Ward 10 voter letters: the printing error, and what to do

What happened

Voter information letters, which carry the PIN you vote with, were mailed to everyone on the voters' list from the last week of September. On October 1, 2026 the City announced that the letters mailed to Ward 10 voters listed the wrong ward number. The City Clerk attributed the error to the City's third-party print vendor and said it was limited to Ward 10.

Because a PIN is tied to the ballot it opens, the City deactivated every original Ward 10 PIN and issued new ones in updated letters. Cancelling the old PINs is also what stops anyone holding both letters from voting twice: only one PIN per voter works.

Nothing was lost by the timing. The error was announced fifteen days before voting opened on October 16, and the updated letters began arriving on October 5.

Are you affected?

Only if you live in Ward 10 under the 2026 boundaries. Barrie's ward map changed for this election, so the ward you voted in before may not be the ward you vote in now. Look up your address to be sure, and see what changed in the ward map. Who is running in Ward 10.

What Ward 10 voters need to do

1. Destroy the first letter

   The original letter, with the wrong ward number, is no longer valid, and its PIN will not open a ballot. The City asks Ward 10 voters to destroy it.

2. Watch for the updated letter

   Its envelope has a yellow address panel and is clearly marked "Updated Voter Information", and the City says the letter inside is printed on yellow paper. Updated letters began arriving on October 5.

3. Vote with the new PIN

   Use the PIN in the updated letter, online or by telephone, any time from 10:00 a.m. on October 16 until 8:00 p.m. on October 26. How internet and telephone voting works.

If the updated letter hasn't come

Contact the City's election office at (705) 728-VOTE (8683) or Be.Counted@barrie.ca. The City's general advice for any voter whose letter has not arrived by October 13 is to get a PIN in person at a Voter Assistance Centre with acceptable identification; the centres are open on the four days below. If you lose the updated letter, call or email straight away; the City deactivates the PIN of a letter reported lost.

Voter Assistance Centres

To support Ward 10 voters, the City added a sixth centre, at the Surface Water Treatment Plant, 20 Royal Parkside Drive. It keeps the same hours as the other five, and any of the six can help a Ward 10 voter.

The other five: City Hall (70 Collier Street), Parkview Centre (189 Blake Street), East Bayfield Community Centre (80 Livingstone Street East), Allandale Recreation Centre (190 Bayview Drive) and Peggy Hill Team Community Centre (171 Mapleton Avenue). What the centres can do for you.

Timeline

• Last week of September: voter information letters mailed to everyone on the voters' list.
• October 1: the City announces the Ward 10 error, deactivates the original Ward 10 PINs, and adds the sixth assistance centre.
• October 5: updated Ward 10 letters begin arriving.
• October 16, 10:00 a.m.: internet and telephone voting opens.
• October 22 to 26: Voter Assistance Centres open (not Sunday the 25th).
• October 26, 8:00 p.m.: voting closes.

Sources: Voter information: "Look out for your voting PIN", City of Barrie. Original document. Letters mailed from the last week of September; no PIN by October 13 means a Voter Assistance Centre with ID; a misplaced letter means calling or emailing at once, which deactivates the old PIN. Pasted from the live page (the City refuses automated fetches). Its "Attention Ward 10 voters" line confirms the misprinted letters. Voter information: "Voter Assistance Centres", City of Barrie. Original document. All six centres, including the Surface Water Treatment Plant added October 1, open the same four days: October 22 and 23, 10 a.m.–8 p.m.; Saturday October 24, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; October 26, 10 a.m.–8 p.m. The Clerk's procedures (§12.1(c)) print Saturday as 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; the City's current page is followed. Pasted from the live page. Barrie Ward 10 voters to receive new voter information letters after printing error, Barrie 360, dated October 1, 2026. Original document. Reprints the City of Barrie's media release, quoting the City Clerk: the misprinted Ward 10 letters, the deactivated PINs, the updated letters (yellow address panel, "Updated Voter Information") from October 5, and a sixth Voter Assistance Centre at the Surface Water Treatment Plant. The City's own release is on barrie.ca, which refuses automated reads; it replaces this entry once read. Watch your mailbox! A mixup with Barrie's Ward 10 voter information letters means new PINs, Simcoe.com, dated October 2, 2026. Original document. The same facts from the City's release, plus the five existing centres by address and the added sixth. All retrieved October 7, 2026.

The City's October 1 release is cited through Barrie 360, which published it in full under the City's byline; barrie.ca refuses automated reads, so the release has not been read on the City's own site. The City's voter information page, pasted from the live page on October 7, confirms the Ward 10 error and lists the six centres and their hours.