At Issue: Heart Barrie Sign Stirs Controversy

Over the past week, the conversation around a certain sign in Barrie has heated up.  

Councillor Mike McCann has proposed to lead a fundraising effort for a heart Barrie sign at Meridian Place downtown. 

He says he’s raised over $50,000 so far, of the $200,00 that it’s estimated to cost. 

“I’ve gotten a lot of passion towards this,” Coun. McCann told councilors on Feb. 22. He said the sign will unite downtown Barrie and provide a central point for tourism. The design, said McCann, would be very similar to the interactive Toronto or Kingston signs: 

“It’s elegant, it’s bold, it’s stunning and it’s sustainable.” 

But there’s lots of opposition to this project. To find out more, I spoke with Victoria Butler. 

She’s Barrie’s Poet Laureate and is delivering a deputation to council on the issue on Monday night. 

“Under any of the articles posted about it, I have not found a single positive comment,” said Butler.

She says the sign isn’t what the downtown Barrie community needs. 

“I’m so tired of people coming in with these ideas of what they think is best for the downtown when they don’t know anything about what the downtown is, or what it means or what it represents,” said Butler. 

However, McCann says that’s exactly why he wants a sign: he said he’s spoken to many people in the public. 

In under 24 hours, he raised $50,000 for the sign. 

“It’s not just a sign for me,” McCann says in a video posted to the “Mike McCann loves Barrie” Facebook page.

“This is an inspiration, this is something that’s going to bring the community together.” 

While BCM was not able to speak with Coun. McCann before publishing, he did agree to an interview when his schedule allows. 

The debate will go before City Council on March 1st.