Newly revamped Barrie transit system on the horizon

A new transit plan for the City of Barrie is one step closer to reality.

On Wednesday, while sitting as general committee, Barrie councillors gave initial approval to the city's new transit network.

The plan would introduce new routes, including a focus on express service and increased reliance on the existing Transit on Demand (TOD) service.

"We know folks are trying to use their own automobiles less, either use public transit like this or active transportation, so I think the future is really bright for our transit service," Mayor Alex Nuttall said to CTV News.

The plan will be phased in over two years, with some routes starting to change next year if final approval is granted on June 21.

The plan would see new routes using Hwy. 400 connecting riders from north-end landmarks like RVH and Georgian College to Park Place in the city's south end.

A staff report says cross-city trips would be reduced by about 13 percent, with users connected to nearly 24 per cent more jobs within a 30-minute transit travel time.

The staff report said the plan was built "to maintain operational cost neutrality with similar operating hours." The plan would save over $ 10 million in the city's 10-year capital plan as it relies more on smaller 8-metre cutaway vehicles used for the city's TOD service and less of its conventional fleet.

The plan would be phased in in 2024 if granted final approval next week and fully implemented the following year.

On Wednesday, councillors also gave initial approval to a few development projects, including one located on land known municipally as 1012 Yonge Street in Ward 9.

This project would bring a new mid-rise mixed-use development consisting of multiple new apartment buildings and townhomes as well. Altogether over 1000 new units would be added to the city's housing supply.

Wednesday's initial development approvals come just one week after councillors got an update on the City's Housing Needs Assessment, which provided a bleak overview of Barrie's affordable living crisis.

The mayor asked that the Housing Needs Assessment project be fully complete by the end of the year, giving councillors policy recommendations to address the cost of living ahead of planning for the 2024 budget.

"I only want to see solutions. We all know how bad the situation is," Nuttall said to CTV News. "We all have friends, we all have parents, we all have neighbours who are struggling, and now is not the time to take measure of how bad the situation is. Now is the time to say we know it's really bad. We need action."

Councillors also gave the green light to new guidelines surrounding councillor expense accounts. Currently, councillors are allotted $6000 for expense accounts for ward-specific initiatives, but now there will be new rules in place to better track these funds, with the mayor saying some wards were left with no money in previous councils after other councillors spent it.

"When you're spending the people's money, you need to have accountability in place, and I think that no matter where we are in that process of working on behalf of the taxpayer, we have to make sure that we're being accountable and transparent with the dollars that are being spent and certainly that was on the council expense side," Nuttall said.

Councillors also chose to advance new guidelines around fundraising as well. The mayor says while councillors are allowed to fundraise for extracurricular activities outside of their duties on council, as the mayor does himself, they should never be collecting money on behalf of the City.

Also, as of September, the City will be launching a pilot program with the school boards to share recreational facilities with each other.

Just over $27,000 will be invested for the rest of this year in the program that will see school gymnasiums and other facilities opened up after hours for open recreational use, with city facilities opening their doors to students more during the day.

"It is something that is long overdue," Nuttall said. "The idea of our school board and local government working together to make sure that children in our community, youth in our community have a place to go to engage in recreation and culture and teambuilding and learning and social skills; this is a no brainer."

All of these items will head to city council for final approval on June 21.

The final city council meeting before the summer break will be held on June 28.