Barrie and Innisfil Growing Up Together

Informal Agreement Promotes Cooperation Between Two Communities

It’s been put into writing: Barrie and Innisfil are on the same team. A Memo of Cooperation was approved at Barrie City Hall Monday evening, and lays out on paper something that’s unofficially been going on for some time. It details a cooperative effort by Barrie and Innisfil to promote growth, commerce, jobs, and transportation. While the memo is an informal agreement between the two communities, it does ask that both municipalities to work together in land use, infrastructure planning, economic development, and tourism. Boundary lines wouldn’t hamper the efforts to provide transit, fire services, or recreation programming to both. Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman says this is good for both communities.

Innisfil Mayor Gord Wauchope is looking forward to seeing what services the two communities can share.

Lehman adds it makes official something everyone already knew.

While Wauchope admits this does help ease the tension between the two municipal governments, following Barrie’s annexation of Innisfil land in 2009.

The olive branch, developed by the CAO offices of both municipalities, was passed by Innisfil council last week, and at Barrie City Hall Monday evening, with final approval expected in Barrie next week.