Hundreds of employment opportunities coming to Barrie
A groundbreaking in Barrie's south end Tuesday afternoon marks a new subdivision of eco-friendly industrial buildings.
"We haven't seen a new subdivision like this in Barrie for almost 20 years, and it's required. There's been a lack of industrial lands and buildings available for local businesses and for businesses that want to grow outside and bring their businesses to Barrie," said TJ Rinomato, co-founder of Rinomato Group of Companies.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall was on hand for the event at 80 Big Bay Point Road and noted the demand for more job opportunities in the city.
"Obviously, the community has been growing in terms of housing and population, and we need to make sure it's not just a place people rest their head at night, it's a place where they get to enjoy the whole community and to work here. So, it's really important we get these jobs here in the City of Barrie, and it's really important that we attract that investment," he said.
Over a million square feet of land will be developed, with various businesses setting up shop.
"There's going to be manufacturing of all different types of materials, both construction related, materials and everything from cosmetics to clothing wear and tech jobs are going to be created here," said Rinomato.
Pre-construction alone created almost 250 jobs, with hundreds more on the way.
"Once we get our building permits for the undergrounds and get going, we'll employ over 500 construction jobs to start. Building the actual buildings, we'll employ over 1,500 construction jobs, and then once the buildings are done, a minimum of 1,500 jobs will be created in the subdivision," said Rinomato.
Officials said if all goes as planned, asphalt is set to be down by November, and construction will be completed by the end of 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

2 young boys dead, mother in critical condition after incident in Scarborough
Toronto police say a homicide investigation is underway after an incident at a Scarborough apartment building Sunday night left two young boys dead and their mother in critical condition.
Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell, of 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,' dead at 29
Reality personality Anna Cardwell, who was featured on the TLC program “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” has died, according to social media posts made by her family. She was 29.
Three dead after shed fire outside northwest Calgary hardware store
Three people were found dead in the Crowfoot Crossing area of northwest Calgary on Monday after a fire.
Seniors over 87 can apply to join federal dental plan starting next week
The federal government hopes to avoid gumming up the works of its new dental-insurance plan by gradually phasing in enrolment over the course of the next year, Health Minister Mark Holland said Monday.
Grocer profits set to exceed record in 2023, expert says, ahead of committee meeting
Profits in the Canadian grocery sector will likely exceed $6 billion in 2023, setting a new record as they rise eight per cent from last year, according to the Centre for Future Work. New research by the progressive research institute found that food retailers are now earning more than twice as much profit as they did pre-pandemic.
'I know I messed up': House Speaker Fergus challenged by MPs probing video controversy
A repentant Greg Fergus testified Monday before his peers about what he says was his unintentional participation in a partisan provincial Liberal party event in early December, telling MPs that as the House of Commons Speaker, he knows he 'messed up.'
Most Albertans don't want the province to pull out of CPP, survey finds
One month after finance ministers met to discuss the Alberta government's intent to pull out of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) public opinion polling by the Angus Reid Institute suggests there's little desire among Albertans or the rest of Canada to see Alberta leave the plan.
Poland's parliament elects centrist party leader Donald Tusk as prime minister
Poland's parliament elected centrist party leader Donald Tusk as prime minister on Monday, paving the way for a new pro-EU government after eight years of stormy national conservative rule.
Navalny's whereabouts are unknown and Russian prison says he's no longer there, a spokeswoman says
The whereabouts of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny were unknown Monday as officials at the penal colony where he was serving his sentence told one of his lawyers that he is no longer on the inmate roster, the politician's spokeswoman said after nearly a week of not being able to contact him.