Barrie will become home to Lakehead University’s STEM Hub beginning in the fall of 2026, it was announced Thursday afternoon.
Lakehead, based in Thunder Bay, has a satellite campus in west Orillia as well as a presence in the downtown core of the Sunshine City.
To be located downstairs at 24 Maple Ave., in what’s now the Barrie Transit Terminal, the new stand-alone campus will need 7,500 to 10,000 square feet of space, officials said. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“The wait is over, Barrie,” said Mayor Alex Nuttall. “A university in Barrie, in this case, in downtown Barrie. We’re building on real, sound fundamentals.”
Barrie’s Lakehead University programming will focus on electrical engineering and computer science in the beginning and grow from there.
“These are areas where skilled talent is in great demand,” said Dr. Gillian Siddall, Lakehead’s president and vice-chancellor. “Barrie is a vibrant, growing city with an enormous need for skilled talent.”
Ward 2 Coun. Craig Nixon, who represents the downtown, said Lakehead’s arrival is good news for not only the area, but for the entire city.
“This area is quickly turning into a ‘learning’ district and (a university campus) will add greatly to the revitalization of the downtown core,” he said.
“It will provide for skills and talent,” Deputy Mayor Robert Thomson said of the Barrie university.
Nuttall said it will also allow the city’s youth to stay in Barrie for university diplomas and degrees, instead of going elsewhere.
The mayor said Barrie will partner with Lakehead University, with talk of the city’s financial stake coming to city councillors as early as Nov. 27.
Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey was also on hand today with a one-time, $1-million provincial cheque to help Barrie with the housing needs created by university students.
Lakehead’s coming presence in downtown Barrie is just the latest news there on the education front.
In June, it was announced that as many as 800 post-secondary students will be added to downtown Barrie, starting in 2025. Georgian College made the announcement at 55 Mulcaster St., which is the Barrie City Centre building near Collier Street.
Georgian College will offer a hub of creative programming there for students in areas such as design, visual arts and emerging innovative technologies, to provide increased opportunities for hands-on learning, collaborative partnerships and immersive experiences.
The college is still working through the details about what programs and services will be offered at this new location.
The new presence downtown will also distribute Georgian students more broadly throughout Barrie, enabling them to live, work and study in various neighbourhoods.
Lakehead’s Barrie campus will have space on Maple Avenue when Barrie’s Allandale Transit Terminal, at Essa Road and Gowan Street, adjacent to the existing GO Transit corridor, becomes operational in mid- to late-2025.
The terminal is to host seamless transit services and connections between Simcoe County, Muskoka and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and be integrated with two-way GO train service, located at the Allandale Waterfront GO station.
