Courtesy Barrie360.com

By Dan Blakeley, June 20, 2025

After a spring that left many in Simcoe County shaking their heads at the sky, residents are looking ahead and wondering: What does summer have in store?

Environment Canada’s David Phillips offers cautious optimism, predicting a warmer-than-average summer with typical rainfall—a combination that could bring relief to backyard gardeners and farmers alike.

“If it’s been wet, wet, wet… at least if it’s going to be warm, warm, warm, that is the kind of almost perfect kind of situation,” said Phillips. Simcoe County has clocked about 30% more precipitation than normal since January, a potential “safety valve” for the drier days of summer.

But don’t expect to pencil in your beach days too far in advance. “We do get our share of summer severe weather,” Phillips noted. “And I would love to be able to tell you, ‘Just avoid the outdoors on August the third because there’s going to be a humdinger of a storm.’ But I’d be a charlatan if I said that.”

It’s not the average temperature or rainfall that defines a season—it’s the surprises. The ice storm that walloped Barrie in late March, downing trees and upending spring plans, is a prime example. And in 2021, it was a mid-July tornado that stole summer’s spotlight.

Still, locals might finally catch a streak of patio-worthy evenings. “We couldn’t buy a string of consistent weather,” Phillips said of the recent spring. Forecast models from the U.S., Europe, and Canada are now unusually aligned, predicting better days ahead. “They’re all singing from the same song sheet,” he said.

With summer arriving at 10:42 tonight, Simcoe County residents should prepare for a warmer stretch—along with the usual mix of unpredictability. As Phillips put it, “I think when we come to Labour Day, and we crunch our numbers, we’ll say, you know what, it was not a bad summer at all…
we got enough warm temperatures to satisfy all those people who love muscle shirts and tank tops.”

2) Simcoe County nearing end of record brush collection after ice storm

Courtesy Barrie360.com

By Julius Hern, June 20, 2025

A brutal ice storm froze over Simcoe County in late March, which led to an extraordinary amount of damage to trees and property, as well as the long power outages in many areas.

It caught many by surprise, despite the warnings from Environment Canada in the days leading up to it, and led to many being isolated in their homes for days on end.

However, the County of Simcoe’s crews have made a lot of progress managing, collecting, and cleaning up ice storm-related debris from the area.

Here’s a summary of the efforts and progress made in Simcoe County:

BRUSH TOTALS

More than 24 different crews were deployed to support cleanup across the county over the past three months and collected more than four times the annual amount of brush tonnage.

Crews collected over 20,000 tonnes in the past three months compared to the annual average of about 4,400 tonnes.

RESPONSE MEASURES

Multiple strategies were implemented by the county’s Solid Waste Management Department in the storm’s aftermath.

The first was for the count to accept all storm-related brush at its waste facilities free of charge, as well as extending operating hours and creating temporary drop-off sites in areas hit hardest by the ice storm.

Next, rules were relaxed regarding curbside collection., which allowed residents to leave their brush of all sizes at the curb and unbundled.

Then, in May, Simcoe County launched a request system, in which residents could submit requests for brush pick-up through an online portal, by phone, or by email. This resulted in over 1,200 service requests.

TIMING AND NEXT STEPS

Chipper crews have completed their pickup service, but residents of Simcoe County can still drop off storm-related brush at county waste facilities until the end of the month. After June, regular fees will come back for residential drop-off.

Simcoe County’s regular leaf and yard waste collection will resume the week of July 6.