Forests Ontario celebrated National Forest Week, which runs Sept. 18-24, with the official opening of their new office in downtown Barrie.
The organization’s headquarters had been in Toronto, across from Union Station, but the pandemic presented Forests Ontario with the opportunity to move north and get closer to its partners in the forestry sector.
At Wednesday morning's opening at the office, located at 15 Maple Ave., Unit 103, Forests Ontario CEO Rob Keen said he and the staff were happy to be in the city, citing several of the benefits of being here.
“It really is a thrill to be here in Barrie and what a great location we have surrounded by the fantastic facilities that the city has to offer,” said Keen. "Right across from our front door is the lake, we have great restaurants nearby and for those coming in from Toronto, there is the GO station just down the road.”
Forests Ontario made the move to the city in August 2020, but has been doing most of their work online to keep safe during the pandemic.
The organization is the province’s leading charity dedicated to the creation, preservation, and maintenance of forest and grassland habitats.
They have large-scale tree planting initiatives, extensive educational programs, and decades of community outreach resulting in millions of trees being planted each year.
Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman said he was excited that Forests Ontario found the city attractive enough to move their main office to.
“It's really great to see, in a world that is still utilizing the hybrid way of working, that this great organization will have their home base here,” said Lehman. “In some part, their staff and visitors will be at this office and taking in all the city has to offer.”
There are around 25 total staff, with people using the office and working from remote locations.
For more information about what Forests Ontario does, check out the website here.
