The City of Barrie & Barrie Colts Extend Lease for 15 Years
April 20, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Barrie Colts News Release
Barrie, ON - The Barrie Colts are excited to announce that Mayor Alex Nuttall and Barrie Council approved a new 15-year Lease Agreement that will see the Colts continue to call Barrie and the Sadlon Arena home for many years to come.
On behalf of the entire Barrie Colts organization, I would especially like to thank Mayor Nuttall for all his hard work and City of Barrie Council and staff for reaffirming their continued support of the Colts with this new 15-year lease agreement. Mayor Nuttall's tireless efforts on this agreement are very much appreciated. This agreement solidifies and continues our commitment to the City of Barrie, community and our great fans, and ensures that we can continue to provide incredible hockey and entertainment experiences at Sadlon Arena said Howie Campbell, President and Owner of the Barrie Colts.
Under the new 15-year lease agreement the Barrie Colts will:
contribute over $8 Million Dollars to help underwrite the operating costs of Sadlon Arena
contribute over $2 million dollars to local charities such as Barrie Food Bank, Hospice Simcoe, Easter Seals and dozens more through The Barrie Colts Foundation
contribute over $1.5 million dollars to local schools from the Barrie Colts Adopt A School program
invest over $1.5 Million in improvements to Sadlon Arena in addition to the over 1 million dollars that the Colts invested in improvements and updates during the current lease term
should the City of Barrie decide to proceed on the recommendations made in a consultants report that was completed by The City of Barrie and Tourism Barrie in 2023, the Colts will contribute to the capital costs of adding an addition to Sadlon Arena that was outlined in the report
invest over $2 million dollars in college and university costs for players to attend post-secondary education institutions
An economic impact study was completed by Destinations International Tourism Economics. Taking into account the number of fans that attend games, both locally and from out of town, the number of people employed by the Colts and amounts spent with local suppliers, the report states that The Barrie Colts have a direct economic impact of over $43 million dollars per year which, over the 15 year term, equates to over $640 million in economic stimulus for the City of Barrie economy.
The Barrie Colts are a large employer, providing over 150 full-time and part-time jobs in the City of Barrie. Many of the part-time jobs are young people's first jobs, giving them valuable work experience. Other part-time jobs are held by seniors, providing them extra income and a social work environment. The Colts also run a paid intern program which includes giving college, university and some high schools students, real hands-on work experience in every area of working for a sports organization. Many of the interns have moved into full-time jobs with the Colts and with other OHL and CHL teams as well as NHL teams and organizations in other sports besides hockey.
I want to thank the Barrie Colts Ownership for their continued support of our community with this new 15-year lease. The Barrie Colts are a key employer and according to a report by Destinations International, the Colts will have a direct economic impact to the City of Barrie of over $640 million dollars over the term of the agreement. As well, many people don't realize the amount of marketing and media exposure that the City of Barrie benefits from by having an OHL team here in our community. Each year the amount of media exposure from television, articles, social media, etc. that the team and league generates for the City, is in the millions of dollars of value. I am thrilled that the current Council was able to ensure that the Barrie Colts will continue to not only be an important economic driver, but also one of the largest sources of donations and support to the many charitable organizations here in Barrie, said Mayor Alex Nuttall.
The Barrie Colts have a long history of supporting our community. Over the last 20 years the Colts and The Barrie Colts Foundation has made financial donations of more than $3 Million Dollars for local charities such as:
Angus Food Bank
Aurora Food Pantry
Alzheimer Society
Barrie & District Christmas Cheer Organization
Barrie Food Bank
Barrie Public Library Board
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Barrie and District
Busby Centre
Canadian Mental Health Association, Simcoe County Branch
Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities
Candlelighters Simcoe - Parents of Children with Cancer
Down Syndrome Association of Simcoe County
Empower Simcoe
Easter Seals
Guilda's Club of Barrie
Habitat for Humanity - Huronia Inc
Hospice Simcoe
RVH Foundation
Seasons Centre for Grieving Children
Senior Wish Association
Special Olympics Canada
Starlight Children's Foundation (Ontario)
The Busby Centre
The Salvation Army Barrie Bayside Mission Centre
Women & Children's Shelter (Barrie)
Youth Haven (Barrie)
And many, many more that are too numerous to list.
The Barrie Colts also have an Adopt A School program that they have been running for 20 years. Each game, the Colts have as many as three schools that have that game as their official game night. Colts players attend rallies and assemblies at the Schools ahead of their nights and speak to students. The main school each game has their school choir attend their game and sing the national anthem. Key points of the program include:
$6 per ticket sold by the school for their game night is donated back to the school, which has resulted in over $2 million dollars invested in local schools over the past 20 years
The Colts visit over 50 schools per year
Schools have used their funds to purchase things like playground equipment, band instruments, uniforms, sporting equipment, supplies and to fund field trips and attending sports tournaments.
I moved my family to Barrie after I purchased the team in 2005. My kids have grown up here and our roots are here. I am thrilled that with the new agreement, I'll be spending my retirement years here in Barrie! I'm very proud of the employment opportunities we continue to provide and amazed at how many young hockey players we have helped develop not only into professional hockey players, but into successful people in many different areas of life. Myself and the entire Colts organization remain committed to bringing another championship and a Memorial Cup to the City of Barrie. But equally as important to our organization is that we will continue to be a supportive partner in our community. Over the next 15 years, the Barrie Colts and the Barrie Colts Foundation will continue to be a key partner to local charities and organizations and local schools. That is very important to me personally, said Howie Campbell, President of The Barrie Colts.
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