Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte

Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte encompasses the northern portion of the City of Barrie, the Township of Springwater to the west, and part of the Township of Oro-Medonte to the east. The riding straddles urban and rural Ontario — north Barrie's residential subdivisions give way to the rolling farmland and forested areas of Springwater and Oro-Medonte. Barrie's waterfront along Kempenfelt Bay, part of Lake Simcoe, provides a defining geographic feature, while the Minesing Wetlands — spanning more than 15,000 acres in Springwater — are recognized as a wetland of national significance for their ecological diversity.

The riding had a population of approximately 115,500 at the time of the 2016 census. About 12 percent of residents are immigrants, with the largest groups originating from the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands. Roughly 4 percent of the population identifies as Indigenous. The average individual income was approximately $46,500.

Candidates

Doug Shipley (Conservative) — The incumbent MP, first elected in 2019. Shipley served on Barrie City Council for Ward 3 from 2010 to 2019, holding positions as Chair of Finance and Corporate Services, Chair of Infrastructure, Investment and Development Services, and Deputy Chair of the Barrie Police Services Board. He had lived in the riding for more than 20 years.

Tanya Saari (Liberal) — A realtor based in Barrie who previously worked at CIBC and owned her own business. Saari grew up in Port Elgin and settled in Barrie with her husband and three children more than 16 years prior. She ran for Barrie City Council in Ward 3 in 2018 and again in a 2019 byelection.

Sarah Lochhead (NDP) — A dance artist and community organizer who founded Simcoe Contemporary Dancers, a not-for-profit professional dance company based in Barrie. Lochhead held a B.F.A. (Honours) in dance and an M.A. in dance studies from York University. She previously worked for the City of Barrie's parks and recreation department.

Chris Webb (PPC) — The People's Party candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

Like its neighbour Barrie—Innisfil, this riding experienced significant population growth as GTA commuters relocated northward. The top employment sectors were retail trade, healthcare and social assistance, and manufacturing, with nearly 13 percent of the workforce employed in retail. Close to 52 percent of residents held some form of post-secondary education.

The health of Lake Simcoe was a defining environmental issue. Phosphorus loading, invasive species, and shoreline development threatened the lake's water quality, and residents in both Oro-Medonte and Barrie's waterfront neighbourhoods were vocal advocates for stronger protections. The Minesing Wetlands, while ecologically significant, faced pressure from surrounding agricultural runoff and encroaching development. Candidates debated the appropriate balance between economic growth and environmental stewardship at local forums.

Affordable housing and homelessness carried the same urgency here as in the southern Barrie riding. North Barrie's newer subdivisions attracted young families, but rental housing remained scarce and expensive. In the rural townships, the housing challenge took a different form — aging farm properties and a lack of rental stock meant that low-income residents had few options.

Transportation infrastructure was a concern for both urban and rural residents. Within Barrie, local transit service to the northern neighbourhoods was limited. For commuters heading to Toronto, the GO Transit Barrie line offered service from the Allandale Waterfront station, but frequency and travel times remained frustrations. In Springwater and Oro-Medonte, residents relied almost entirely on private vehicles, and road maintenance on rural routes was a perennial issue.