Sunnidale Park

An online guided tree walk takes users on an interactive tour of Sunnidale Park’s forests. Resident and visitors can learn about the unique and diverse ecosystems in Barrie, how to identify tree species, and the importance of forests for wildlife.

The Every Kids a Hero Inclusive Adventure Playground at Sunnidale Park was redeveloped in 2014 in partnership with the Barrie Professional Firefighters Association. The playground allows youngsters with mobility impairments or disabilities, as well individuals with hearing and visual impairments, to have some fun getting fresh air. Features:

• ramped access to elevated play areas, in addition to the typical wheelchair transfer stations.
• a variety of inclusive play components that address the needs of a broad cross-section of special needs. These features include the cozy cocoon for children who are autistic and the metal slide for children with cochlear implants.​

Created in partnership with The Rotary Club of Barrie, the COVID-19 Heroes and Memorial Garden recognizes the pandemic's impact on our lives and community. The garden features trees, shrubs, perennial plantings, limestone screening pathways and benches. It also features three unique areas for visitors to gather and reflect on the community's contributions and resilience, both during and after the pandemic.

Funding for the project was provided by the City of Barrie, Rotary Club of Barrie, Canada Healthy Communities Initiative, Barrie Community Foundation.

The City of Barrie has removed the use of cosmetic pesticides from our operations and been active in creating pollinator spaces through a number of pollinator initiatives, including a pollinator garden in Sunnidale Park.

If there are at least 6 inches of snow, Parks staff groom a ski trail and set the cross-country tracks on a weekly basis. Due to the unpredictability of the winter weather, residents should look at the weather before venturing out to check for the trail.

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The arboretum in Sunnidale Park is a botanical collection of trees, shrubs, gardens, floral displays and constructed features. In March 2017, City Council passed a motion that the arboretum be named in recognition of Wyman Jacques’ community contributions (see file #17-G-050 on the March 27, 2017 Council agenda). 

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About Wyman Jacques

Wyman dedicated a significant amount of time and energy throughout his life to improving the community, with a focus on the Barrie Arboretum. He was a member of the Horticultural Society at the Arboretum’s inception in 1974. For over 20 years, he tended the gardens and trees in the 12-acre Arboretum six days a week and assisted families who wished to dedicate a memorial to a loved one by helping them select a tree, having a plaque engraved, digging the hole, and then continuing to water and care for the sapling. In 1984, Wyman became the Chairman of Barrie’s Arboretum.

Wyman's passion for the community extended beyond the Arboretum. Over many years, he volunteered with numerous organizations such as the Bruce Trail Club, Brereton Field Naturalist Club, Barrie Humane Society, Nottawasaga Conservation Club, Central United Church, Barrie Horticultural Society, Citizens on Patrol Program, and the Canadian Red Cross (where he donated over 160 whole units of blood).
 
He received many awards acknowledging his work, including the Ontario Horticultural Society Silver Fir Award, Barrie Horticultural Society Lifetime Membership Award and Diploma of Service Award, Barrie Chamber of Commerce Award, the Royal Canadian Legion Citizen of the Year Award and the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow. 

The valuable contributions of the numerous members of the Barrie Garden Club (formerly the Barrie Horticultural Society) to the Arboretum will also be acknowledged through interpretative signage at the site.

In April 2017, City Council passed a motion that the Sunnidale Water Reservoir and Pumping Station be named in recognition of H. John Murphy’s community contributions (see file #17-G-065 on the April 10, 2017 Council agenda). 

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About H. John Murphy 

In 1940, Mr. Murphy was the first engineer graduate hired by Barrie's Public Utilities Commission (PUC). During his nearly 40-year tenure, he was responsible for creating Barrie’s modern water and electrical systems. Under his leadership as General Manager, the PUC’s efficiency, including low rates and infrequent power outages, was a major factor in attracting industry to Barrie.

From 1942 to 1946, Mr. Murphy volunteered for service during the Second World War. He was assigned to the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME) regiment and the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade. He was the most junior Allied engineering officer to work on secret weapons projects and his was the first engineer support unit to follow the fighting troops into France on D-Day.

In his lifetime, Mr. Murphy was President of the Ontario Municipal Electric Association, a Director and Secretary-Treasurer of the Georgian Bay Region of the Association of Municipal Electrical Utilities, Chairman of the Advisory Vocational Committee of the Simcoe County Board of Education, and a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario, the Municipal Staff Civil Defence, and the Advisory Board of Barrie District Central Collegiate.

In 1971 he was given an Association of Municipal Electrical Utilities of Ontario award in recognition of his service as President for “conducting the business of the Association both in Canada and Internationally…to the credit of Hydro in Ontario”.

In May 2018, City Council passed a motion to rename the Barrie Metals Pavilion in recognition of Peggy Staite-Wong (see file #18-G-099 on the May 14, 2018 Council agenda). 

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About Peggy Staite-Wong

Peggy Staite-Wong was passionate about the environment and spent eight years volunteering at the Wyman Jacques Arboretum in Sunnidale Park. In addition to her many other community contributions, she was also the leading force behind the master planning of the most recent iteration of the gardens within Sunnidale Park, including the Tranquility Garden and the pesticide-free native landscape. As a Master Gardener and recipient of the Barrie Spirit Catcher Award, she shared her strong values for the environment.

In 2003, the Barrie Garden Club was successful with its proposal for a pavilion in Sunnidale Park that was designed to provide school groups shelter from rain and shade from the sun while visiting the park. Staite-Wong was a member of the steering committee that raised over $100,000 towards the construction of the pavilion.

Staite-Wong passed away suddenly in the fall of 2017. Several members of Council, friends and family expressed interest in having the City acknowledge her contributions to the community. Global Electric Electronic Processing (GEEP), formerly known as Barrie Metals, generously agreed to change the pavilion name in honour of Peggy Staite-Wong’s community contributions instead of renaming the pavilion for GEEP.