NEW Starting January 10 Please note that the Barrie Public Library is making a change to the online system to make it more secure for you. You will need to add a four (4) digit pin number to your card in order to access your account online.

FAQ – PIN for Online CatalogueWhy do I need a PIN to access my account online?Effective January 10, 2011, the library’s online catalogue will prompt you for a PIN when you want to access your online account. A 4-digit PIN is similar to a password – using the PIN gives you additional protection on your account.

How do I choose a PIN?Please see the circulation staff at the library – tell them you want to update your account with your PIN. It must be 4 digits.

What if I didn’t choose a PIN before January 10, 2011?No worries – our system will have chosen the last 4 digits of your telephone number as your PIN. If you did not have a telephone number in your account, then your new PIN will be “1234”.

I don't use the online catalogue. Why do I need a PIN? Even when you are in the library, you are using the Online Catalogue. If you place your own holds or renew your own items, you will need a PIN. If you do not use the catalogue for this purpose, let the system set your PIN for you.

For information on news, events, and more visit us online at www.barrie.ca

Upcoming Events

January 6th

Contact Us Phone: (705) 726-4242 TTY: (705) 792-7910 E-mail: cityinfo@barrie.ca

APPOINTMENTS TO COMMITTEES OF COUNCIL

Barrie City Council invites

applications from citizens who desire

to have their names considered

for appointment to the various

committees listed below. This is an

opportunity for you to participate in

the operation of your City.

Barrie Public Library Board - This

board is responsible for planning and

policy decisions related to the City's

public library service. Individuals

with marketing, financial, legal or

planning expertise or who have a

keen interest in the development

of library services and facilities are

encouraged to apply. Seven (7)

citizens may be appointed for a term

to expire November 30, 2014.

Communities in Bloom – This

committee endeavours to help

facilitate the development of Barrie,

in the Communities in Bloom

national municipal beautification

contest, with a focus on flowers,

landscaping, gardens, beautification

and environmental awareness. Five

(5) citizens may be appointed for a

term to expire November 30, 2014.

Environmental Advisory Committee - The purpose of this committee

is to promote the protection,

maintenance and awareness of the

environment within the community

and to provide advice concerning

environmental policy, planning and

sustainability. Five (5) citizens may

be appointed for a term to expire

November 30, 2014.

Town and Gown Committee – The

mandate of this committee is to

develop and enhance relationships,

communications and policies

between Georgian College, students,

the City and the community. One (1)

citizen may be appointed for a term

to expire November 30, 2014.

Property Standards Committee

- The purpose of this committee

is to hear appeals from owners or

occupants who are not satisfied with

the terms of an Order issued under

the City’s By-law 84-200, Minimum

Standards and Occupancy By-law.

Five (5) citizens will be appointed for

a term to expire November 30, 2014.

Application forms are available on

the City of Barrie’s website

www.barrie.ca

Applications containing details

regarding qualifications and

applicable experience for the above

appointment may be directed to the

undersigned at the City Clerk's Office

at City Hall 70 Collier Street, P.O. Box

400, L4M 4T5. Please return your

completed application to the address

noted below, in person, by mail, by

email at deputation@barrie.ca or by

fax at (705) 739-4243 no later than

12:00 p.m. noon on Wednesday, January 19, 2011.

For further information, please

contact, Nina Brancaccio at

(705) 739-4220, Ext. 4420.

Personal information received in

response to this notice is collected

under the authorities of the

Municipal Act, S.O. 2001.

Dawn A. McAlpine,

City Clerk

The City of Barrie

70 Collier Street, P.O.

Box 400, L4M 4T5

Are You Interested InEmployment

Opportunitieswith the City of Barrie?

Visit barrie.ca

January 8"Snowperson" Competition 4-5 pm @ The Holly Youth Centre Come out and build the best snowperson you can! The snowpeople will be on display outside of the Holly Youth Centre for the youth to judge the best creation!

January 15 Candy Making4—5 pm @ The Holly Youth CentreYouth 11-18yrs.Candy has never tasted better when you make it yourself! Join us to learn the tips and tricks to candy making and take home a goodie bag!

Barrie Public Library

(705) 728-1010, www.library.barrie.on.ca

60 Worsley Street

SESSIONS ARE DROP-IN AND FREE

January 13 Around the World in 69 Minutes: Best of Egypt 7:00 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.Wendy Taylor and her husband recently hosted a twelve day long tour of Egypt. Join us as she shares their visit to The Valley of the Kings and Luxor and a cruise down the Nile River. All adults are welcome.

January 7 FNYC are Back!4-8pm @ 3 locations - East Bayfield Community Centre, Allandale Recreation Centre and Lampman Lane Community Centre. Youth 10-16 yrs.

The holidays are over and you are looking for something fun and free to do on a Friday Night. Come out to the free Friday Night Youth Centre’s. On January 7th check out the following events; Open Art Attack and Challenges & Treats!

A Brand New Website for the City of BarrieHousehold names like Facebook, Twitter, Ebay,

Kijiji, signal our expansion into a global and online era. It's no wonder, the internet provides the perfect medium to easily keep everyone connected and informed. Likewise, the City of Barrie strives to increase its connection with residents and businesses. For this reason, it is launching an improved website that will help the City meet the needs of our growing community in this new age of online technology. Plans for the new Barrie site began in the summer of 2009 with the intention of improving the current site's customer friendliness, usefulness, as well as the City's connection with the community.

“It is a new website that is visually more appealing, with easy-to-use navigation, more user-friendly, and increased accessibility. Most important, this website provides increased opportunities for citizen engagement," says Manager of Application Services Scott Morrow. On the new site, residents can easily navigate to the information or service they require without knowing anything about the department structure at City Hall. Conversely, on the existing website, users need to have some basic understanding of a department's related services in order to find a specific piece of information.

"In the Fall of 2009 we conducted an online survey to help determine the site navigation. This data, combined with analytics from our site, made it clear that users of barrie.ca were looking for an easier way to find information,” says Communications Advisor Cheri Harris. “The new barrie.ca is user centric; meaning it has been designed from a citizen point of view. For example, information is organized into categories based on common naming conventions – home renovations, getting around and garbage & recycling.”

In addition to attracting more resident traffic, the new Barrie site also targets the business community. Numerous built-in features are tailored towards attracting, retaining, and expanding business in the City of Barrie. For example, clicking on the heading "Doing Business" located on the main page will drive businesses to another site area that will answer all business related questions.

The new site is being deployed in two phases. Phase 1 will launch on January 25, 2011 providing residents and businesses with the following new e-services: • Improved accessibility with “Browse Aloud” feature

• Secure Online Portal for users to sign-in and view their payment history

• Virtual Cashier capability

• Online Parking Ticket Payment

• Animal Licenses Registration and Payment

• Sign Permit Registration and Payment

• Email Notification and Newsletters

• Citizen Feedback/Comments

• Event Registration

• Photo Gallery

• Polls

• And the ability to display archived multimedia (video)

Phase 2 will launch in the latter part of 2011 and will include:

• A Business Directory

• Discussion Forums and Blogs

• And Facilities Booking

Once the new site is up and running, residents and businesses will have quicker and easier access to municipal services and information.

Be sure to visit www.barrie.ca on January 25th.

Mayor Jeff Lehman’s New Year’s MessageIt gives me great pleasure on behalf of City Council to offer best wishes to the citizens of Barrie for a safe and prosperous new year. Your newly-elected Council is united in our enthusiasm about the opportunities we have to bring positive change to our community during our term of office. We are committed to working effectively together and to providing good governance to the City of Barrie.

As we turn the page on 2010, it is clear that the New Year brings opportunities for our great city to move forward in many ways. In 2011, as the economy recovers, Barrie will return to growth, both in terms of new jobs and new residents. We will begin the secondary planning process for our new lands, and we will be challenged to make tough decisions about changing forms of development, as growing more sustainably means growing differently.

This is an exciting time in Barrie’s history, but the challenges we face are not small ones. We’re going to have to grow differently, spend frugally, put ourselves on a new economic path as a community, and change how we deliver services as a municipality. All of this will take time, and it will require political will and commitment, but it is essential if we are to become a more prosperous and more sustainable community.

To accomplish these changes, we will need new ideas. I believe 2011 will be a year in which new ideas will be put to the people of Barrie, and the public engaged in a more meaningful way in the major decisions affecting our community.

As a Council, we have made some of these changes already. We have improved opportunities for public involvement in decision-making by enabling ‘open delegations’ at all Council meetings. The effectiveness and efficiencies of Council operations have been enhanced through our restructuring of reference and advisory committees, and changing the way Council and Committee meetings themselves function.

Throughout the organization, as we make these changes, I would like to continue to foster a customer friendly atmosphere at City Hall, with a clear focus on professionalism and courtesy in public service.

Some of my immediate goals for 2011 include managing growth, taking new steps to revitalize our City Centre, and a renewed focus on economic development – supporting job creation, removing barriers to business expansion, encouraging research and development, and growing our partnership with Georgian College, and Laurentian University. And it’s time to return to positive working relationships with our municipal neighbours – this has been a priority for my first few weeks in the Mayor’s office.

In closing, I am very excited about Barrie’s prospects. We now have an opportunity to govern with purpose and vision. Our future is bright. Council appreciates your vote of confidence, and is dedicated to working hard for the benefit of you, the citizens of Barrie.

On behalf of City Council, please accept my sincere best wishes to you and your families for a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year! Mayor Jeff Lehman

PURCHASING BRANCHBID OPPORTUNITIES

DOCUMENTS are available on-line at Biddingo.com/Barrie or from the Purchasing Branch, 56 Mulcaster Street, Barrie ON during business hours Monday to Friday, 8:30 am. to 4:30 pm. For further information please visit www.barrie.ca or by telephone (705) 739-4220 Ext 4538 or Ext 5163 or by Email at purchasing@barrie.ca

Electronic copies are only available through Biddingo.com/barrie. The City of Barrie document fee does not apply to documents that are downloaded electronically through Bidding.com/barrie, however a Biddingo.com fee may be applicable.

REQUEST FOR PRE-QUALIFICATION

# FIN 2010-160PQSERVICE PROVIDERS FOR SUPPLEMENTAL URBAN

FORESTRY CARE & PLANTINGFOR THE CITY OF BARRIE

The Corporation of the City of Barrie requires a number of qualified companies on an “as required basis.” The successful pre-qualified contractors will be placed on a registry, which corporate staff will use to solicit competitive quotations for specific projects and emergency services.

A non-refundable Document Fee of $30.00 plus GST applies to each hardcopy of the RFPQ Document.

Closing: 4:30 p.m. local time, Thursday, January 20, 2011.

PURCHASING BRANCH

Electronic copies are only available through Biddingo.com/barrie. The City of Barrie document fee does not apply to documents that are downloaded electronically through Bidding.com/barrie, however a Biddingo.com fee may be applicable.

THE CORPORATION RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ACCEPT OR REJECT ANY OR ALL SUBMISSIONS.

Bids & Tenders Striking Committee

Are you tired of being a starving artist? Do you have a strategy for securing your financial future? This workshop will help you take the first steps in creating a plan that will

improve your financial health by taking control of your money. Learn how to

develop a financial plan for working in the arts. Topics covered will be budgeting,

managing debt, paying yourself first, building your portfolio with wealth

building strategies and managing your taxes. This workshop will be held at

24 Maple Avenue, 2nd floor Board Room on Saturday January 22 from 10:00 am to 11:30 am. There is no cost for this workshop as it is

sponsored by the City of Barrie Department of Culture, however you

must pre-register by emailing us at culture@barrie.ca or call us

at (705) 739-4299.

The City of Barrie is undertaking a Review of both the Property Standards By-law No. 2006-26 and the Clean yards by-law No. 90-355. These by-laws govern the maintenance and upkeep of all properties and structures in the City of Barrie.

The City is looking for input from all stakeholders including property owners, tenants and property managers for the standards that the community wants. This input will be considered for inclusion in the revised by-laws to be presented to Council in the Spring of 2011.

There will be two Open Houses held in the Sir Robert Barrie Room located on the second floor of City Hall from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on: Thursday, January 13th and Thursday, January 27th 2011.

There will be an opportunity to review the proposed property standards. Staff will also be on hand to answer questions, accept comments and suggestions.

If you are unable to attend either one of the Open Houses, please visit www.barrie.ca under “What’s New” to view a copy of the proposed standards.

Should you have any comments or questions about the Review or the process involved, please contact Chris Alexander, Supervisor Property and Zoning Standards at calexander@barrie.ca or (705) 739-4220 ext. 4313.

Financial Planning for the Artist

Property Maintenance By-laws Review Open Houses

Fire Permits Notice(Outdoor Solid Fuel Burning Appliances)

Barrie Fire & Emergency ServiceAll OSFBA expired as of December 31, 2010.Effective January 1, 2011 permits will be subject to an annual fee of $10.

Permits will be available at Station #1, 65 Vespra St. at a cost of $10 (cash only). Online applications are not available at this time.

*Tenants require the owner’s permission in writing(email/letter) to obtain a permit.

For further information call (705) 728-3199 or visit www.barrie.ca

Clearing Snow on Your PropertyThe City devotes a great deal of resources to

keep your streets and sidewalks clear

of snow and ice after a snow fall. Frequently,

residents push, throw or otherwise deposit

snow and ice from their property onto the

street or sidewalk not realizing that this

action contravenes municipal regulations.

This practice contributes to unsafe driving

and walking conditions and increases the

cost of providing winter road maintenance.

You can make a difference. When you are

clearing snow from your driveway, please

keep this snow on your property. Your

efforts in helping us make winter driving

and walking safe for everyone

are appreciated.