Last week, more than 200 people gathered outside city hall to protest the council’s decision to build a sports field and parade ground near the waterfront in Barrie. 

A new parade ground will be used by the Sea Cadets for parades, and a multi-use sports field with a plastic astrofield is also planned. 

Protestors said they were not opposed to the parade ground and sports field but wanted them to be moved away from the Allandale Station Park to prevent the destruction of the ecosystem and micro-plastic pollution of Lake Simcoe due to the astro field.

The protest was arranged by Friends of Allandale Park. The host of the event, Arnie Ivsins, complained about the lack of consultation with the broader public and called for reconsideration of the decision.

Environmentalist and community leader Cathy Colebatch said the outreach by concerned citizens has gathered more than seven thousand signatures opposing the proposed development on the waterfront.

During the rally, eight-year-old 3rd grader Ben Hammell, in a heartfelt speech to a roaring crowd, expressed his concerns about the environmental and health impacts of the sports field at Allandale Station Park.

"The possibility that tiny specks of little plastic might hitch in our bodies because of astro turf," he said, raising concerns about the microplastic going to the city’s water intake, which is very close to the proposed field. "The council really needs to change their mind, or we are going to be mad,” he concluded.