Polly Ticks

Simcoe County board asks for voices on 2026-27 school calendar

Floodlights rarely shine brighter than when a community is asked to steer the course of its schools. The Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) has handed the microphone to its public, inviting feedback on the 2026-27 school year calendar—a decision with ripple effects across families, staff, and students. The SCDSB, headquartered in Midhurst, is soliciting […]

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Barrie weighs its next boundary steps amid high-stakes Springwater debate

Surveyors’ tape flutters on the edge of farmland, marking not just a field but the battleground for Barrie’s bold bid to expand its borders into Springwater—a contest where local governance, provincial mandates, and millions of dollars converge. For Barrie, the push to redraw its northern boundary is no mere cartographer’s whim. Driven by rapid population

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Municipal budgets put Barrie service levels in spotlight

As Barrie council prepares to chart the city’s future, local leaders face a trio of critical decisions: the 2026 municipal budget, the implementation of red-light cameras, and the fate of library funding. These deliberations will shape not only finances but also the daily lives of residents. City councillors are poised to examine budget proposals that

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Hybrid work divides Barrie city hall and municipal union

Papers shuffled, voices echoed, and tension simmered as Barrie’s municipal workers sat across from city officials, each side acutely aware that the future of hybrid work for 600 employees was now the main card on the bargaining table. CUPE Local 2380, representing municipal staff whose jobs span everything from parks maintenance to bylaw enforcement, has

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The Vatican’s return of Indigenous artifacts marks a new chapter

An Inuvialuit kayak once used for beluga hunts, silent for nearly a century within Vatican vaults, will soon cross the ocean home. For many, its journey marks not just the movement of an object, but the rekindling of memory and the promise of healing. Canada’s Indigenous communities have waited decades for this moment. More than

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Ontario’s education shakeup brings support offices to local schools

Questions that once lingered in Barrie’s school corridors will soon find a new home, as Ontario commands the creation of Student and Family Support Offices across every board in the province. The Ministry of Education’s latest directive, set to affect Simcoe County and beyond, is reshaping the landscape of school governance. This move follows a

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Barrie drivers face new rules after camera shutdown

Flashing bulbs and silent lenses will soon vanish from Barrie’s roads, as speed cameras are shut down and a new era of traffic safety dawns across Ontario. Barrie’s automated speed enforcement (ASE) program, active since December 2023, faces its official sunset after the Ontario government banned speed cameras provincewide. November 15 marks the deadline, with

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Unpacking Barrie’s 2026 budget and its real impact on your home

Another year, another round of budget talks in Barrie, where homeowners watch the numbers edge higher, quietly calculating what will be left in their pockets once city hall has had its say. For 2026, Barrie’s proposed budget puts residents at the centre of a fiscal balancing act. The city’s operating budget covers more than 60

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