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87-679: The Bruce Peninsula is often considered separate from the Ontario Peninsula due to its colder boreal climate and marine culture. The corner of the peninsula that lies on Lake Ontario is known as the Golden Horseshoe and forms Canada's largest population centre. Other large cities include London and Windsor . Like other parts of southern Canada, the Ontario Peninsula enjoys warm or hot summers often passing 30°C and rarely 40°C during extreme heatwaves. During

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

261-530: A provincial fair , the Exhibition Place hosts the annual Canadian National Exhibition , while the nearby Ontario Place is being redeveloped. The Golden Horseshoe is home to many amateur and professional sports clubs, and university and college varsity programs. Many professional sports clubs in the city form a part of a larger sports league . Most university varsity programs are regulated by U Sports , while college varsity programs are regulated by

348-748: 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

435-844: A blue-collar city; however, waterfront redevelopments and large-scale gentrification have been rapidly changing the perception of the city, although it retains a dominant industrial base. Hamilton has over 100 waterfalls and cascades throughout the region. Seasonal amusement parks in the Golden Horseshoe include Canada's Wonderland , run by Six Flags in Vaughan; Wet'n'Wild Toronto (formerly Wild Water Kingdom) in Brampton ; African Lion Safari in Hamilton and Cambridge ; and Marineland in Niagara Falls. Though technically

522-547: 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

609-660: 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

696-621: A plurality of the population (49.0%); the next largest groups were those of South Asian descent (1,273,525 people or 16.6%) and those of East Asian heritage (813,015 people or 10.6%) The economy of this region is very diverse. As of 2007 , the Toronto Stock Exchange is the third-largest in North America by market capitalization (after the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq ), and seventh-largest in

783-618: 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

870-457: 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

957-604: 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 ,

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1044-601: Is Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Cheektowaga, New York , in the United States. Buffalo Niagara carries the second-largest passenger volume in the region, serving over 5 million passengers in 2018. It is frequently used by Canadian passengers flying to US destinations. Barrie Barrie is a city in Central Ontario , Canada, about 90 kilometres (56 mi) north of Toronto . The city

1131-469: 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

1218-497: 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

1305-660: Is an environmentally degraded area along the Niagara Escarpment. Similar protection of some wooded areas exists on the Oak Ridges Moraine running east–west in the north end of the Greater Toronto Area, although development pressures continue to threaten the natural habitat. The Niagara Region has become one of the major wine -production areas in Canada. The Golden Horseshoe contains many small towns with historic main streets, most notably

1392-627: Is another subway line under construction in Toronto. The Hurontario LRT is currently under construction in Peel Region, as well as various bus rapid transit projects in Peel and York Regions. The primary airport of the region is Toronto Pearson International Airport (officially Lester B. Pearson International Airport), located in Mississauga. Handling 50.5 million passengers in 2019, it is

1479-468: 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

1566-726: Is expected to play its home games at the Coca-Cola Coliseum starting in 2026. The Golden Horseshoe is served by a network of expressways ; central among these are the Queen Elizabeth Way and Highway 401 , the latter of which is one of the widest and busiest expressways in the world. Public transit in the region is coordinated by Metrolinx . Regional transit is provided by GO Transit trains and buses, and by intercity bus operators such as Ontario Northland and Coach Canada . GO Transit's train network encompasses seven commuter rail lines linking municipalities in

1653-864: Is home to several universities , including the University of Toronto and McMaster University in Hamilton, which are ranked 1st and 4th in Canada, respectively, by the Academic Ranking of World Universities . Other universities in the region include Brock University in St. Catharines, Trent University in Peterborough, York University in northern Toronto near Vaughan, OCAD University in downtown Toronto, Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University),

1740-790: 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

1827-599: 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

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1914-479: 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 was 147,829, while the census metropolitan area had a population of 212,667 residents. The area

2001-522: The 2017 North American Indigenous Games , and the 2018 NACAC Championships . Although much of the 1976 Summer Olympics was held in Montreal , several matches for the event's soccer tournament were played in Toronto. Toronto is among various cities in North America to host select matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup . Note that the Toronto Blue Jays temporarily played their home games in

2088-580: The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association . In addition to the number of sports clubs and programs based in the region, the Golden Horseshoe has also hosted a number of international multi-sport events , including the 1930 British Empire Games (predecessor to the Commonwealth Games ), the 1976 Summer Paralympics , the 2015 Pan American Games and Parapan American Games , the 2017 Invictus Games ,

2175-471: 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,

2262-700: The Köppen climate classification Dfb except for Essex County , Chatham-Kent, and parts of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and the Niagara Peninsula , which are within the Dfa zone. However, the entire peninsula is near the Dfa / Dfb borderline. Anishinaabe tribes, particularly the Mississaugas , are indigenous to the Ontario Peninsula. Southern Ontario was colonized by France in

2349-406: The Niagara Peninsula produce wines, in particular, the ice wine for which the region is known. As of 2014 , sectors such as information technology , health care, Agtech, tourism, research and finance provide the bulk of growth in the Golden Horseshoe. The cities of Brampton , Markham , Waterloo Region and Mississauga are emerging as hubs for technology and innovation. The region is one of

2436-489: The Niagara River  ... 150 miles [240 km] long and 50 miles [80 km] wide ... It will run from Niagara Falls on the south to about Oshawa on the north and take in numerous cities and towns already there, including Hamilton and Toronto. The speech writer who actually penned the phrase was Charles Hunter MacBain, executive assistant to five Westinghouse presidents including Rogge. The Golden Horseshoe

2523-700: 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,

2610-965: The Royal Ontario Museum , the Art Gallery of Ontario , and the Hockey Hall of Fame . The region is home to several shopping malls such as Yorkdale Shopping Centre , Toronto Eaton Centre , Fairview Mall , Scarborough Town Centre , and Sherway Gardens . Located in the suburbs of Toronto are Vaughan Mills in Vaughan , Bramalea City Centre in Brampton, Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga , and Pacific Mall and Markville Shopping Centre in Markham . Annual cultural festivals that draw tourists and locals alike include

2697-593: 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

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2784-518: The University of Guelph , the University of Waterloo , Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, and the Université de l'Ontario français in downtown Toronto. The Golden Horseshoe is also home to many colleges. Public primary and secondary schooling is typically provided by school boards , largely organized at the municipal or county/regional level. The only school board that operates throughout

2871-571: 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

2958-468: 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

3045-498: 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,

3132-578: The 1600s, but the British gained control of Ontario after the Seven Years' War . The Ontario Peninsula experienced much of the fighting during the War of 1812 , including the Americans invading it and burning York (now called Toronto ). After the war, population and trade boomed, and the Welland Canal was built. When the British divided Canada into separate provinces, Toronto became

3219-722: 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

3306-447: The Golden Horseshoe is Conseil scolaire Viamonde , a public French-language school board, and Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir , a public French-language separate school board. Both of these public French-language school boards operate across the Ontario Peninsula . The CN Tower in downtown Toronto is among the most internationally notable attractions in the Golden Horseshoe. Other major attractions in downtown Toronto include

3393-402: The Golden Horseshoe to Toronto's Union Station , which is the busiest railway station in Canada and the second-busiest railway station in North America, with 72 million passengers per year. Expansion is underway to facilitate all-day 15-minute or better commuter train service, electrification and increased ridership on five of the busiest lines. Local transit is provided by municipal agencies,

3480-479: The Great Lakes. Large rail and truck distribution facilities are located in Toronto, Vaughan and Brampton. Food processing is also a key ingredient in the economy. Niagara Falls has one of the world's largest per-capita tourist economies, benefiting from millions of tourists coming to see its waterfalls, shop in its numerous stores, and visit its many attractions. The winemaking and fruit-growing industries of

3567-508: The Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH). The provincial transit authority Metrolinx makes use of the term Greater Golden Horseshoe. The Metrolinx definition is consistent with the original 2004 Places to Grow definition. However, the city and county of Peterborough is not included. The Golden Horseshoe is among the most multicultural regions in Canada. In 2021, there were 3,762,090 people of European heritage, forming

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3654-458: 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,

3741-615: 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

3828-710: 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

3915-573: 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

4002-430: The Toronto Caribbean Carnival (formerly known as Caribana ) and Taste of the Danforth in Toronto. The Niagara Escarpment , a world biosphere reserve as designated by the United Nations, runs from the north at Bruce Peninsula and then east through the region cutting the Niagara Gorge at Niagara Falls. The Bruce Trail runs along the escarpment through mostly protected woodlands. The Cheltenham Badlands in Caledon

4089-443: The United States (more specifically Dunedin, Florida and Buffalo, New York ) due to the COVID-19 pandemic in North America in 2020 and 2021 , while the Toronto Raptors played their home games in the United States (more specifically Tampa, Florida ) during the pandemic to minimize cross-border travel. In May 2024, the WNBA announced that its 14th franchise had been awarded to Toronto-based Kilmer Sports Ventures . The team

4176-403: 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

4263-506: 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

4350-483: 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

4437-443: The busiest in Canada and the 31st busiest in the world . Other regional airports of significance include John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport located in southern Hamilton, which is a major regional freight and courier location as well as the Region of Waterloo International Airport in Kitchener; Buttonville Airport (closed since November 2023) and Billy Bishop Airport in the Greater Toronto Area . Within driving distance

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4524-416: 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

4611-402: The capital of Ontario and eventually became the main economic centre of Canada . By each definition, Toronto or its corresponding entity is the most populous not only in the Ontario Peninsula but also in Canada as a whole. 2011–2016 Golden Horseshoe The Golden Horseshoe ( French : Fer à cheval doré ) is a secondary region of Southern Ontario , Canada , which lies at

4698-419: 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

4785-591: 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

4872-656: 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

4959-403: 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

5046-454: 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

5133-408: The community of Niagara-on-the-Lake , located near the Niagara River . Niagara Falls has one of the world's largest waterfalls and attracts millions to Clifton Hill , a neighbourhood with souvenir stores, small attractions, restaurants and skyline-defining hotels. There are also two casinos: Casino Niagara and Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort . Hamilton has the historical reputation of being

5220-445: 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,

5307-402: 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

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5394-423: 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;

5481-404: 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

5568-494: The largest of which is the Toronto Transit Commission , which operates three subway lines and one former light metro line and an extensive bus and streetcar network . Rapid transit systems that operate primarily outside Toronto include the VIVA bus rapid transit in York Region, the ION light rail system in Kitchener-Waterloo , and the Mississauga transitway . Line 5 and Line 6 are under construction LRT lines in Toronto that are part of its subway system. The Ontario Line

5655-404: The largest tech cluster in North America outside of Silicon Valley . The area is home to more than 15,000 tech companies, including over 5,000 startups, and nearly 300,000 employees in high-tech industries. About two-thirds of those employees are classified as “tech workers,” which includes programmers, developers, etc. with 8 percent of the total workforce employed in tech. The Golden Horseshoe

5742-430: The northwestern shore of Lake Ontario), before finally terminating at Clarington in Durham Region . The term Greater Golden Horseshoe is used to describe a broader region that stretches inland from the core to the area of the Trent–Severn Waterway , such as Peterborough , in the northeast, to Barrie and Lake Simcoe in the north, and to the Grand River area, which includes cities such as Brantford and Guelph , to

5829-427: 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,

5916-404: The population of Canada and more than 54 percent of Ontario's population. It is part of the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor , itself part of the Great Lakes megalopolis . The core of the Golden Horseshoe starts from Niagara Falls at the eastern end of the Niagara Peninsula and extends west, wrapping around the western end of Lake Ontario at Hamilton and then turning northeast to Toronto (on

6003-418: 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

6090-421: 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,

6177-448: The region, the manufacturing sector has experienced a significant decline since 2000 as a result of unfavourable currency exchange rates, increasing energy costs, and reduced demand from the United States, which is by far the largest market for Ontario's goods. The Port of Hamilton and the Port of Toronto are the two largest inland ports on Lake Ontario . The Welland Canal system handles tanker ships and recreational traffic through

6264-818: The region. The Greater Golden Horseshoe region is officially designated in Ontario Regulation 416/05 under the Places to Grow Act . The designation Greater Golden Horseshoe has legal significance with respect to taxation: in April 2017, the Government of Ontario announced plans to impose a 15 per cent Non-Resident Speculation Tax (NRST) on non-Canadian citizens, non-permanent residents and non-Canadian corporations (with exceptions or rebates for refugees , qualifying students and certain people working in Ontario ) buying residential properties containing one to six units in

6351-539: 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

6438-436: The summer, the peninsula has normal thunderstorm activity, including severe thunderstorms that can have hail, damaging winds, and even tornadoes during peak season. It has cold winters, and snowfall can be abundant, particularly in the affected Snowbelt locations. However, there are many winter thaw periods that break the entrenched cold. The Ontario Peninsula has a humid continental climate ; specifically, most of it falls into

6525-572: 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

6612-521: 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

6699-565: 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

6786-604: The west end of Lake Ontario. The golden part is historically attributed to the region's wealth and prosperity, according to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary . The phrase Golden Horseshoe was first used by Westinghouse Electric Corporation president Herbert H. Rogge in a speech to the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce on January 12, 1954: Hamilton in 50 years will be the forward cleat in a "golden horseshoe" of industrial development from Oshawa to

6873-420: The west. The extended region's area covers approximately 33,500 km (13,000 sq mi), out of this, 7,300 km (2,800 sq mi) or approximately 22 percent of the area is covered by the environmentally protected Greenbelt . The Greater Golden Horseshoe forms the neck of the Ontario Peninsula . The horseshoe part of the region's name is derived from the characteristic horseshoe shape of

6960-403: The western end of Lake Ontario , with outer boundaries stretching south to Lake Erie and north to Lake Scugog , Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay of Lake Huron . The region is the most densely populated and industrialized in Canada. Based on the 2021 census, with a population of 7,759,635 people in its core and 9,765,188 in its greater area, the Golden Horseshoe accounts for over 20 percent of

7047-412: The world. Cities including Hamilton, Oshawa, Oakville, Whitby and Kitchener all contain major large-scale industrial production facilities, Hamilton being dominated by the steel industry and Oakville and Oshawa primarily in the automotive industry . Other significant automotive-production facilities also exist in Brampton , and St. Catharines . While manufacturing remains important to the economy of

7134-413: 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

7221-455: 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 the city's diversified economy include education, healthcare, information technology and manufacturing. Barrie

7308-473: 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

7395-437: Was officialized on July 13, 2004, in a report from the provincial Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal titled Places to Grow , in which the region's borders extended west to Waterloo Region , north to Barrie / Simcoe County , and northeast to the county and city of Peterborough . A subsequent edition released on February 16, 2005, broadened the term further, adding Brant , Haldimand and Northumberland Counties to

7482-624: 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

7569-630: 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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