Honorary Colonel Wayne Hay

Biography / March 11, 2020

Honorary Colonel Wayne Hay was appointed as Honorary Colonel of Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Technology and Engineering, Borden in March 2020.

Honorary Colonel Wayne Hay was born in Collingwood, Ontario and moved to Barrie in 1965 as a young child. He attended Barrie North Collegiate Institute and Georgian College for Marketing and Advertising in the late 1970’s. Honorary Colonel Hay joined the family business, Hay’s Travel, in 1980 after spending four years at The Barrie Examiner, the local newspaper.

In 1984, Honorary Colonel Hay received his real estate license from the Ontario Real Estate Association and began his career in commercial and industrial real estate with Ed Lowe Real Estate in the Barrie area, followed by 19 years with Royal Le Page. He has been working with RE/MAX Commercial for the past six years.

Honorary Colonel Hay opened Hayco Property Management in 1990, a family-run business that manages commercial and industrial properties within Simcoe County. In 2015, Honorary Colonel Hay’s son, Zach, joined the Hayco team and has also become involved in fundraising for the local community. Honorary Colonel Hay’s daughter, Jocelyn, is working with Georgian International in Barrie and continues to dedicate her efforts to the Barrie and Muskoka YMCA.

Honorary Colonel Hay’s community involvement stems back to the early 1980’s when he was vice-president of the Barrie and District Association of Realtors Inc as well as being Chairman of the Economic Development Committee for the City of Barrie for four years. More recently, Honorary Colonel Hay has been heavily involved with the Downtown Barrie Business Improvement Area (BIA) as a board member and Chairman for six years.

Honorary Colonel Hay’s commitment to improving Barrie’s downtown is most evident in his dedication to the Meridian Place and Memorial Square project. From its conception, through the many consultation stages of its development, and culminating in a vibrant downtown gathering place for the whole Barrie community, Honorary Colonel Hay was tireless in his determination to see it to completion. A core focus within Meridian Place was the preservation of the historic role of Memorial Square, and the creation of the Urn Wall to recognize the sacred soil patriated from Vimy Ridge, through the efforts of Honorary Colonels Jamie Massie and Barry Peacock.

Honorary Colonel Hay travelled with his family on two occasions to the battlefield of Vimy Ridge, France with the Borden Legacy Group and was honoured to participate in dedicating the soil for the Urn Wall at Memorial Square as well as for the Legacy Wall at Canadian Forces Base Borden.

Most recently, Honorary Colonel Hay was heavily involved in bringing back the Barrie Air Show on Canada Day 2019, with the Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds team and CF-188 Hornet Airshow team, as well as hosting the Sponsorship Dinner.

Honorary Colonel Hay has lived, worked in, and dedicated himself to the Barrie area throughout his adult life. Knowing and connecting a broad network of people in the region to work together as a force for positive change, in addition to having an extensive knowledge of its land, development, services, and potential promise, Honorary Colonel Hay has made, and continues to make, a valuable and lasting contribution to his community.

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