New kid on the block

Brian Jackson will bring almost two decades of experience to Barrie council chamber
By IAN MCINROY BARRIE EXAMINER October 30 2010
Newbie councillor? Maybe to Barrie residents.
But when Brian Jackson — current Innisfil mayor and councillor-elect for Ward 9 in south-end Barrie — sits down at the inaugural city council meeting on Dec. 6, he’ll have the most political experience of anyone at the table.

Jackson squeezed past Ward 9 incumbent Andrew Prince by less than 100 votes — 1,223 to 1,144 — in Monday’s municipal election and now finds himself in what many might consider an awkward situation.
The irony is not lost on the 61-year-old veteran politician.
“It does feel a bit odd,” he said with a chuckle, of his transition from Innisfil’s town hall to downtown Barrie’s city hall.
The man who led the fight to save as much Innisfil land as possible from being gobbled up by its northern neighbour is now paying Barrie taxes, and is soon to be a representative of the city.
Having lived for 28 years in St. Paul’s — a stretch of houses along Yonge Street south of Mapleview Drive East that was once part of Innisfil — Jackson has been a Barrie resident since Jan. 1. That’s when the Barrie-Innisfil Boundary Adjustment Act came into effect, transferring 5,664 acres of Innisfil land to Barrie and extending municipal wards 7, 8, 9 and 10 to the south.
Jackson says his commitment to serve the community didn’t stop when the boundary adjust-m e nt changed his mailing address.
“A lot of it has to do with giving back. I didn’t change. I’m still the same person. The line dividing the two municipalities changed,” he said, adding there isn’t a big difference between representing residents in Barrie and those of Innisfil.
“They’re all taxpayers and I want to be a councillor who is responsive to their needs,” Jackson said. “I have a reputation of trying to deal with problems and resolving issues. And I hope my experience as a ward councillor helping people resolve local problems will be of benefit.”
Jackson has no regrets about his almost 20 years on town council, or the fact they are behind him.
“I’m not sad. I enjoyed my time,” he said of his political experience in Innisfil. “I worked hard during my 13 years as mayor and six years as councillor there and we still have work to do in the remainder of our term.”
Jackson was a familiar face in the community, and says he missed less than 15 functions he was invited to during the time he was on council.
“Sometimes I’d have as many as four in one day,” he said.
But weekend cake-cuttings didn’t cause him the grief the town’s boundary challenges with Barrie did.
“It was difficult to deal with the situation of annexation,” he said. “It was stressful for council and residents, who didn’t know what the town was going to look like when it was done.
“There had to be a win-win for both sides,” Jackson added, “but when it became evident it wasn’t going to be a win-win, we initiated the Fair Growth campaign,” which included a large media blitz and demonstration at Queens Park in Toronto.
Jackson said he ran a “smaller” campaign for the Ward 9 council seat, and was met with a variety of responses while knocking on doors.
“Some people were receptive,” he said. “In other cases, it was difficult to gauge their reaction. And some recognized me from the Big Bay Point Resort issue and the Barrie/Innisfil annexation talks.
“A lot of people commented that it wasn’t fair for the Town of Innisfil, but that is history now,” Jackson added. “The province has made its decision and we have to move forward.”
Jackson said even during the boundary negotiations, he never had a hate on for Barrie.
“We live on the edge of Barrie. My business (civil engineering firm Terraprobe) is in Barrie. Barrie is one of the most progressive municipalities in Simcoe County,” he said.
“It’s a great city and Innisfil is a great town and it’s a significant area for growth,” he said. “Barrie and the surrounding area are almost ideal places to live.
“They’re really accessible to four seasons of recreation and just 45 minutes away from a major city with all its cultural aspects.”
Safety and security in his ward, including speeding on certain roads, are a major concern as are traffic gridlock on Mapleview Drive and the massive proposed development east of the South Barrie GO train station.
Residents have raised concerns about the sheer size of the proposed medium-and high-density housing project — comprised of 2,174 units on nearly 100 acres of land, at 700 and 725 Mapleview Dr. E. — including street townhouses, four-and sixplexes, and a number of apartments ranging from six to 24 storeys.
Now that Jackson is focused on Barrie, there are issues he’d like to work on with council, including building a better relationship with its southern neighbour and making the best use of land secured during the boundary adjustment.
“Strategic planning for the annexed land is vital. We have to move forward with that,” he said.
But Jackson’s immediate priority is getting settled into Barrie City Hall.
“I’m really looking forward to working with mayor-elect Jeff Lehman and the other members of Barrie council,” he said. “There will be a learning curve but it’s going to be very exciting.
“I’ve already been invited to dinner with some of the seniors at the IOOF.”