Capital project cost tracker
The big builds, at the prices written in the 2026 capital plan. Every figure carries its basis, because a "project cost" can mean total cost, the city's share, or construction alone — and comparing across those bases is how most wrong numbers about these projects get made.
| Project | Status | Approved estimate | Current estimate | What moved it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performing Arts Centre Redevelopment | Proposed | $77,199,000 total project expenditure request, including $2.199M in prior approvals (project FC1138; $75M of it falls in 2026–2029), 2026 | no revision | — |
| South Barrie Mixed Use Recreation Complex and Library | Proposed | $410,000,000 gross 2026–2035 capital plan spending (project FC1085; $40.75M previously approved; the overview attributes $120.0M to the first five years), 2026 | no revision | — |
| Barrie North West Boutique Library | Proposed | $4,750,000 2026 budget request (project FC1357; $150k previously approved). The overview rounds it to $4.8M., 2026 | no revision | — |
| STEM Hub Campus — Lakehead University | Proposed | $5,250,000 2026 budget request (project FC1339; $1.25M previously approved, $607k spent to Aug 2025), 2026 | no revision | — |
| Sea Cadets Relocation | Proposed | $5,500,000 2026 budget request (project FC1318; $500k previously approved, $200k spent to Aug 2025), 2026 | no revision | — |
Sources: 2026 Capital Project Detail Report, City of Barrie. Original document. 241 pages, one detail sheet per project with project numbers. 2026–2035 Capital Plan (summary tables), City of Barrie. Original document. Per-project ten-year spending tables: total spent to Aug 2025, previously approved budget, and 2026–2035 by year. All retrieved August 9, 2026.
One deliberate omission. Reporting after the December 2025 council meetings put the Performing Arts Centre near $85 million, including an $11.7 million seating decision. Those meetings fall in a gap in the City's public meeting records, so there is currently no primary document behind that figure — the minutes have been requested, a request still outstanding as of August 18, 2026, and the revision will appear here when they arrive. Until then the table shows what the capital plan itself states.
What council has voted on, on the record
Two of the projects above came to recorded votes at the June 18, 2025 Council meeting — and recorded votes are rare enough that these two are worth naming. Item 25-G-177, the South Barrie Mixed Use Recreation Complex and Library, and item 25-G-178, Barrie Performing Arts and Event Centre — Design Development Advancement, each carried 9–0 with two members absent. Who voted, name by name, is on that meeting's page; every other recorded vote is in the ledger.
Source: City Council Minutes, June 18, 2025 (Final), City of Barrie — City Council, dated June 18, 2025. Original document. Passes By-law 2025-070, altering the ward boundaries and repealing By-law 2013-134 (item 25-G-172). Grouped under boundaries because that is what this document is on the site to prove. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
Cost growth has many causes, and mismanagement is only one of them. Where a documented reason for a change exists, it renders beside the numbers; where the documents give no reason, the table says that instead of leaving the number to imply one.
Common questions
What big projects is Barrie building?
The flagship builds — including the South Barrie Mixed Use Recreation Complex and Library and the Barrie Performing Arts and Event Centre — are tracked on this page at the prices written in the 2026 capital plan, each figure with its basis and project number.
How much does the Barrie performing arts centre cost?
The table shows what the capital plan itself states. Reporting after the December 2025 council meetings put it near $85 million including an $11.7 million seating decision, but those minutes are missing from the public record, so that figure has no primary document behind it yet and is deliberately not in the table.