March is #ITSTARTS month
The City is proclaiming March as #ITSTARTS month. The #ITSTARTS campaign, led by the County of Simcoe, is designed to take a proactive step towards addressing racism and discrimination. Read the media release for ways to participate.
The City works towards promoting and facilitating community connections, providing great public spaces, encouraging affordable housing and supporting diverse and safe neighbourhoods.
Accessibility
Barrie is one of Ontario's leading communities in accessibility and is committed to accessibility and the tenets of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). The City is actively working to remove barriers to persons with disabilities.
Did you know? Accessible City documents are available upon request by emailing ServiceBarrie@barrie.ca and specifying needs.
The City is working to create a more inclusive, Age-Friendly and Accessible Community through proactively identifying, preventing and or removing barriers to accessibility. The community is growing, and the City’s Multi-year Accessibility Plan aims to be responsive to this growth by supporting community development and intensification.
The Seniors & Accessibility Advisory Committee's mandate is to champion issues related to the provision of an accessible community on behalf of all Barrie’s citizens, and to represent and provide advice on seniors’ perspectives on municipal matters.
The City of Barrie has an overarching Accessibility Standards Policy and accompanying Accessibility Procedure, in addition to working to integrate accessibility and the AODA tenets into already existing City of Barrie policies. The City is committed to continuous improvement and will work to regularly review and update all policies for accessibility.
The City also has an Accessible Customer Service Policy which includes information on:
- Providing good and services to people with disabilities
- Communication
- Use of service animals, support persons and assistive devices
- Notice of temporary disruptions
- Staff training on customer services
- Accessibility of meetings
- Feedback process
- Format of city documents
- Notice of availability of documents
City of Barrie employees, contractors and vendors are required to complete training which includes:
- The purpose of the Act
- How to interact with people with various disabilities
- How to interact with people who use the assistance of a service animal or support person
- How to use assistive devices available on the premises
- What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty accessing service
- Details on the City of Barrie's accessibly policy, procedures and practices
Information for Vendors
Training is required for City suppliers of goods and services. The AODA legislation states that contractors, vendors, and individuals that the City of Barrie has contracted to provide goods or services must ensure that their employees are trained on providing accessible customer service. Training can be as simple as reading through the Understanding Accessible Customer Service Training Booklet.
Once contractors/vendors have trained their staff, they will be considered compliant by the City of Barrie after they have completed and returned the Accessibility Compliance Form. Completed forms are to be submitted by:
- email: ServiceBarrie@barrie.ca;
- fax: 705-739-4237; or
- mail: Service Barrie, P. O. Box 400, Barrie, ON L4M 4T5
The Accessibility of Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA), is a law passed by the Ontario legislature that allows the government to develop specific standards of accessibility and to enforce them. The standards are made into laws called regulations, and they provide the details to help meet the goal of the AODA. The AODA is the foundation on which the standards are built.
The purpose of the accessibility standards is to move organizations in Ontario forward on accessibility. The standards will set requirements in a number of key areas and will be reviewed at least every five years. The goal of the Act is to make the Province of Ontario completely accessible by 2025.
Ontario's Integrated Accessibility Standard was released in the summer of 2011 and was updated in 2016 to include the Accessible Customer Service Standard, as well as the standards for Information and Communication, Employment, Transportation and the Design of Public Spaces.
The City of Barrie is committed to working towards being compliant with all of the standards under the AODA as they are introduced. More information on the AODA or accessibility in Ontario is available from the Ontario Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility.
The City provides meaningful recreation opportunities for participants experiencing disability through both adapted and integrated program options. Please visit Inclusive Recreation for current information.
At the City of Barrie, we recognize that diversity and inclusion are essential to our success as both a corporation and a community. We wholeheartedly embrace different perspectives and believe that our strength lies in the unique combination of our employees' cultures, races, ethnicities, ages, genders, sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, physical or mental abilities, and work-life situations.
We are committed to fostering an environment where all individuals feel valued and supported. By embracing different ideas, experiences, and identities—and appreciating the unique ways these differences enhance our organization—we create a workplace that benefits everyone.
At the same time, we are equally committed to ensuring our hiring practices prioritize qualifications, skills, and suitability for each position. Our merit-based approach ensures that opportunities are granted fairly, empowering us to build a team that is both highly skilled and reflective of the diverse community we serve.
The City’s Human Resources department is dedicated to building inclusive policies, processes, and training opportunities that encourage employees to engage with one another in a positive and respectful manner. We are proud to be an Employer Partner with the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, which provides resources and support to further our diversity and inclusion journey.
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The City of Barrie participated in Week of Welcome activities for newcomers in Simcoe County in 2023 and 2024.
Anti-Racism
The City's Anti-Racism Task Force works to bridge and promote a stronger more positive understanding and representation of the city’s racialized groups. The volunteers work actively with police services, school boards, community groups, municipal organizations, social services, business, labour and government agencies to facilitate a stronger understanding of the needs of the city's racialized populations.
The City proudly participates in the annual #ITSTARTS campaign, designed to take a proactive step towards addressing racism and discrimination in Simcoe County since 2022.
Support for Low-Income Residents
The City provides financial assistance to low-income households through various initiatives.
The Low-Income Household Water/Wastewater Relief Program program provides financial assistance to low-income households in Barrie, to help offset water/wastewater bill costs. Successful applicants will be credited a portion of their water/wastewater bill back to them.
RecACCESS is intended to ensure all residents have an opportunity to participate in recreation programs and activities, regardless of their financial situation.
The New Foundations Affordable Housing Initiative offered owners of institutionally designated properties the chance to apply for support to undertake an affordable housing feasibility study.
Safe and affordable housing is an important issue to residents of Barrie, and more broadly across Canada. The City of Barrie first released a 10-year Affordable Housing Strategy in 2015 and adopted a new Affordable Housing Strategy in 2024.
Age-Friendly City
Age-friendly cities provide access to services that enable everyone, not just seniors, to live full and productive lives.
The Seniors & Accessibility Advisory Committee's mandate is to champion issues related to the provision of an accessible community on behalf of all Barrie’s citizens, and to represent and provide advice on seniors’ perspectives on municipal matters.
The Youth Council's mandate is to provide advice and recommendations to Council about social, environmental, and municipal issues that interest and/or affect youth in the City of Barrie.
The City 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.
The Allandale 55+ Centre and Parkview Centre for 55+ offer recreation, education and fitness opportunities along with events and workshops for individuals 55 years of age and better.
Opioid Crisis
Since early 2017, a crisis related to opioid overdoses has been sweeping across Canada.
The Simcoe Muskoka Opioid Strategy (SMOS) is a large partnership of agencies, organizations and individuals that is working together to address the crisis of opioid use and overdose in our region. See highlights of actions being taken to address opioids in our communities.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit provides advice for talking to kids about opioids.
Needle Exchange Supplies
Needle exchange supplies are provided free of charge and no identifying information is requested. Equipment can be found at all Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit locations and many of our community partner agencies.
How to Get Help
The Royal Victoria Hospital has a Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) Clinic. The RAAM Clinic is for individuals 16 years of age and up whom are struggling with substance use concerns; or for family members seeking personal support around a loved one's addiction. Referrals will also be accepted but not needed. The clinic will allow individuals to be seen by a member of the inter-professional team, as well as the physician or nurse practitioner, to help respond to the individual's treatment needs. Service is short term and appropriate referrals are made for continued client care. The clinic serves all of North Simcoe Muskoka but main offices are currently in Barrie, Orillia and Midland. For enquiries please contact: 705-797-3095.
Safer Substance Use
Safer substance use recognizes that quitting the use of substances may not be realistic for everyone. As a result it means providing people who use drugs with the information and resources they need to prevent overdose and other harms. To learn more, check out the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit website.
The City of Barrie has installed several naloxone kits at facilities that also have publicly accessible Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and meet the storage requirements. The locations include:
- City Hall
- East Bayfield Community Centre
- Centennial Beach (Lifeguard Hut)
- Eastview Arena
- Johnson's Beach (Lifeguard Office)
- Peggy Hill Team Community Centre
- Barrie Public Library branches (downtown & Painswick)
- Sadlon Arena
- Parkview Centre
- Five Points Theatre
- General John Hayter Southshore Community Centre
- Barrie Transit Terminal, 24 Maple Avenue
- MacLaren Art Centre
- Dorian Parker Centre
- Allandale Recreation Centre
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit provides additional information on Naloxone kits.