On Oct. 24, voters in Barrie, Ont., will head to the polls to elect their new municipal government.
Residents of Barrie will elect councillors in 10 wards as well as a mayor to form city council.
There will be a new face taking over the seat of mayor this term, with three-term mayor Jeff Lehman deciding he would not seek a fourth term.
Seven candidates have put their hats in the ring to take over from Lehman.
Wards 5 and 7 were acclaimed, so Global News will not have profiles on their wards.
Global News has not received responses from any of the candidates from wards 3, 8, or 9 yet. If we do, profiles will be created for those areas.
To help voters ahead of this election, Global News has reached out to all of those running for city council and mayor in Barrie with available online contact info. Those running for office were emailed a list of seven questions, and in the coming days, the responses for every candidate who replies will be shared.
What follows are the responses received from those running for mayor, with the candidates being listed in alphabetical order. (This page will be updated if more candidates choose to respond.):
Andrew Gordon
Q.1 Please give a brief background of yourself, including what you do for a living and how long you have lived in the area? (If you are an incumbent, please state how long you have held the position.)
I’m 38 years old, I grew up in midtown Toronto, Young and Ellington. I moved to Barrie for college, where I studied and graduated from their Hospitality and Tourism program. Afterwards, I moved to Manchester, New Hampshire, to get my Bachelors Degree from the University of Southern New Hampshire. During my time in the United States, I also lived to Tampa for an internship with Marriott hotels.
After graduation, I moved back to Barrie, where opportunity struck, and I purchased a student rental property. Over the last 15 years, I have worked in casinos, hotels, private clubs, golf courses, ski resorts and private restaurants as a hospitality professional. I also ran a small business interiors installation company.
As of late, my career has pivoted to the financial industry.
Q.2 Why do you believe you are the right person for the job?
I believe that I’m the right person for the job, based on my ethics and integrity. Many people call me Handy Andy because there is no problem too large or too small that I cannot fix.
Q.3 What do you think is the most important issue facing your ward and the city as a whole?
The largest problem Barrie faces is providing more care to our senior citizens. Property taxes are increasing at a rate that they cannot afford on current pensions. We need to cap property taxes for retirees.
Q.4 Looking down the road, what are your long-term goals for the city?
Long-term goals for the city should be focused on growth. We are still one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada and need to build infrastructure to maintain our current trajectory.
Q.5 What are the pillars of your campaign?
The pillars of my campaign are based on, services for our seniors, housing for our vulnerable and support for our local businesses.
Q.6 What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time, whenever I get some, I enjoy living a healthy and active lifestyle. I play ice hockey, golf and snowboard.
Q.7 What is your favourite thing about living in your city/ward?
My favourite thing about Barrie is our waterfront. We have the best-kept secret in all of Ontario and the city has kept it for everyone to share and enjoy. I dare you spend one sunrise at our waterfront and not fall in love with this city.
Weldon Hachey
Q.1 Please give a brief background of yourself including what you do for a living and how long you have lived in the area? (If you are an incumbent, please state how long you have held the position.)
I have not lived here that long. A little over five years. I am an HVAC technician with a background in commercial construction. A degree from George Brown consisting of a five year 9000 hour apprenticeship. I also am geothermal designer and installer from the Canadian Geo Coalition the CGC. I have a heat loss heat gain certificate from HRAI. I hold a union degree in basic refrigeration and air conditioning as well as a G2 gas fitters license. I have been operating my own business since I was about 20 years old.
Q.2 Why do you believe you are the right person for the job?
We need to build homes and keep up with growth for the increasing population. Businesses and jobs need to be created and help keep our people working local. Commuting is hard on their budgets, hard on their time away from their families and not great for our roads and environment. With my business and construction background I can identify and work on strategic plans and work hand in hand with designers and engineers to create local infrastructure.
Q.3 What do you think is the most important issue facing your ward and the city as a whole?
The biggest and best thing for any city is education. Not just for our youth but everyone. We need to educate everyone in some trade or entrepreneurial skills with easily accessible classes. I had to travel to Toronto twice a week for seven years. We can fast track with local schools. Utilize our existing buildings and hire teachers for multiple night courses. Teaching our homeless new skills as well.
Q.4 Looking down the road, what are your long-term goals for the city?
My goal is to make all of Ontario and Canada raise their eyebrows at what we are doing. I have huge goals of being the lowest rate of unemployment! The lowest crime. I would love for Barrie to become the poster child of what a city should be!
Barrie could be a beautiful destination with our lake and trails. I would like to create parking on the outskirts of Barrie and introduce shuttle busses similar to Rama. We reduce tourist traffic yet inviting them to enjoy our city. Reduce the parking lots in the downtown area and making them for area residents. We build an inviting waterfront with invitations of hiking, biking and boating. We already have a ton of tourists who come here. Let’s invite their dollars to be spent on world class nature excursions. We can offer fishing. Ice fishing, snow mobiles and cross country ski packages to our local ski areas. We can reduce our tax burden and build using tourism.
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Most importantly I want to make the community a tight nit one. Having regular family events and promoting a small town environment where we work together.
Q.5 What are the pillars of your campaign?
Homeless, drug abuse, low income, seniors, health care, the list seems to be never-ending. I will keep an open door policy and set aside as many evenings it takes to meet with people to listen to their issues and tackle as many as we can together. I would like to work with farmers. Create year around community gardens. Using local low-income participants to help grow food to reduce the ever-increasing cost of food. I want to speak with the nurses and frontline workers and find out directly from them where we can best alter our past mistakes and prevent them from repeating.
Q.6 What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time, all I do is read and research. I do enjoy in-line skating and hiking. For the last few years, I can’t wait to get home and curl up and research. What it is I need to know to make an impact in our community.
Q.7 What is your favourite thing about living in your city/ward?
(Did not answer.)
Rob Haverson
No contact information was listed or could be found.
Gerry Marshall
Q.1 Please give a brief background of yourself, including what you do for a living and how long you have lived in the area. (If you are an incumbent, please state how long you have held the position.)
My wife Jan and I moved to Barrie several years ago, so that we could enjoy more family time with our two terrific sons, Bill and Steve, our wonderful daughter-in-laws Tara and Angie, and our five awesome grandchildren, all of whom call Barrie home. Three generations of family living in Barrie have allowed us more time to connect, enjoy more Sunday dinners, and more time at ball fields, hockey rinks, and playgrounds. I currently have the pleasure of working with my son Steve, we turn shipping containers into affordable housing units.
Q.2 Why do you believe you are the right person for the job?
Our city is growing and changing, and I am a change agent and progressive by nature. I have a successful political record as a mayor and warden. I’ve proven myself to be fiscally responsible. I focussed on driving the economy while at the same time ensuring those in need are cared for. My executive-level corporate career saw me manage budgets in the ten’s of millions with staff complements in the 100’s, providing me with the leadership experience to manage a Municipal Corporation the size of Barrie.
Q.3 What do you think is the most important issue facing your ward and the city as a whole?
One of the largest challenges facing our city is growing. It impacts us in every way. Traffic on our roads, noise, sprawl, rising home prices and increased taxation. As we grow, we will see all elements of society arrive. We will become more diverse; we will see people of wealth along with those needing a helping hand. We see people of good health and those of poor health. Our homeless population and those facing addiction and mental health challenges will increase. Greater growth will increase the stress on Lake Simcoe. I often am heard to say you need to think long before you can think short. By this, I mean we need to be looking out 20 -30 years and pre-determine the needs, look and feel of our city. Once that’s established, we’ll set short, medium and long-term goals, targets and milestone accomplishments.
Q.4 Looking down the road, what are your long-term goals for the city?
There are multiple goals that need to be set. One critical component must be a revitalization of downtown. I wish to see a Performing Arts Center, an Outdoor Multi-use Stadium, and a Market District become realities. I think we can all envision a downtown core with cafes, pubs, artisan lanes, farmers’ markets, sports venues and theatre.
Q.5 What are the pillars of your campaign?
A Barrie with a shared sense of humanity and opportunities for all citizens to thrive.
A Barrie that delivers the basics with efficiency, consistency, and thoughtful customer service.
A Barrie where we innovate and embrace creative and effective solutions wherever we find them.
Q.6 What do you like to do in your spare time?
I enjoy watching my five grandchildren in all of their various activities, yard work, and I love to cook.
Q.7 What is your favourite thing about living in your city/ward?
I see a very bright future for Barrie. We are blessed with incredible natural beauty. We have a variety of thriving industries in manufacturing, education, and high technology. We’re extremely well situated and well connected by multiple transportation options. Barrie will grow. We need a Mayor who will guide that growth in a way that benefits all citizens. A mayor with fresh ideas, who can get things done, and who can work collaboratively with many opposing sides. A mayor who believes, Together, we are better.
Mike McCann
Q.1 Please give a brief background of yourself including what you do for a living and how long you have lived in the area? (If you are an incumbent, please state how long you have held the position.)
Did not answer.
Q.2 Why do you believe you are the right person for the job?
I have served our Community for the past eight years as a Councillor and have contributed to making the city a great place to live, work, and play.
- Throughout my leadership I was able to help advance the timing of the construction of a much needed high school in south east Barrie.
- I brought to City Council a $20 Million savings for the new Barrie Police and First Responders Campus
- During the Pandemic in 2021, GTA + were using our beaches leaving garbage and damaging the environment. I acted fast, to ban tents and BBQs and also championed changing our parking daily beach rate from $10 day to $50 day for non-residents of Barrie. This resulted in increased revenues of over $550,000.
- Through my leadership I created a contest in all of our elementary schools entitle, Love Barrie and Win to empower our youth.
- Through my leadership I was able to have Council approve a large Love Barrie Sign at our downtown waterfront. I also sold hats and t-shirts to pay for the sign as well as asking residents and business owners to sponsor the sign. As a result I raised over $300,000 and fully paid for the sign without tax payer money.
Q.3 What do you think is the most important issue facing your ward and the city as a whole?
- Most important is enforcement.
- Speed and loud vehicles are disrupting the whole city.
- Taxes and road management are always a top priority.
- Creating a safer and more inviting downtown.
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Q.4 Looking down the road, what are your long-term goals for the city?
- Creating the environment where we can make Barrie affordable for housing.
- Finding efficiencies in city hall to reduce tax increases.
- Creating a healthy downtown to attract Barrie residents and tourism.
- Managing the homeless.
- Protecting our world class waterfront and trails.
Q.5 What are the pillars of you campaign?
- Economy
- Environment
- Safe and Healthy Lifestyle
Q.6 What do you like to do in your spare time?
Family, family and more family time! Dinners, walks and late night movies are treasured. I also enjoy lots of sports, tennis, pickleball, lifting weighs, hockey and riding my bike on Barrie’s world class trails. I have a spiritual side that is important to me. I attend Harvest church and Mapleview church throughout the week.
Q.7 What is your favourite thing about living in your city/ward?
The people and our world class lake and trail system.
Alex Nuttall
Q.1 Please give a brief background of yourself, including what you do for a living and how long you have lived in the area? (If you are an incumbent, please state how long you have held the position.)
I am a father of two, who immigrated to Canada (Barrie, ON) from Liverpool, England, with my family in 1989. I have resided in the greater Barrie area ever since.
I grew up in government housing in Barrie and was blessed to have been raised in a community with such incredible support. Local programs helped my family with playing sports, Christmas, and even back to school supplies.
While attending high school, I was appointed as student Mayor in the City of Barrie, and my love for public service grew from there. On November 13th, 2006, I was elected to Barrie City Council, representing South Barrie’s Ward 10, and did so for eight years.
In 2015, I was elected to represent Barrie–Springwater–Oro-Medonte in the House of Commons as their Member of Parliament.
As a Member of Parliament, I was called upon to serve in many roles, such as Shadow Minister for Economic Development for Southern Ontario, Shadow Minister for the new Sharing Economy, as well as Deputy Shadow Minister for Innovation, Science, and Economic Development. On Aug. 30, 2017, I also added Shadow Minister for Youth, Sports, and Persons with Disabilities to my resume. In January 2019, I was promoted to Shadow Minister for Internal Trade, a key governmental economic portfolio.
On March 25, 2019, I announced the decision not to seek a second term as a Member of Parliament.
Since leaving public service, I have served as Vice-President of NFTC, a telecommunications company that specializes in fibre delivery of telecom services.
Public service is not only my passion, it’s my calling.
Q.2 Why do you believe you are the right person for the job?
The city of Barrie is growing at a rapid pace. The city needs a leader who can manage that growth, and the challenges that come with it. My platform is built to address the growing pains of an expanding city and unleash Barrie’s potential for a thriving community for its residents. This is my time to give back to the city that gave so much to me as a child.
Q.3 What do you think is the most important issue facing your ward and the city as a whole?
Affordability. The most devastating thing that I see is individuals who are being priced out of their homes, and, ultimately, out of the city of Barrie. Individuals who helped build Barrie, and make it the city it is today, can no longer afford to live here. Because of the incredible opportunities available here, young families, seniors, and young professionals want to plant roots in Barrie. I have a plan to fast-track housing projects in the city with a 90-day guaranteed approval time. More supply will help to meet the demand, and stabilize housing prices. I will hold the line on property taxes, while still maintaining the capital surcharge so that we can prioritize road maintenance without digging further into taxpayers’ pockets. Creating more job opportunities for Barrie residents, who don’t want to spend hours on the 400 just so they can earn a livable wage – if you live in Barrie, you should be able to have a well-paying job here too.
Q.4 Looking down the road, what are your long-term goals for the city?
We have a strong sense of community in Barrie, and I feel that passion every day as I knock on doors and speak with residents. My goal as mayor is to embrace the growth and diversity in Barrie and create greater opportunities for its residents, such as building housing you can afford, creating well-paying jobs, and developing a city you can feel safe in.
Q.5 What are the pillars of your campaign?
My platform consists of six priorities:
- Fix the roads
- Freeze taxes
- Jobs for Barrie
- Housing you can afford
- A downtown to be proud of – ending the prison drop off at our bus terminal
- A city you feel safe in
Q.6 What do you like to do in your spare time?
As a dad of two young children, one of my favourite pastimes is to coach their soccer teams. I also enjoy lacing up my skates and hitting the hockey rink, which you will find me doing during the Boots and Hearts Barner Burner, a charity hockey game that I host and organize every year in support of local charities in Barrie.
Q.7 What is your favourite thing about living in your city/ward?
There is an incredible opportunity in Barrie. Barrie is a community with so much to offer residents at all stages of life, and people are gravitating to Barrie more and more because of our beautiful waterfront, downtown, and our proximity to the GTA, Muskoka and Georgian Bay. And with community groups such as Christmas Cheer, PIE Education, the Busby Centre, Barrie Native Friendship Centre, and the newly developed, Cornerstone to a Recovery facility, just to name a few, our sense of community and resources available to our vulnerable residents is unmatched.
Barry Ward
Q.1 Please give a brief background of yourself, including what you do for a living and how long you have lived in the area. (If you are an incumbent, please state how long you have held the position.)
I have been the Ward 4 representative on council for 22 years. I have also been deputy mayor for the past four years. I moved to Barrie almost 40 years ago. Marg and I have lived in the ward for more than 25 years; it is where we raised our two sons. I was the former city editor of The Barrie Examiner, I owned a bookstore in downtown Barrie for about a dozen years, and I am currently an editor for Postmedia, editing newspaper across the country remotely, along with my council duties.
Q.2 Why do you believe you are the right person for the job?
I have the experience and leadership skills to work with a diverse council. I can get council to work together to make our already great city an even better place. I know the staff at city hall, I know the politicians and staff at Simcoe County, which provides many of our services, and I have a good relationship with all of our local MPs and MPPs.
Q.3 What do you think is the most important issue facing your ward and the city as a whole?
The most important issue Barrie faces is dealing with the growth which is headed our way – our population is expected to double in the next 20 years. It will present many challenges, but, with proper planning, growth can be used to our advantage. We can improve our transit service as we see the residential intensification of our major streets, we can use the skills and knowledge of our new residents to grow our economic base, and a large population makes a long-needed performing arts centre more viable, to name a few ways growth can be good.
Q.4 Looking down the road, what are your long-term goals for the city?
Building more affordable housing and supportive housing; improve our transportation infrastructure, including roads, transit, sidewalks and bicycle lanes; improve our downtown, starting with a permanent market on the site of the current transit terminal when that facility moves to Allandale; build a new recreation centre to serve our growing population; build a performing arts centre.
Q.5 What are the pillars of your campaign?
Protect the things that make Barrie great, such as our waterfront, our neighbourhoods, our parks and natural spaces and our diversified economy; preserve the services Barrie residents value, such as transit, recreation and emergency services; and enhance those areas where we can do better, such as affordable housing and our infrastructure.
Q.6 What do you like to do in your spare time?
You’ll never catch me without a book. I also like canoeing and kayaking the summer and our family skis in the winter.
Q.7 What is your favourite thing about living in your city/ward?
I love our waterfront and Sunnidale Park, which is in my ward, is pretty good too!
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