Starting next month the US is opening its borders to fully vaccinated Canadians but this pandemic made Ontarians to explore their own province and country. 

Heritage Barrie is trying to make the city more attractive to tourists by undertaking various initiatives. Some of the initiatives are public arts and heritage tourism. 

To promote heritage tourism, Barrie Heritage Awards are given every year. The awards started in 2012.  

The 2021 nomination period is now open and submissions will be accepted until November 26. You can find the application form in the link below. 

https://www.barrie.ca/Culture/Heritage/Pages/Barrie-Heritage-Awards.aspx

The Heritage committee selects the winners. However Chair Cathy Colebatch indicated starting a People’s Choice Award in which Barrie residents would be invited to vote. 

Barrie Heritage Awards will be held in the beginning of February before the Family Day long weekend. Council will present the awards to the winners. Hopefully in person this year.

During the recent Heritage Barrie Committee meeting, its Vice Chair Craig Froese gave a short presentation explaining what Heritage Barrie is and activities it undertakes.

Heritage designation helps your property and Barrie in many ways. Froese explained the four main reasons you should get the designation for your property.

When a property gets heritage designation it contributes to the local economy by making Barrie more attractive to tourists. 

There are two designations awarded to a property – listed designation and heritage designation. A listed designation is just a simple acknowledgement that there is historic value to your property. On the other hand a heritage designation gives the property a legal status under the Ontario Heritage Act. The City Council can legally refuse any application that would adversely affect the property’s heritage attributes.

So get all the information before you apply for a heritage designation. 

On the Barrie Heritage website, you can find a map with locations of buildings that are designated and listed. Barrie has 16 designated and 33 listed buildings.

In the end, city planner Tomasz Wierzba and Chair Cathy Colebatch showed beautiful properties that won the previous awards. 

So don’t forget to send your dominations if you think your property qualifies and spread the word.