Public Feedback
Your input, collected through the methods below, provides great insight when making decisions with outcomes that affect us all. Visit this page to give your feedback on topics affecting our community that are open to the public.
Try our new online platform — BuildingBarrie.ca
The City is piloting an online engagement platform to help better involve the public throughout the decision making process.
Please visit BuildingBarrie.ca to register and engage on the projects currently open for feedback.
Surveys Open for Feedback
| Passenger Transportation Companies in Barrie |
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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.
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| Community Survey |
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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.
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| Last updated July 5, 2018. Surveys listed above are currently open for feedback and managed through Access Barrie, unless otherwise noted. |
Past Surveys
| Accessibility Plan review |
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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)
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| Construction Surveys |
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| Drainage Master Plan |
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The City is completing a Drainage Master Plan and requested public feedback to help identify drainage deficiencies in Barrie's storm drainage systems and discovering solutions to reduce flooding, resolve public safety concerns and improve maintenance opportunities.
Online and hard copy surveys were completed about property that the public owns, resides in or works from that has drainage issues.
The Drainage Master Plan survey closes at midnight on Sunday, December 17, 2017.
- Survey collection ended December 17, 2017
- 33 online responses
Feedback is being considered, along with impacts to the natural, social, physical, cultural and economic environments, during the development of alternative draining solutions for the Drainage Master Plan. This survey is part of phase 1 & 2 of the Master Planning Process (Approach #1).
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| W.A. Fisher Auditorium Study Survey |
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Barrie and Simcoe County residents shared their cultural engagement habits and preferences to help gauge interest in the W.A. Fisher Auditorium project (see staff report & presentation to Council for additional information).
All of the information gathered in the survey will be reported in aggregate form, meaning no one individual will be named in the report in connection to an answer given. The raw data from this survey will only be shared with City staff, and the data collected will not be sold to, or shared with, any other source.
- Data collected November 7-18, 2017
This survey was designed by Cobalt Connects, the City's consultant on the W.A. Fisher project, and was reviewed by City staff.
If you have questions about the survey or this program please contact: Jeremy Freiburger, Cobalt Connects, at jeremy@cobaltconnects.ca or 905-548-0111.
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| Simcoe County's Music Strategy |
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Barrie & Simcoe County are working with Regional Tourism Organization 7 and MusicCO, an industry organization, to develop a music strategy for the region’s commercial music industry.
Songwriters, musicians, venues, festivals, studios, record companies, fans and everyone else involved in the Simcoe County music industry were invited to contribute to the strategy by completing an online survey.
The strategy is in the early stages of development and feedback from people across Simcoe County gave insight into the following themes:
- What’s great about the local music scene, and what could be better.
- How people are involved in the music scene.
- Fresh thinking about how to make Simcoe County a better place for music and music tourism!
Survey detials
- Data collected November 7-20, 2017
For additional information please contact: Simcoemusic@culturecap.ca
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| Draft Heritage Strategy |
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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.
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| Barrie Transit Customer Satisfaction |
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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.
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| Building Services Customer Satisfaction |
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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.
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| Vacant Unit Tax Rebate |
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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.
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| Sign By-law Review |
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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)
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| Citizen Satisfaction Survey |
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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
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| Last updated July 5, 2018. Surveys listed above are removed after one year or replaced with the next year's survey (if completed annually) and are managed through Access Barrie, unless otherwise noted. |
Projects
| Dorian Parker Centre |
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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.
Recent Feedback Gathered
As part of the Dorian Parker Centre consultation project, the Culture Branch is exploring the option of introducing a pilot project to use the facility as a music rehearsal space. Members of the music community gave feedback on the current need for music rehearsal space in our area.
Responses from this survey will help inform the City's recommendation to City Council.
- Data collected online from May 10 - 23, 2017
- Survey results (60 responses)
- Staff report with recommendations to be presented to Council on Monday, June 5, 2017
For more information please contact culture@barrie.ca or 705-739-4299.
Previous Feedback Gathered
The public have engaged in this project the following ways:
- April 2017 Community Information Session to discuss several options for the future of the facility
- November 2015 Community Consultation & Online survey results
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| Last updated May 24, 2017. Community Engagement projects listed above are maintained through Access Barrie, unless otherwise noted. |
Meetings
Public Meetings
A Public Meeting is a provincially legislated meeting that municipalities are mandated to host for certain applications made to the City (i.e. applications made under the Planning Act). Before a plan is adopted, Council must hold at least one public meeting where people can formally give their opinion regarding that specific the plan. Views shared at public meetings can be referred to during Council’s decision-making process and are a matter of public record.
In Barrie, Public Meetings take place at General Committee meetings and are advertised at least 20 days ahead of time in the Barrie Examiner, at barrie.ca/PublicNotices and, in most cases, through a sign posted on the subject site, or a notice mailed to residents within 120m of the subject site.
For more information on speaking at a Public Meeting or alternative methods to share your views with council, please visit Communicating with City Council. For agenda-related information, please visit the Calendar of Meetings.
Other meetings
The City also hosts many other types of meetings that are open to the public, such as Reference Committee meetings, Town Halls and Neighbourhood Meetings, but are not legislated to take place. In many cases, these meetings are an additional step that provide an opportunity for the public to learn more about a project, ask questions and share their opinion in a less formal setting.
These meetings may be shared through e-bulletins to residents within the ward, on the City's events calendar and through social media.