Collaboration is the key to success in today’s interdependent economy. It begins at the grassroots level — collaboration with your employees, bringing them into your strategic vision as partners.
It is also vital in peer-to-peer relationships, as you discover new opportunities for collaboration with businesses in your sector and beyond. And, increasingly, collaboration is essential with another influential partner — government, at all levels.
David Barrick intuitively understands this. An experienced municipal manager, he led Brampton, Ontario, Canada’s ninth-largest city through the challenges of the pandemic, while supervising 6,000 employees and managing an annual operating budget of over $750 Canadian dollars.
There, he presented responsible budgets, increased the City’s reserves and maintained its AAA credit rating while property taxes increases remained at zero for four years. He worked constructively with a wide array of community stakeholders. In addition to his role in government, he sought new challenges in the private sector, founding successful businesses that include retail and property management services and an online subscription based database to help companies and consumers find green alternatives that are beneficial for the environment.
He is also a strategic business consultant, guiding organisations during times of transition focusing on complete service inventories and development of KPI’s for the municipal sector.
This background has positioned him at the intersection of public-private collaboration, which is where some of the best business opportunities are to be found. It wasn’t always that way, of course; in the United States, the great titans of nineteenth and early twentieth-century industry charted a course independent of government. If they thought about government at all, it was as a potential obstacle or, in the case of the storied railroad robber barons, as an entity that could be bribed into compliance.
But as government grew in power and influence, savvy CEOs throughout North America began to realize that collaboration was a better option than conflict. Today, government is a key player and important partner in myriad business ventures.
With two decades of public and private sector experience, David Barrick is adept at leading collaborative projects to success. Through public service, entrepreneurship, and working with private companies, he has secured partnerships that have lasting impacts.
David Barrick’s highest-profile public role was as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for Brampton, Ontario, from 2019 to 2022. His public career began in 2006, when he was elected as City Councillor for the city of Port Colborne where he also served as Deputy Mayor. In addition to this role, he served on multiple committees and created the City’s Environmental Advisory Committee.
David Barrick continued his administrative work as Regional Councillor for the St. Catharines-Niagara Metropolitan region from 2010 to 2018, again serving on many other committees alongside the balancing of a $1 billion budget. He would also take up office as Interim Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Senior Director of Corporate Resources in the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.
Most recently, he helped lead the creation of the Recovery and Prosperity Alliance Cooperation Framework focused on aligning strong municipal recovery from COVID-19 with GTHA CAOs. He has longstanding involvement with various municipal associations, including AMO, FCM, CAO working groups and holds active memberships in the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) as well as the provincial association, OMAA.
As an innovative administrator, David Barrick partnered with Toronto Metropolitan University and Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst in Brampton City Hall for a National Centre for Innovation and Collaboration in Cybersecurity. He also worked with Telcos on 5G deployment on passive city assets.
David Barrick launched Brampton’s BHive Business Incubator, enhanced Brampton’s Centre for Innovation through collaborative partnerships, and led a Complete City Service Inventory with associated performance metrics/KPI’s. His innovations include creating an Online Building and Planning Permit Application Process and implementation of a new agenda management tool to increase meeting efficiency, accountability, and transparency.
In addition, David Barrick oversaw the electrification of Brampton’s transit fleet, and maintained excellent relations with key bargaining units (CUPE, ATU, Fire Association).
As a result of his efforts, Brampton was recognized as “Forbes Canada’s Best Employer Top 100” (as rated by employees) in 2020 and 2021, and named one of “Canada’s Best Communities” by MacLean’s.
With an Honours Bachelor’s in Political Science with a concentration in Law, he has continued to earn certifications that prove vital in his work, counting administrative and leadership-focused certifications through York University’s Schulich School of Business and Queen’s University Smith School of Business, encompassing in a variety of subjects like Strategic Analytics, Negotiating and Consensus Building, and Interrupting Bias.
David Barrick continually seeks new opportunities to contribute, create and serve the public.
With his boundless energy, innovative talents, and skill in building relationships, David Barrick looks forward to charting a course of success for municipalities and other government organizations in Ontario, and beyond.