Longstanding Barrie politician, Bruce Owen, dies at 90

A longstanding politician who devoted decades of his life to bettering Barrie and the surrounding area has died.

Bruce Owen passed away on Monday at the age of 90 after suffering a heart attack.

"Two doctors have said, 'We don't know why,'" says Owen's son Trevor. "His heart was strong. Everything about him was in great shape. It's a mystery. Maybe it was a blood clot. We just don't know."

Owen first moved to Barrie in 1959.

Over the following six decades, he served in various roles throughout the community, starting with two terms as an alderman on city council.

He also served as a member of the provincial parliament for Simcoe Centre from 1987 to 1990.

"He always thought poverty was around the corner," says Trevor. "So he was acutely aware of the failings of capitalism and the need for Medicare, and that drove him, the drive to work so he would never be poor and the drive to help others for justice so they wouldn't end like he did with a blind eye."

While he was a champion of many causes, Owen is most known for his advocacy for the arts community. He made providing proper venues to reach audiences a passion.

"I think Bruce helped reinforce my convictions and many others that the arts, that music is important to a city, that it's a critical part of our community and it's a way to show the talent that our city has to broader audiences," says Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman.

Lehman first met Owen during one of the late politician's numerous campaigns in the 1980s. It took eight attempts at earning a seat in either Queen's Park or the House of Commons before he was successfully elected as the MPP for Simcoe Centre in 1987.

"That speaks to an incredible commitment and sort of bullheadedness as an individual, which is really admirable," Lehman says. "Somebody whose never going to give up until he's had the chance to contribute in the way in the way that he felt he could contribute."

Barrie's mayor got to know Bruce well once he was elected to council. As the current iteration of Barrie council is working towards bringing a new performing arts centre to the city, it's a passion that was at the forefront of Bruce's work.

"From 1959 to 2022, Bruce Owen helped organize concerts for the Barrie Concert Series, the Barrie Band Series, Colours of Music, Georgian Music Series, the organ series and the piano series at various churches," says his son Trevor. "He just never, ever stopped."

Trevor remembers his dad as a good listener. Lehman echoes those feelings, saying he learned an important lesson in politics while helping Bruce campaign as a teenager.

"I remember Bruce explaining to me that as much as you have what you want to say when you go to the door, don't let that script keep you from listening to people and actually talking to them," Lehman says. "And I do remember very well Bruce saying it's better to have 10 meaningful conversations than 20 where the person doesn't feel like you're listening, and that stuck with me."

While he leaves behind an impressive political legacy, Trevor says his father was most proud of his family. He worked alongside his dad at his law firm for years until his dying day.

Trevor says his father added more work to his plate when his wife fell ill in the years before her death in 2018.

"When my mother died three years ago, he would weekly cook a meal for one grandchild that is health challenged and took food to him every week and bought him groceries," says Trevor.

Bruce is survived by his three children, Trevor, Valerie and Pamela. He also leaves behind five grandchildren.