The City of Barrie confirmed on Wednesday that former Mayor Janice Laking passed away. Mayor Alex Nuttall posted a video on social media sharing his condolences to the family and confirmed that the city will be placing flags at half-mast for the rest of the week. Laking was first elected to council in 1972 and served as mayor from 1988 to 2000. “We share the sad news of losing Mayor Janice Laking, a giant in our community who defined Barrie as Mayor during its highest growth years,” said Nuttall in his social media post. “We offer our condolences to the Laking family.” Laking was 97.