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The $9.9-million question has been answered.
City councillors will give that level of support to Lakehead University’s STEM Hub satellite campus in downtown Barrie during the next five years, beginning in 2026.
“Some people are worried about the financial investment, but I think a STEM Hub for the downtown is excellent,” said Deputy Mayor Robert Thomson. “I think we have set the tone for getting things done that have historically failed.”
“We look forward to the partnership (with Lakehead),” said Mayor Alex Nuttall. “We need to have the post-secondary education. We already have the young people.”
“This is truly exciting news and I see no negatives at all,” said Coun. Craig Nixon, who represents the area.
To be located on the current Barrie Transit Terminal’s ground floor, at 24 Maple Ave., the hub would also cancel the permanent market planned for this area.
Councillors gave initial approval Wednesday evening to a motion that would commit $6.5 million for hub construction in 2025-26, a one-time contribution of $1 million to support the start-up capital required to equip and fit out the space to develop a hub for 2025-26, then $2.4 million in cash contributions from 2026 to 2029 toward stabilizing operating expenses.
City council could consider final approval of this motion at its Dec. 4 meeting.
The $6.5 million would come from the city’s tax capital reserve, the $1 million from the city’s reinvestment reserve, the $2.4 million would be added to city’s annual budgets those years, 2026 to 2029, from the city’s reinvestment reserve, not property tax revenues.
“I’ve heard from some residents and they weren’t too happy with that,” Coun. Gary Harvey, chairman of the finance and good governance committee, said of directly using property tax dollars.
His amendment to the motion also asked that the federal government be approached for funding and that city staff look at any other funding sources.
Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey said last week the province would contribute a one-time, $1-million cheque to help Barrie with the housing needs created by university students.
“Student housing is necessary,” said Coun. Sergio Morales. “It affects not only the quality of life for students, but the livability for residents. It affects the surrounding community.
"But I know student housing doesn’t happen overnight," he added.
Coun. Amy Courser said she also has concerns about student housing in the downtown area.
“I know there is a capacity issue now,” she said.
Dr. Gillian Siddall, Lakehead’s president and vice-chancellor, made a presentation to councillors tonight and was asked about Lakehead’s plans for student housing in Barrie for the STEM Hub.
“Housing is not part of the space together (with Barrie, at 24 Maple Ave.),” she said. “But it’s absolutely on our radar.”
The STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Hub would offer graduate and post-graduate degree programming across the engineering and computer science disciplines, including mechatronics and electrical and software engineering.
During the initial five-year period, Lakehead expects to have enrolment of 700 students across these disciplines.
For a STEM Hub in Barrie, city staff say funding in the form of capital and start-up costs associated with both capital equipment fit-out and programming will need to be secured — as universities are not funded for these types of expenses.
In the absence of provincial capital funding for these costs, a university would typically look to private fundraising in addition to public commitments, including a municipal contribution, according to staff.
There would be an initial five-year lease agreement with Lakehead University for 24 Maple Ave., including an option for renewal, with basic rent of $1 for the premises — 7,000 square feet of interior space currently occupied by Barrie Transit and Barrie Police Service’s downtown office.
The plan includes a property lease agreement for space in the downtown core to relocate the Barrie police satellite office, to a location acceptable to city police.
The Sandbox Centre for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Centre is on the second floor of 24 Maple.
The Mexican House restaurant, on the ground floor at one end of the building, would continue to operate there.
Previous plans for the ground floor and beyond included a permanent market that was to include the relocation of the Barrie Farmers’ Market. This was put on hold, given the desire of the Barrie Farmers’ Market to remain in its current location at Barrie City Hall.
Lakehead University already has a presence in Barrie.
In September, Georgian College and Lakehead announced a new plan for their partnership. Starting in 2025, graduates from Georgian diploma programs will be guaranteed admission to select Lakehead undergraduate degree programs in Orillia and Thunder Bay through academic transfers, allowing students to transition between the two institutions to achieve their academic and career goals.
Lakehead’s coming presence in downtown Barrie is just the latest news there on the education front.
In June, it was announced that as many as 800 post-secondary students will be added to downtown Barrie, starting in 2025. Georgian College made the announcement at 55 Mulcaster St., which is the Barrie City Centre building near Collier Street.
Georgian will offer a hub of creative programming there for students in areas such as design, visual arts and emerging innovative technologies, to provide increased opportunities for hands-on learning, partnerships and immersive experiences.
The new presence downtown will also distribute Georgian students more broadly throughout Barrie, enabling them to live, work and study in various neighbourhoods.
Georgian College’s University Partnership Centre (UPC), of course, was established in 2003. Its core mission is to provide students with enhanced choice and adaptability in pursuing degree studies, including partnerships, admission pathways and transfer pathway agreements with universities in Ontario, across Canada and globally.
The UPC includes access to Georgian’s own degree programs and transfer pathways for existing students, recent graduates and alumni.
Some of Georgian’s current partners, besides Lakehead University, are: Acadia University, Algoma University, Athabasca University, Atlantic Technological University, Bishop's University, Brock University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Limerick Institution of Technology, Munster Technological University, Niagara University - Vaughan campus, Northeastern University - Toronto campus, Robert Gordon University, Royal Roads University, St. Matthews University - School of Veterinary Medicine, Thompson Rivers University, Trent University, Western University, University of Guelph, and York University.
Barrie is one of the few Ontario municipalities among the 25 urban growth centres in the Greater Golden Horseshoe without a university campus, according to city staff.
This city also generally maintains a low participation rate in university studies in all age categories when compared to the Ontario average, according to city staff, even though Barrie remains one of the province’s youngest communities.
Based on 2021 Census data, 25.4 per cent of Barrie residents aged 25 to 64 had a bachelor's degree or higher, tracking lower than 36.8 per cent in Ontario and 32.9 per cent in Canada. And 42.8 per cent of Barrie’s youth aged 18 to 24 were attending a post-secondary institution compared to 51.5 per cent in Ontario and 50.2 per cent in Canada.
Lakehead’s Barrie campus would have space on Maple Avenue when Barrie’s Allandale Transit Terminal, which is being built at Essa Road and Gowan Street, adjacent to the existing GO Transit corridor, becomes operational in mid- to late-2025.
The Allandale terminal is to host seamless transit services and connections between Simcoe County, Muskoka and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and be integrated with two-way, so to and from, GO train services, located at the Allandale Waterfront GO station.
