(Barrie, ON) – The winners of the 7th annual Mayor’s Innovation Awards were announced last evening at an awards ceremony at the Five Points Theatre in Barrie. The Mayor’s Innovation Awards recognize the most innovative solutions from Barrie businesses, individuals, and community groups.
“Innovation, collaboration, and new ideas are the driving forces behind Barrie’s future growth. I’ve been inspired by the bold ideas and creative solutions that businesses, individuals, and community groups have brought to life,” said Mayor Alex Nuttall. “The 2025 nominees, runners-up, and winners showcase the ingenuity that propel our City forward. Congratulations to all, and thank you for your contributions to Barrie’s success.”
The City received over 80 nominations, which were evaluated by 18 judges from various industries and business backgrounds on criteria like creativity, innovation, and the nominee’s wider contributions to Barrie’s evolution.
The winners and runners-up of the 2025 Mayor’s Innovation Awards, by category, are:
Pivot Point
- Winner: Canadoor Garage Doors
- Runners Up: Canadian Musicians Co-operative; Bektra Corp; Crave Arts Academy
Creative Collaboration
- Winner: New Roots New Routes program, development by the Sandbox Centre and the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre
- Runners-up: Barns2Beaches Music Tour; Botree Inc.’s Level-UpTM Growth Hub and The Vanguard Network
Research & Innovation Contribution
- Winner: SEAN.CA
- Runners-up: Trainers Choice; The Dirty Seahorse
Youth Innovator
- Winner: Omid Latifi, Latifi Digital Strategies
- Runners-up: Zoe Bystrov, Youth for Lake Simcoe; Jasmine Kaur, Subal
Shift Disturber
- Winner: Ryan Joyner, Victory Ridge Sports Distribution Inc.
- Runners-up: Shakir Barmare, Barrie Indian Association, Beyond Giving Inc., and Rejoice Photo;
LifeVac Canada Inc.
Municipal Innovation
- Winner: Biosolids pilot project – led by Infrastructure
- Runners-up: AI chatbot on barrie.ca – led by IT, Communications, Service Barrie;
Barcode scanner project - led by Finance, Infrastructure, Barrie Police
The Mayor’s Innovation Awards are sponsored by Adams Hamilton, Ain Whithead LLP, Marquee Benefits Inc., Innovative Automation, reIGNITE Conference, and the Sandbox Centre.
Learn more about the awards at investbarrie.ca/InnovationAwardsand watch the winners’ videos on the City’s YouTube channel.
