Mr. Speaker, I stand in the House today to pay tribute to the late Willard Kinzie. Willard Kinzie was the first mayor of the city of Barrie following its incorporation in 1959. Residents of Barrie have an incredible waterfront today. It is because of Mayor Kinzie's vision, leadership and love of the city that generations of Barrie residents get to enjoy our waterfront along Kempenfelt Bay.
When I was first elected to council in 2006, like so many of my colleagues, I relied on Mayor Kinzie's wisdom and knowledge to serve my constituents. He taught me so much about our history and public service.
Mayor Kinzie was active in Barrie until his passing, always there to provide guidance and mentorship to city council. Mr Kinzie served as mayor from 1957 to 1961, but because of the rules of the day, he could only serve one term. One can only imagine what he could have done if given more than those four years. Fortunately, he continued to give decades of his life to the city and the people he loved. We will miss him dearly. We thank Mayor Kinzie for his bold vision and for not listening to the naysayers. We also thank his family for sharing Willard with us so that we could learn so much and be inspired by him.
May God bless Willard Kinzie and use him to create an even better heaven.