Barry Wade Design

08/24/2026

An important announcement.

After decades of working with clients, builders, designers, and communities through my work in the design-build industry, I have decided to take the next step in serving the community I call home.

I am running for Mayor of the Municipality of Bayham.
My professional experience has taught me the importance of planning, communication, collaboration, and practical solutions — values I believe are essential in municipal leadership.

I have launched my official campaign page where I will share information about my priorities and my vision for Bayham’s future.

Follow the campaign here:
👉 Barry Wade for Mayor of Bayham
https://www.facebook.com/BarryWadeforMayor/

Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my career and my community involvement. I look forward to this next chapter and to the conversations ahead.

Barry Wade

Candidate for Mayor of Bayham. Over 30 years calling Bayham home, with 40+ years of experience in design, construction and community involvement. Committed to practical leadership, responsible growth, and ensuring every community has a voice.

06/14/2026

05/01/2026

Redevelopment of the former St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital lands is moving quickly, and with it comes the difficult but realistic conclusion that most of the existing buildings cannot be saved. Their age, layout, and condition make restoration financially and functionally impractical.

But losing everything from the site’s past would be a mistake.
There is an opportunity — a small, strategic one — to preserve a single structure, highlighted in the attached rendering. Saving this one building would anchor the entire redevelopment in its history. It would acknowledge what this property once was, while giving it a new purpose that serves the community today.

Repurposing the building as a community event centre transforms it from a relic into a civic asset. Positioned between parkland on the east and west sides and connected to the wetland system, it becomes the natural hub of the new neighbourhood — a gathering place, a cultural anchor, and a reminder that progress doesn’t require erasing the past.

This could be the heart of Central Elgin’s Central Park:
A unified green corridor, a community hub, and a preserved piece of local heritage all working together to define the character of the development.

It’s never too late to save your history.
But once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.