Mr. Speaker, I am proud to announce that the city of Barrie in my riding of Barrie--Simcoe--Bradford has blossomed into a winner. Barrie has won the top award in the national Communities in Bloom program. The announcement was made in a ceremony in Saint John, New Brunswick, last week. Barrie has also picked up another award. The National Capital Commission Award was given as a separate prestigious distinction for beautification effort.
I am pleased to congratulate all those involved in making my city beautiful and achieving this recognition. Special kudos go to Alderman Patricia Copeland, head of Barrie's Communities in Bloom committee. I thank those who worked so hard to achieve this honour. This five bloom ranking will help promote the city of Barrie to tourists and attract business and industry.