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From honking horns to icy silence, group continues sports field protest

Silent protest planned for council chambers Wednesday evening; 'We’ll just sit in council quietly, let them know we are there,' says organizer
Bob Bruton
Bob Bruton

The sound of silent protest could fill Barrie City Hall’s council chambers Wednesday night.

Opposition to a planned synthetic turf, multi-purpose youth sports field and parade grounds is expected to take place there.

“We’ll just sit in council quietly, let them know we are there,” said protest organizer Arnie Ivsins. “We are not going to be there to disrupt council, just sit there and be noticed.”

Signs are not allowed in the council chambers and the sports-field issue is not on the agendas tomorrow night.

The June 19 general committee and city council meetings are the last scheduled before summer break, which lasts until after Labour Day except for the Aug. 14 meetings — although an emergency meeting can always be called, if there’s a need.

The protest is about the location of the sports field, on city property east of Military Heritage Park.

Bright and early this morning (June 18), 15 protesters with signs took up positions along Lakeshore Drive — near the field site and at nearby Tiffin Street — to make their point to honking motorists.

Ivsins said they plan to be out Wednesday morning, too.

During the past two Wednesdays (June 5 and 12), groups of protesters, organized by Friends of Allandale Station Park, have swelled the Barrie City Hall courtyard for peaceful rallies opposing the planned sports field.

Council essentially approved the field and an addition to Southshore Centre for the Sea Cadets' new home on May 15. A permit is still required from Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, because its regulated area crosses the sports field’s top portion. An archaeological assessment is also needed.

What’s next is the project’s tender preparation, the requests for proposal (RFP), from June to July, the RFP bid evaluation and award, August to September, the field’s design from September to December, and construction from October 2024 to July of next year.

The field, which would be for soccer, rugby, football, lacrosse and marching, and the 600-square-metre addition to the Southshore Centre, have a total building cost of $9.15 million. 

Early Tuesday afternoon, the city announced a slightly new location and size for the waterfront sports field and parade grounds. BarrieToday is working to obtain more details on the changes and another story is forthcoming.