure public safety, maintain ride service levels and create competitive rates for all passenger transportation companies in Barrie. 

• Baseline data collection: July 4 - August 1, 2017 (results from 295 respondents)
• Comparative data collection: If you've used a passenger transportation company in Barrie please complete the survey.

The Community Survey is an opportunity for residents to provide ongoing feedback on programs and services provided by the City. Your feedback is important to us.

• Complete the Community Survey

Feedback was collected June 1-30, 2018, through an online survey and mapping tool on what the community believes is needed to make Barrie more accessible. Feedback will help set priorities and goals for the City’s 2019-2024 Accessibility Plan.

• What you said (results posted soon)

Construction feedback was collected on construction projects that were recently completed in Barrie. 

To view results from recently completed constructions surveys, please contact Design & Construction Services at Engineering.CityInfo@barrie.ca or (705) 726‑4242.

Feedback about the draft Heritage Strategy was gathered from October 12 - November 5, 2017 through a survey and 3 drop-in sessions. Results will be used to determine which action items should be prioritized and will help develop the Heritage Barrie implementation plan. New action items will be incorporated into the strategy where possible.

• Online Survey data collected October 12 - November 5, 2017
• Survey results (40 responses)

Next steps:

• The Heritage Barrie Committee will discuss public feedback and updates to the draft Heritage Strategy on November 7, 2017. This meeting is open to the public and will take place at 7 p.m. at City Hall (70 Collier Street) in the Sir Robert Barrie room (2nd floor). Heritage Barrie committee members will provide feedback and any comments/editing suggestions to Planning Services by November 14, 2017.
• Planning Services will work with Aboriginal, Indigenous Métis and First Nations peoples to ensure they are accurately and respectfully represented within the Heritage Strategy.
• Planning Services will review all feedback (public, Aboriginal, Indigenous Métis and First Nations peoples, and Heritage Barrie Committee) and make changes to the draft Heritage Strategy and Action Items Matrix as appropriate.
• Once the above points are complete, a report with Final Recommendations will be prepared for consideration by General Committee (estimated to happen in January 2018, subject to no significant considerations or changes being proposed as a result of feedback gathered).

The final recommendations and outcomes will be posted on this webpage once complete.

MVT Canadian Bus Inc. has provided Barrie Transit and Specialized Transit services since 2015. As part of this contract and to help ensure this service continues to meet rider needs, the City collected feedback on rider's experiences with Barrie Transit. 

• Data collected September 29 - October 31, 2017 
• Survey results (457 responses)

Results collected are being reviewed and will provide the City of Barrie and MVT Canadian Bus Inc. with identifiable areas for continuous improvement. They will also form a baseline to compare future experiences when service updates are made. 

Building Services has been implementing new processes to improve customer interactions and requested feedback to measure their effectiveness. .

• Data collected September 18 - October 31, 2017
• Survey results (13 respondents)

Results collected are being reviewed to determine if the updates are creating a timely, positive experience. We’re making changes to be better for you — your suggestions will be taken into consideration for future improvements.

The City sought feedback on proposed updates to the Vacant Unit Rebate Program. This program provides property tax rebates to eligible owners of vacant commercial and industrial buildings. The Province of Ontario, which has mandated the program since 1998, has recently allowed municipalities broader flexibility to tailor the program to reflect local community needs and circumstances.

The current rebate is 30% of the property tax for the vacant commercial space and 35% for vacant industrial space.  In 2016, the program cost was $422,000 for approximately 400 vacant properties. Since 2012, it's cost $2.33 million (excluding program administration fees).

• Data collected October 6 - October 22, 2017
• Survey results (35 respondents)
• Staff are reviewing results and potential updates to the program. Staff recommendation will be presented to General Committee in early 2018.

Results will help inform the City's recommendation to Council as to how this program should be updated.

The public shared their views on outdoor sign advertising in Barrie. The City is explored community and business opinion on various sign types including billboards, mobile and temporary signs. 

Results are being used to guide any by-law updates necessary to maintain a visually attractive streetscape and ensure safety for both vehicles and pedestrians, while fulfilling business marketing needs.

• Sign By-law Survey data collection: June 5 - July 31, 2017
• Survey results (363 responses)

The City completed the 2016 Citizen Satisfaction Survey in October 2016. Working with Forum Research Inc., 1,004 Barrie residents were phoned (cellular and landline) for their perceptions of the quality of life in Barrie, their satisfaction with municipal programs and services, and to identify opportunities to improve service and program delivery. 

• Survey tested October 3-6, 2016
• Data collected October 12-25, 2016
• Final report presented to City Council on November 28, 2016

About the Project

The Dorian Parker Centre is located within Sunnidale Park. Since the 1960's, it's been used for social functions, meetings, seminars, recreation programs, banquets and family events. 

This facility is of an age where it will require major renovations to remain operational. The City is working with residents to gather feedback on best uses for the building to guide its potential redevelopment.

For more information about this project, please contact culture@barrie.ca or 705-739-4299.