Central Ontario is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario that lies between Georgian Bay and the eastern end of Lake Ontario .
87-615: Barrie is a city in Central Ontario , Canada, about 90 kilometres (56 mi) north of Toronto . The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay . Although it is physically in the county, Barrie is politically independent. The city is part of the extended urban area in southern Ontario known as the Greater Golden Horseshoe . As of the 2021 census , the city's population
174-612: A bedroom community for the City of Toronto , which is approximately 90 km (56 mi) south of Barrie. In recent decades however Barrie's economy has diversified, and the local population's reliance on commuting to Toronto has decreased. The city's economy is rooted in retail , education , healthcare , services, manufacturing and technology . Major employers in the city include the Simcoe County District School Board with 6,000 employees along with
261-747: A bank. By 1869, Barrie became the county seat of Simcoe County, flourishing with a population of over 3,000 people. With this population increase came the establishment of prominent businesses and landmarks. In 1850, Edward Marks had established the Barrie Hotel (now called the Queen's Hotel), the oldest continuously running hotel in Barrie, James and Joseph Anderton established the Anderton Brewery in 1869, which would go on to be one of Barrie's largest employers for years, and Edmund Lally opened one of
348-675: A branch line to Collingwood, splitting off the mainline some distance west of Newmarket , and added optional plans for an extension north from Barrie to Midland . Bonuses from Simcoe County totalling $ 300,000 were given to the H&;NW, along with about $ 150,000 from towns along the route, some indication of the area's upset with the Northern. The line reached Barrie in 1877 and Collingwood in mid-1879. The H&NW never completed their northern expansion to Midland. The Northern went ahead with one portion of their own expansion plans, dropping plans for
435-547: A few of the disciplines of the talents on display. Barrie is home to Kempenfest ; one of the largest outdoor arts and crafts celebrations in Ontario. This festival occurs annually over the August long weekend and features over 300 artisans, an antique show, food demonstrations, children's activities and live entertainment, including an indie-music stage. Since 2021, Barrie has held Open Air Dunlop, in which Dunlop Street downtown
522-413: A high tornado prevalence and was the site of the infamous Barrie Tornado in 1985. 44°N 79°W / 44°N 79°W / 44; -79 Northern Railway of Canada The Northern Railway of Canada was a railway in the province of Ontario , Canada. It was the first steam railway to enter service in what was then known as Upper Canada . It was eventually acquired by
609-514: A large card reading "Last Train". The crews moved the rails as soon as the train passed them, having already half driven the spikes. The cost of construction, general financial difficulties of the era, and the enormous cost of an expansion to North Bay led the Northern and H&NW to organize a new joint management agreement, forming the Northern and North Western Railway in June 1879. This provided
696-488: A line from Toronto to the upper Great Lakes has been recorded to as early as 1834, but no serious effort was taken until 1848 when Frederick Chase Capreol announced he was going to build a line to the Collingwood area under the name Toronto, Simcoe and Huron Railroad Union Company . He suggested a novel method to raise the funds for construction, using a $ 2 million lottery. The proposition was considered so scandalous it
783-595: A line through their burgeoning agricultural areas. Cumberland refused, stating that traffic would be too low. This left an opening for the formation of the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway (TG&B), which began construction toward Owen Sound in the spring of 1869. Faced with their first real competition, the Northern chartered their own North Grey Railway on 15 February 1871, with plans to extend out of Collingwood to Meaford and authority to continue to Owen Sound. Construction between Collingwood and Meaford took place over
870-462: A number of factors, abundance of outdoor recreation, baby-boom retiree population, increased local services and improved wireless communication. The Trent-Severn Waterway , constructed over many years in the mid-19th century, spans Central Ontario via a series of boat locks , connecting Georgian Bay with Lake Ontario , entering the bay at Port Severn and Lake Ontario at the Trent River on
957-471: A number of groups in Simcoe County , especially those in Barrie who continually pushed for an expansion of the line into the downtown area. This was eventually solved through the late 1869 formation of the Toronto, Simcoe and Muskoka Junction Railway , or Muskoka Branch , which branched off at the Allendale station and ran north-east to Orillia and then on to Lake Muskoka outside Gravenhurst . The line
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#17327689794181044-659: A number of performing and fine art venues. There are a number of live performance companies including Theatre by the Bay, Talk Is Free Theatre and the Huronia Symphony. Grove Park Home is the practice hall for On-Stage Performance Group which performs in Cookstown . The Strolling Youth Players and the Kempenfelt Community Players also all perform in Barrie. In addition, an annual live concert series
1131-618: A rezoning of the Park Place lands that was initially denied by the City of Barrie. Construction resumed in 2010. An explosion in the Royal Thai restaurant, housed in the landmark Wellington Hotel at the "Five Points" intersection in downtown Barrie, occurred at 11:20pm on December 6, 2007. The fire quickly spread to several neighbouring buildings and firefighters battled the blaze well into the following morning, requiring assistance from other Simcoe County fire services. Officials estimated
1218-456: A series of raging fires that sequentially destroyed multiple landmarks, giving rise to the moniker that Barrie was "among the best burning towns in Canada." Many local businesses like breweries, tanneries and sawmills depended on fire to operate, endangering the ramshackle assortment of wooden homes and buildings that made up the city centre. One of the most destructive fires came in mid-1875 when
1305-602: A tornado struck neighbourhoods in south Barrie, leaving several people injured and causing serious damage to property. Environment Canada categorized it as an EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale . Barrie is located in the central portion of southern Ontario, approximately 90 km (56 mi) north of Toronto within the Greater Golden Horseshoe subregion. It is accessible via Highways 26 , 400 and 11 and has convenient access to Highway 401 ,
1392-491: Is a humid continental climate with large seasonal variation moderated somewhat by the Great Lakes . Summers are warm and humid (sometimes hot) but are shorter than further south with generally cooler nights. Winters are cold with significant snowfalls; some snowbelt areas receive an average of over 300 cm (120 in.) per year. Severe summer storms are also commonplace, particularly in Simcoe County which for Ontario has
1479-468: Is also a wet month, receiving 88.9 millimetres (4 in) of precipitation in the form of both rain and snow. October remains relatively dry in comparison to the months preceding and succeeding it. Despite this however, October has the most precipitation days and rainy days out of every month with 15.6 and 15.5 respectively. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Barrie was −38.9 °C (−38 °F) on January 8, 1886. The hottest temperature ever recorded
1566-497: Is also the main venue for Theatre by the Bay and the Talk Is Free Theatre Companies. The venue features a flexible stage area with lighting and sound for professional theatre, music, dance, and other presentations, an automated riser/seating system with capacity for 120-200 seats and a sprung performance floor. The Georgian Theatre is a professional performing arts facility located in Barrie's north end on
1653-466: Is becoming well known for its fashion boutiques, local art, live theatre, indie-music and nightlife scenes. In addition, downtown Barrie is home to several annual festivals and events such as The Barrie Waterfront Festival, Barrielicious, Winterfest, Celebrate Barrie, Ecofest, Jazz & Blues Festival, Promenade Days, Ribfest and Craft Beer Show, Caribfest, Lawnchair Luminata, Kempenfest , The New Music Festival, Barrie Film Festival , Santa Claus Parade and
1740-484: Is commemorated by a plaque installed in 1953 at Union Station in Toronto . The Toronto and other locomotives were scrapped after Canadian railways converted from the 5'6" track gauge to the 4'8 1 ⁄ 2 " American standard gauge starting in the 1870s. The railway earned revenues from passenger, freight, postal, and sundry other sources. The total earnings for 1 January to 7 July 1860 were $ 166,108.64, and for 1 January to 6 July 1861 were $ 210,177.46. In 2010,
1827-523: Is covered by farms, lakes (with freshwater beaches), rivers or sparsely populated forested land on the southern edge of the Canadian Shield . Central Ontario is located within the primary region of Southern Ontario , which places it geographically in the south-central part of the province. Although most of the census divisions (which in Ontario take the form of counties, regional and district municipalities, territorial districts, and some cities) in
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#17327689794181914-790: Is hosted by Georgian College. There are two main performing arts venues in the city: the Five Points Theatre, and the Georgian Theatre. Originally, the Five Points Theatre was known as The Mady Centre For The Performing Arts, but it was renamed in January 2018. It is located in Barrie's downtown at the Five Points intersection and was completed in 2011. This modern facility is home to many professional and amateur cultural productions, film screenings , theatrical plays , concerts, dance recitals and other performances. It
2001-485: Is temporarily pedestrianized to attract visitors to the downtown area. Some of the main arts and culture groups in the city include: Central Ontario The population of the region was 1,123,307 in 2016; however, this number does not include large numbers of seasonal cottage country residents, which at peak times of the year swell its population to well in excess of 1.5 million. Although it contains many small and medium-sized urban centres, much of Central Ontario
2088-482: The 42nd Governor General of Canada (1847–1854); she had also lifted a ceremonial silver spade for the sod-turning ceremony of the construction of the railway at Front Street and Simcoe Street on 15 October 1851. Because of the high customs duties and shipping costs for the locomotive, executives of the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Union Railroad decided that subsequent locomotives would be built in Ontario. The James Good foundry Toronto Locomotive Works , located at
2175-610: The Barrie line . The Muskoka Junction has been combined with the Ontario Northland Railway to form CNR's mainline in the area north of Orillia . Section west of Collingwood now form the Georgian Trail. The Meaford station was dismantled after 1960 and two stations along this section of the line remain: Several sections of the line have been turned over to rail trail use. The section of the mainline from
2262-685: The Bay of Quinte at Trenton (access to Lake Ontario also can be had by using the Murray Canal ). Bypassing many rapids, this waterway is used by pleasure boaters and anglers during the summer months. Along the northern edge of Central Ontario, are some of the highest elevations in Southern Ontario . These highlands are known as the Opeongo Hills , and they stretch into portions of Eastern Ontario as well. The climate of this area
2349-533: The Grand Trunk Railway , and is therefore a predecessor to the modern Canadian National Railway (CNR). Several sections of the line are still used by CNR and GO Transit . First known as the Toronto, Simcoe and Huron Railway , and then the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway , the aim was to provide a portage route from the upper Great Lakes at Collingwood to Toronto . The plan for the railway
2436-470: The Highway 407 Express Toll Route and to neighbouring Toronto. Toronto Pearson International Airport is less than a one-hour drive from Barrie via Highway 400. Barrie's historic downtown area is situated in a distinct curved or wrapped valley, surrounding the western edge of Kempenfelt Bay. Terrain is generally flat near the city's centre. Moving up the valley slopes toward the city's north and south ends,
2523-592: The Muskoka Branch ran northeast to Gravenhurst . This last expansion would be the starting point for the Northern and Pacific Junction Railway , connecting to the Canadian Pacific Railway mainline outside of North Bay . In 1887, the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) gained a controlling interest, and the takeover was formalized in January 1888. The line primarily served the port towns on Georgian Bay , where it faced increasing competition over
2610-544: The Northern Railway Company of Canada in August 1858. Cumberland focused on profitability, cutting any train that didn't pay for itself, strongly resisting any expansion plans, and selling off their small fleet of ships operating on the Great Lakes. This resistance to expansion would ultimately backfire; in 1864 the company was approached by businessmen from Grey and Bruce counties about building
2697-700: The Nottawasaga River which flows into Georgian Bay off Lake Huron . Barrie played an integral role in the War of 1812 . During the war, the city became a supply depot for British forces and, in addition, the Nine Mile Portage was adopted by the British military as a key piece of their supply line which provided a strategic path for communication, personnel and vital supplies and equipment to and from Fort Willow and Georgian Bay/Lake Huron. Today,
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2784-428: The Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Union Railroad in 1850. Capreol was fired as manager two days before the official sod turning, which was carried out on 15 October 1851 by Lady Elgin . The occasion was marked with a parade, to which an estimated 20,000 people attended of a total population of the city of only 31,000. Sandford Fleming took the sod and preserved it for history. A party later that night at St. Lawrence Hall
2871-592: The Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board with 3,400 employees, Georgian College with 2,500 employees and the Royal Victoria Hospital with 2,465 employees. Barrie has emerged as a growing tech-hub with several companies such as IBM and BMO constructing data centres in the city. Although not as prominent as cities like Markham or Waterloo in the tech industry, Barrie is considered one of
2958-567: The census metropolitan area (CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Barrie CMA had a population of 212,856 living in 78,540 of its 82,649 total private dwellings, a change of 8% from its 2016 population of 197,059 . With a land area of 897.26 km (346.43 sq mi), it had a population density of 237.2/km (614.4/sq mi) in 2021. As of the 2021 census Barrie was approximately 77.9% white, 17.1% visible minorities and 5.0% Indigenous . The largest visible minority groups in
3045-468: The "Art City" project, which has had many different large sculptures installed around the city. These can be found in parks and along the waterfront. Barrie is also home to many independent galleries and studios. A concentration of independent galleries, studios and boutiques is located in Lakeshore Mews. This area is located behind the downtown's Dunlop Street. Lakeshore Mews artists also organize
3132-497: The 10th Sideroad. The annexation allows Barrie to meet its future population needs without having to extend into the countryside north, east and west of the city. Intensification and infilling are simultaneously being undertaken in and near the downtown core to foster a more active urban environment within the city. Barrie has a humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification Dfb ), with warm, humid summers, and cold, snowy winters. Winters are cold with frequent snowfall,
3219-612: The Canadian Bank of Commerce's original branches in Barrie in 1867. A line of the Northern Railway was opened in 1853, connecting Barrie with Toronto and several other municipalities in Simcoe County and Muskoka . The Hamilton and North-Western Railway (H&NW) also ran through Barrie, and the two railways would eventually reorganize into the Northern and North Western Railway in June 1879. Allandale Station
3306-458: The January average high temperature being −3.2 °C (26 °F), with a mean temperature of −7.8 °C (18 °F). Barrie is located in a snowbelt, a region that experiences regular lake-effect snow every year. Snow squalls are a common occurrence between November and January when the water temperature is often higher than the cold air passing over Lake Huron and Georgian Bay . The city averages 286 centimetres (113 in) of snow annually,
3393-596: The Mattawa River. However like Muskoka and Parry Sound, all of Nipissing is treated administratively as part of Northern Ontario. Grey and Bruce counties may on occasion be included with Central Ontario as they are near or north of 44 degrees latitude, but are far more often treated as part of Southwestern Ontario . They are also part of the Georgian Triangle area, which includes parts of both Central and Southwestern Ontario. Further east at about
3480-612: The New Year's Countdown. In the summer months, the city has several beaches including Minet's Point Beach, Johnsons Beach, The Gables, Tyndale Beach, and Centennial Beach. Boating is also popular in Kempenfelt Bay and Lake Simcoe as it connects to the Trent Severn Waterway . In 2011, Barrie's waterfront was under redevelopment, with the relocation of several roadways to provide more greenspace and parkland along
3567-705: The Nine Mile Portage is marked by signs along roads in Barrie and in Springwater Township . The scenic path from Memorial Square to Fort Willow is accessible to visitors year-round. In 1815, Treaty 16 was signed, which transferred 250,000 acres of land from the Chippewa people to the colonial government. In 1818, Treaty 18 was signed, which resulted in the surrender of an additional 1,592,000 acres of land. The British supply depot would continue to prove useful for portaging Europeans and settlers making their way to northern and western Upper Canada . The city
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3654-572: The Sevigny Carriage Shop and the Anderton Brewery in 1916. During the First World War , residents of Barrie helped to construct Canadian Forces Base Borden (CFB Borden) as a means of additional support and to serve as a major training centre of Canadian Expeditionary Force battalions. The base would open on July 11, 1916, and since then has become the largest Canadian Forces Base in Canada, playing an important role through
3741-608: The annual "Arts ce Soir"; an all-night contemporary art event in celebration of visual, musical, theatrical and literary art. In addition, a studio tour in the Barrie/Orillia area takes place on the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend every year. It is called the Images Studio Tour and has over 25 artists on average. Potters , jewellers , painters , textile artists and fashion designers make up
3828-502: The best high-tech centres in the country for small markets. Tourism plays an important role in the local economy. Barrie's historic downtown and waterfront are at the heart of its tourism industry. Downtown Barrie has a number of older buildings that have been kept up over the years or given new facades that exemplify their historical importance. Several specialty shops, boutiques, pubs and restaurants are located throughout downtown Barrie, including along Dunlop Street East. Downtown Barrie
3915-483: The brunt of which coming from lake-effect snow events. Alberta clippers and Colorado lows also generate ample snowfall in the region. Snow cover begins to build by the end of November, accumulating through December, and then lies through the end of February. March sees the spring thaw commence, with the snow cover being essentially gone by the beginning of April. Temperatures commonly drop to −20.0 °C (−4 °F) and occasionally drop to −30.0 °C (−22 °F) on
4002-416: The campus of Georgian College. The theatre features a proscenium stage, sound, lights, fly gallery and seating for 427 on the main level, with three pods that can be used to increase the seating capacity to 690. The Theatre is used both for theatrical and non-theatrical activity, including conferences and seminars. The prominent MacLaren Art Centre is located in Barrie. This is an art gallery that inspired
4089-473: The city had a population of 38,423; in 2006, Barrie had 128,430 residents living within city limits. The first larger scale developments would begin during this time, including high-density waterfront condos and the new Barrie City Hall which started construction in October 1985. On May 31, 1985, Barrie was struck by a devastating F4 tornado that killed eight people. Over 600 homes were damaged or destroyed by
4176-590: The city however the deadly F4 rated Tornado did strike Barrie. In July 2021, an EF2 Tornado also hit the city. Barrie's average frost-free period is from May 26 to September 16, allowing a growing season of 113 days. Precipitation falls year round but is typically heaviest in the summer months due to thunderstorm activity. The driest months are February through April, receiving around 60.0 millimetres (2 in) of precipitation each month per annum. The wettest months are August and September, seeing upwards of 90.0 millimetres (4 in) of precipitation each month. November
4263-711: The city were South Asian (4.4%), Black (3.9%), Latin American (2%), Chinese (1.6%) and Filipino (1.4%). The city's French-speaking population was notable, with 9,710 people (6.6% of the total population) capable of speaking French. However, a majority of the population (84.4%) spoke mostly English at home. According to the 2021 Census, Barrie was 52.5% Christian, down from 66.3% in 2011. 23.6% of Barrie residents were Catholic , 15.9% were Protestants , 8.2% were Christians of unspecified denomination, and 1.5% were Christian Orthodox . Adherents to other denominations of Christianity and Christian-related traditions accounted for 3.4% of
4350-648: The city's diversified economy include education, healthcare, information technology and manufacturing. Barrie is situated on the traditional land of the Wendat and Anishinaabeg peoples. At its inception, Barrie was an establishment of houses and warehouses at the foot of the Nine Mile Portage from Kempenfelt Bay to Fort Willow , an indigenous transportation route that existed centuries before Europeans arrived in Simcoe County . The portage linked Kempenfelt Bay through Willow Creek, connecting Lake Simcoe to
4437-400: The city's population is expected to exceed 200,000 people. To plan for the continued growth of the city, Barrie successfully annexed 2,293 hectares (22.93 km) of land from the neighbouring Town of Innisfil to the south and southeast on January 1, 2010. The annexation comprised lands south beyond McKay Road and west of the 10th Sideroad, and as far south as Lockhart Road on the east side of
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#17327689794184524-505: The coldest nights of the year. Summers in Barrie are warm with sometimes short stretches of hot, humid conditions. The average temperature in July is 20.1 °C (68 °F).Thunderstorms are very common in the summer months in Barrie due to the city being in a Great Lakes breeze convergence zone . Also a result, there storms are occasionally severe, bringing with them torrential rain, very strong winds and hail. Tornadoes are generally rare in
4611-607: The corner of Queen and Yonge Street , would manufacture nine locomotives for the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron railway at an average cost of $ 5000. The first of these was named Toronto , built in its namesake city and the first locomotive built in Canada or in any colony of the British Empire. Commissioned in February 1853, its construction was completed by 16 April. Over five days, it was rolled along temporary wooden rails on Queen Street and York Street, and on 26 April it
4698-568: The damages to be in the millions. The 100-year-old Wellington Hotel building collapsed later in the morning. On February 17, 2008, two people were charged in connection with the fire after the Ontario Fire Marshal's office concluded the explosion and subsequent fire were the result of arson. In 2013, Barrie was twinned with the English town of Harrogate as a result of Sir Robert Barrie's close connection to it. On July 15, 2021,
4785-401: The development (and name) of nearby Shanty Bay . In 1846, the population of Barrie was roughly 500, mostly from England, Ireland and Scotland. A private school, three churches, a brick courthouse and a limestone jail, (built in 1842), were in operation. Local businesses included three taverns , six stores, three tanneries , a wagon maker, a bakery, a cabinet maker and six shoemakers, as well as
4872-423: The entire section north of Dunlop Street to Collier Street, bounded by Clapperton and Owen Streets, was reduced to ash, destroying around 20 local businesses. In the next century, the modern streets and buildings of Barrie began to take form in a massive rebuilding process. Other landmarks to eventually burn down over the years include the Queen's Hotel (1915) and two of Barrie's largest and most prominent companies;
4959-530: The flat terrain between the Niagara Escarpment and the southern shore of Georgian Bay, and the line was completed on 1 April 1872. However, the expansion to Owen Sound was never completed; a combination of much more difficult terrain west of Meaford, the impending arrival of the TG&;B, and demand for other expansions that were considered more important. The company had continually been at odds with
5046-478: The funding and income needed to begin construction of the Northern and Pacific Junction Railway , which ran between Gravenhurst and Nipissing . This reached the Canadian Pacific Railway transcontinental lines at North Bay in 1886. The Northern Railway was purchased by Grand Trunk Railway in 1888, and through its amalgamation, became part of the Canadian National Railway. CNR operated
5133-402: The lakeshore. There are a number of winter recreation activities and facilities in the surrounding area, including skiing, snow tubing and snowboarding resorts, snowmobile, snowshoe and Nordic skiing trails, and ice fishing. Recreational activities include skiing at nearby Horseshoe Resort , Snow Valley , Mount St. Louis Moonstone , Blue Mountain and Hardwood Ski and Bike . Barrie is home to
5220-496: The line from King City and instead splitting off west of Barrie to run north to Penetanguishene as the North Simcoe Railway. Construction began in January 1878. In 1881, the entire line was regauged in sections. The entire mainline to Gravenhurst was converted to standard gauge in a single day on 9 July 1881. Work gangs were located all along the line waiting for the 7:45 AM mail train leaving Toronto, which carried
5307-405: The line reached Allandale in Barrie later in 1853, and Collingwood in 1855. Early traffic was dominated by agricultural products, earning it the nickname "Oats, Straw, and Hay". In spite of reasonable volumes of traffic the line was never very profitable, and by 1858 the company was in financial difficulty. Frederick William Cumberland agreed to take control of the railway, after reorganizing as
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#17327689794185394-542: The mainline as the CN Newmarket Subdivision, selling off the branches to the west, and pulling up the section between Barrie and Orillia. It is now the Barrie line after its purchase by Metrolinx . The first locomotive of the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Union Railroad was named Lady Elgin and built in Portland , Maine . It was named for Mary Lambton, second wife of James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin ,
5481-476: The northern part of Central Ontario, a recreational area with a much-increased summer-time population, including the wilderness of Algonquin Provincial Park . Often referred to as 'Cottage Country', this area's lakes and rivers are dotted with numerous cottages, some of them seasonal, but in recent years there is a growing trend for some of these 'summer cottages' to be used as year-round residences due to
5568-427: The plane and destroying the tower and antenna. The station's 225-foot (69 m) auxiliary tower was also destroyed with damage to the main studio building. CKVR returned to the air on September 19 at a reduced power of 40,000 watts until a new 1,000-foot (305 m) tower was built in 1978. The 1980s and 1990s was a period of substantial growth for Barrie, with the population tripling in the span of 25 years. In 1981,
5655-418: The population. 40.8% of Barrie residents were nonreligious/secular, up from 31.0% in 2011. All other religions and spiritual traditions combined make up 6.7% of residents. The largest non-Christian religions in Barrie are Islam (2.5%), Hinduism (1.5%), and Sikhism (0.8%). The following are some of the city's major employers: Notwithstanding these major employers, Barrie has increasingly been perceived as
5742-540: The primary region of Northern Ontario by federal economic development programs because of these districts' special economic circumstances. Parry Sound, but not Muskoka, is also classed administratively with an extended primary Northern Ontario region by the provincial government for reasons similar to those at the federal level. The southern part of the territorial or judicial district of Nipissing lies in Central Ontario which extends geographically as far north as
5829-421: The province of Ontario. As one of the fastest growing cities in Canada, this designation aims to mitigate urban sprawl and concentrate higher-density development in areas specified by the City of Barrie. Its population growth can be attributed to the emergence of the city as a bedroom community for Toronto. In 1991, Barrie had a population of 62,728 and by 2017, Barrie had an estimated population of 147,000. By 2031,
5916-539: The remainder of the war by training some 350,000 troops for deployment in Europe. During World War II, the Royal Canadian Navy named a Flower-class corvette HMCS Barrie . On September 7, 1977, a private aircraft, owned by Falconbridge Nickel Mines Ltd, dropped altitude to 500 feet (152 m) in dense fog and struck CKVR's 1,000-foot (305 m) transmitter tower, killing all five people aboard
6003-401: The same latitude, Simcoe , Peterborough , and Northumberland counties and the City of Kawartha Lakes also have a southward orientation as part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe region centered around the west end of Lake Ontario . Even further east, Hastings County and Prince Edward County may be considered part of Central Ontario by different sources but are more often included with
6090-414: The secondary region of Eastern Ontario , mostly because they share the same telephone area codes ( 613 and 343 ), have better transportation links to this region, and are part of the coverage area of Kingston-area media. This leaves Haliburton County as the only census division in Central Ontario that has no affiliations with any other secondary provincial regions of Ontario. The Canadian Shield runs over
6177-399: The south-central tier of the province are commonly grouped as a distinct secondary provincial region, nearly all of them have affiliations or orientations towards other primary or secondary provincial regions to the north, south, and east. The Parry Sound territorial or judicial district and Muskoka district municipality are geographically within Central Ontario but are administered as part of
6264-470: The suggestion for a South Simcoe Junction Railway , splitting off the existing line at King City or Bolton , and then meeting the Northern again west of Barrie and continuing on to Penetanguishene as the North Simcoe Railway . Comparing the two, business interests in Simcoe County and towns along the route demanded additional work from both companies. The H&NW finally agreed to run
6351-571: The terrain can be rather steep in some areas. The minimum elevation of Barrie is 175 metres (574 ft) around the shores of Kempenfelt Bay and the maximum elevation is 427 metres (1,401 ft) northwest of the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport . Barrie falls into Plant Hardiness Zone 5b. The city does not have any major rivers within its limits but does have numerous creeks and streams, most of which empty into Kempenfelt Bay. Barrie has been designated an Urban Growth Centre by
6438-520: The time, it was the largest marijuana grow-op bust in Canada's history. Barrie's Park Place (formerly Molson Park) was chosen to host Live 8 Canada on July 2, 2005. The overall success of the concert helped support a plan to convert the former Molson Park lands into a commercial district. Construction of Park Place began in 2008 but was temporarily interrupted by the Great Recession and an Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) appeal that proposed
6525-565: The tornado, and of those roughly one-third were rendered uninhabitable. About 155 people were also injured during the storm, and the tornado remains today one of the most destructive and violent in Canadian history. The tornado caused $ 150 million (1985 CAD ), equivalent to $ 326 million CAD as of 2022. Between June 12–13, 1987, a sculpture called Spirit Catcher by Ron Baird was moved to Barrie from Vancouver , British Columbia , where it had been exhibited as part of Expo '86 . The sculpture
6612-468: The western side of Collingwood to Meaford is now the high-quality 34 kilometres (21 miles) Georgian Trail , which is being expanded towards Owen Sound as the Tom Thompson Trail . Sections from Collingwood to Stayner have a trail running beside them. The North Simcoe Railway now forms the 22.5 kilometres (14.0 mi) Tiny Beaches Trail with sections south of this also in use. Talk about
6699-483: The years. A combination of factors, including the Great Depression and the opening of a wider Welland Canal led to decreased use of the ports, and traffic fell. The closure of Collingwood Shipbuilding in 1986 led to the abandonment of the sections in Collingwood and to the west. The line is intact from Barrie all the way to Union Station , with the section between Toronto and Barrie used by GO Transit as
6786-519: Was 147,829, while the census metropolitan area had a population of 212,667 residents. The area was first settled during the War of 1812 as a supply depot for British forces, and Barrie was named after Sir Robert Barrie . The city has grown significantly in recent decades due to the emergence of the technology industry. It is connected to the Greater Golden Horseshoe by Ontario Highway 400 and GO Transit . Significant sectors of
6873-409: Was 38.9 °C (102 °F) on July 5, 1911. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Barrie had a population of 147,829 living in 55,316 of its 57,276 total private dwellings, a change of 4.5% from its 2016 population of 141,434 . With a land area of 99.01 km (38.23 sq mi), it had a population density of 1,493.1/km (3,867.0/sq mi) in 2021. At
6960-480: Was capped by a performance by Jenny Lind organized by P.T. Barnum . In February 1853, the railway commissioned the construction of the first locomotive built in any British colony. Early construction required the line to pass over the Oak Ridges Moraine , and it was not until 16 May 1853 that the first train reached Machell's Corners, today's Aurora, Ontario . Work north of there was much more rapid;
7047-497: Was largely executed by Frederick Chase Capreol who was fired as manager of the company the day before the ground broke. Financial difficulties and a government bailout led to a reorganization of the company as the Northern Railway of Canada in 1859. The line saw three major expansions; North Grey Railway extended the original mainline to Meaford , the North Simcoe Railway ran to the port town of Penetanguishene , and
7134-464: Was lifted onto the new OSH railway tracks on Front Street. Torontonians would monitor the locomotive's progress from the foundry to the Front Street tracks, and the event was the subject of a later artistic rendering. Its first duty was three weeks later, transporting passengers and freight between the city of Toronto and the community of Machell's Corner, now known as Aurora . This first duty
7221-473: Was named in 1833 after Sir Robert Barrie , who was in charge of the naval forces in Canada and frequently commanded forces through the city and along the Nine Mile Portage. Barrie was also the final destination for a branch of the Underground Railroad . In the mid-19th century, this network of secret routes allowed many American slaves to enter Barrie and the surrounding area. This contributed to
7308-530: Was officially absorbed into the Northern in 1875. Upset with the Northern remained, and demand for additional shipping routes on the Lakes led to intense building through the entire area. Businessmen in Hamilton took the opportunity to plan a second line to Barrie as the Hamilton and North-Western Railway (H&NW), with their proposed line passing through several towns along the way. The Northern countered with
7395-624: Was permanently erected at the foot of Maple Avenue on the shore of Kempenfelt Bay and has since become a major Barrie landmark and tourist attraction. However, with the re-development along the waterfront and Lakeshore Drive, the city is considering moving the Spirit Catcher to a gravel outcropping at the foot of Bayfield Street. On January 12, 2004, the former Molsons plant was found to be home to an illegal marijuana grow-op housing an estimated 30,000 marijuana plants with an estimated street value of $ 30 million (~$ 46.4 million in 2023); at
7482-484: Was put to a referendum and defeated. With the passage of the Railway Guarantee Act in 1849, Capreol joined forces with Charles Albert Berczy and chartered the company in July 1849, now having to raise conventional bonds for the first 75 miles (121 km), from which point government funding would be available. Continued difficulties delayed construction, during which time the company re-chartered as
7569-629: Was the primary train station serving Barrie at the time. The Grand Trunk Railway purchased the original Northern Railway in 1888, and the line serving Barrie would become a branch of the Canadian National Railway (CNR). Throughout the latter of the 19th century, steamships ran from Barrie to the Muskoka Territory , Orillia and other communities and stages were taking passengers to Penetanguishene . The period of 1870 to 1890 defined Barrie's downtown development with
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