Barrie is a city in Souther Ontario, Canada, located on the western shore of Lake Simcoe, approximately 90 km north of Toronto. Although located in Simcoe Country, the city is politically independent. Barrie is located within the northern part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe, a densely populated and industrialized region of Ontario centred around the Greater Toronto Area.

In 2006 the city's population was 128,430 residents, making it the 35th largest city in Canada Data released from the 2006 census indicates that the Barrie metropolitan area, with 177,061 residents, is the 21st largest, and one of the fastest growing census metropolitan areas in the country.