We works to protect historic barns across the province by advocating, educating, and empowering communities to preserve these iconic rural landmarks.
Mission Statement
What we do / We advocate for ‘old’ barns by
- Sharing knowledge with barn owners on how to preserve, renovate and repurpose their barns.
- Facilitating networking and exchange of knowledge between barn enthusiasts – OBP website, events, social media, Google Groups chat.
- Preserving old barns in a digital format to record the characteristics and history of Ontario barns – Your Old Barn Study.
- Influencing government policies related to preserving barns by engaging with governments and other interested stakeholders.
- Exploring external funding opportunities for barn preservation projects.
Partners
These are some of the great organizations that help us do what we do.
Board of Directors
Hugh Fraser
President
Hugh is a semi-retired agricultural engineer. He grew up on a dairy farm and has been in well over a thousand barns. Hugh now owns the consulting business ‘OTB Farm Solutions’ and recently authored a book entitled ‘Swing Beam Barns of Niagara’.
Jim Campbell
Vice President
As the principal of Rockside Campbell near Duntroon, Jim and his team spend their days within a re-erected barn-studio designing projects which often incorporate the beautiful sculptural qualities of historic barn frames and materials.
Krista Hulshof
Treasurer
Krista is an farm-raised architect and Owner of VELD architect who loves to re purpose and bring life back into old barns. She practices just north of Stratford from her barn house and office.
Jon Radojkovic
Director
Jon has owned and operated Skyhill Construction, a timber framing business, for over 30 years. For the last 16 years he has specialized in heritage barn repair (with his 3 sons). Jon and his wife operate an organic farm. Freelance journalist, author of 2 books about barns, and photographer.
Will Samis
Director
Will, with his wife Elaine, farm beef and sheep and make maple syrup near Iron Bridge.
An 8th generation Ontario farmer, he is active in local and provincial affairs. He organized and led several successful barn tours . He was the co-lead volunteer in moving, restoring and re-purposing the Cordukes/Weber 12 sided barn near Sowerby. He is the curator there.
Don Hilborn
Director
Don Hilborn and his wife operate Red Barn Berries in Oxford County for the last 30 years. Over the years he have worked on maintaining the Red barn while keeping its original character. He also a former agricultural engineer with the Ontario government and a creator of the MDS program at OMAFRA.
Randy Bagg
Director
Randy has spent most of his life working in barns. Grew up on a dairy farm north of Toronto. Graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1979 and worked in bovine practice for 15 years in Peel and Halton Counties. Spent 24 years in the animal health industry doing research and regulatory management until he retired in 2018.
Darrell Randell
Director
I have lived in this 1870s farmhouse all my life. The barn was constructed by my Great Aunt and Uncle in 1923. In the 1970s I began adapting and expanding it for hog production which I did for 25 years. In 2019 after retiring from Ducks Unlimited Canada, I had to decide on what to do with this old barn.
Volunteer with us!
We are always looking for volunteers. There are many ways to help us out from small tasks like helping at events, to big roles like becoming a board member or a regional representative.
We are looking for many skills to make this organization great! How could you contribute?
Looking for Regional Representatives
Regional Representatives
We have identified 12 major regions in Ontario where you may find your local representative.
Contact us to get their information.
Interactive map coming soon
- Kenora, Rainy River, and Thunder Bay.
- Cochrane and Temiskaming.
- Algoma, Manitoulin, and Sudbury.
- Parry Sound and Muskoka.
- Renfrew and Nippising.
- Leeds, Grenville, Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry, Ottawa, Prescott, and Russell.
- Haliburton, Kawartha, Peterborough, and Northumberland.
- York, Peel, Halton, and Durham. (Includes Toronto).
- Grey and Bruce.
- Huron, Wellington, Perth, and Waterloo.
- Middlesex, Elgin, Chatham-Kent, Essex, and Lambton. (Includes London, Strathroy, and St. Thomas).
- Norfolk, Oxford, Brant, Haldimand, Hamilton, and Niagara.
- Lennox & Addington, Hastings, Prince Edward, Frontenac, and Kingston.
- Simcoe and Dufferin.
Dr. John Carter
York, Peel, Halton, and Durham
Dr. John C. Carter is a widely known Ontario museologist, author, and historian. Over the past 40 years, he has documented, researched, recorded, published articles about, and promoted the preservation of Ontario’s built rural heritage.
Gary Aikema
Norfolk, Oxford, Brant, etc.
I am a retired building contractor. I have built mostly the high-end homes, some commercial work and also a number of farm structures. My company is called Allandale Homes and is currently run by my grandson.
Shane Klassen
Oxford
Shane and his wife operate an organic dairy farm and beekeeping business in Oxford county. With a historic bank barn on the farm, Shane continues to develop traditional skills such as hand hewing, timber framing, and traditional stone masonry.
Looking for Regional Representatives
- Have knowlege/ interest about barns: construction, history, and/or regional/local issues affecting barns and barn owners.
- Are encouraged to take pictures and contribute to documenting Ontario barns.
- Exchange emails and phone calls with barn people in their local area.
- May represent OBP at local events and meetings we are invited to attend.
- Asked to join a committee to help with memberships, promotion, events, and other ongoing projects.
- Create at least one blog post a year for the website and social media.
- Collaborate at monthly board meetings.
Please contact us if you are interested
See our Board of Directors.
Media
See various articles, radio events that Ontario Barn Preservation has been featured in
Here are some specific features, but you can always check in with google on where OBP is mentioned in the news!
Ontario Barn Preservation launched the Your Old Barn Study to document old barns that make up the province’s rural landscapes. (Submitted by Hugh Fraser)
Hugh Fraser, president of Ontario Barn Preservation, says there used to be hundreds of thousands of barns, but they’re being lost to development. (Submitted by Hugh Fraser)
Krista Hulshof, an architect specializing in barn conversion, included her own converted barn in the Ontario Barn Preservation’s study. (Travis Allison)