Barrie Community News

Students from an Edmonton high school kept a non-profit charity initiative alive with a two-day event that provided free clothing and hygiene products to anyone who needs them. Christina Daniel founded Ross Sheppard High School’s Givology in 2024 as a Grade 11 student after learning one of her peers had been facing homelessness.

Over the years, BarrieToday has published countless stories, celebrated local heroes, informed the community on challenges we faced, recognized the good work of our neighbours and partnered with local businesses, non-profits and grassroots community organizations. Now, we are taking the next step in strengthening our community by bringing people together to talk, listen and chart a better path forward for Barrie by introducing our Community Conversation.

For the fourth time, the City of Orillia will host the Ontario Winter Games, set to officially kick off on Feb. 19. But without volunteers, community-run events like this can’t succeed, warn organizers.

Goodbye, 2025: when it came to big announcements, 2025 was a relatively underwhelming year for Canada’s charities and non-profits. But what will 2026 hold for the sector? Below, we highlight four developments to keep an eye on in 2026. Already, two of these: the CRA’s move to “axe the fax” and the Lobbying Commissioner’s move to lower the registration threshold for organizations, are well underway.

For Canadian nonprofits, 2026 won’t be defined by a single trend, technology, or threat. It will be defined by how well organizations adapt to an environment where demand continues to rise faster than capacity, fundraising models are shifting, digital transformation is uneven, and donors are more diverse in identity and expectation than ever before. In our work at Salytics, we see these pressures playing out in every engagement, from small social service agencies to large federated institutions and they are reshaping how leaders set strategy.

The mortgage industry is once again lacing up its bowling shoes and taking another spin in a collective effort to “Strike Out Cancer” in late February.