After the COVID-19 pandemic delayed gatherings, Barrie Fire and Emergency Services held a ceremony Friday to honour the renaming of Wilkins Park.
Barrie Fire and Emergency Service hosted a recognition ceremony Friday in honour of William Jonathan ‘Billy’ Wilkins, the namesake of Wilkins Park.
Wilkins served as a Barrie, Ont., firefighter for around two years. He was a third-class firefighter and training facilitator when he passed away in the line of duty on May 27, 2002, at the age of 32.
“He was an advocate for our newer members to assist them with training. He just it’s just a tremendous individual. He had a huge passion for life, an infectious smile, and really made people so great when you were around him,” said Cory Mainprize, fire chief and director of emergency services.
The park was initially named Wilkins Beach but was renamed in 2021 after officials say it saw an influx of visitors during the pandemic.
“In an effort to reduce the number of people visiting the park, they changed the name from Wilkins Beach to Wilkins Park,” Mainprize said.
He said that while the site had previously been named after Wilkins, they did not have a plaque or anything explaining the reasoning behind the name.
“When it was originally named Wilkins Beach, I don’t recall a ceremony ever actually taking place, so now the name has been changed or just officially recognizing it and putting the plaque,” Mainprize said.
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