Barrie mayor launches petition advocating for support to solve encampments

The Barrie mayor declared a city-wide state of emergency, taking it one step further by releasing a petition to show support for proposed changes to laws nation

Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall declared a city-wide state of emergency two weeks ago, taking it one step further by releasing a petition to show support for proposed changes to laws nationwide that would give municipalities more leverage when it comes to enforcing bylaws.

He said he hopes the petition emphasizes the need for support not only in Barrie but throughout the country.

“We’ve been hearing from individuals across Canada that are asking for similar things to happen in their communities,” said Nuttall. “And we know we need the federal government at the table on this.”

The petition is reflective of the letters sent to both the prime minister and the premier of Ontario last week.

Premier Doug Ford travelled to Barrie over the weekend to get a firsthand look at the encampment issues in the city.

• Take the poll: Do you agree with the mayor’s approach to cleaning up encampments?

The petition is asking leaders to make changes to the mental health act and provide more funding for rehabilitation and safe shelters.

“Looking at compassionate intervention, ensuring that we could help individuals who are going through massive cases of addiction or mental health concerns,” said Nuttall. “Not waiting for an unfortunate, either death through overdose or having to go in with naloxone. We’re no longer waiting until we’re at either a near-death or death experience.”

Simcoe County is ready to assist those who are seeking help.

“I think what we’re hearing is everybody wants to help, and they want folks off the street,” said Simcoe County Warden Basil Clarke. “Our teams are ready. Barrie leads the way, and we’re there to back them up, and we make sure we take these folks, and we give them the services where they need to be.”

Mina Fayez-Bhagat, general manager of social services for Simcoe County, said given how fast the premier came to get a boots-on-the-ground look signifies just how urgent the situation is.

“I think the added attention is something we’ve been constantly working on with the province, trying to flag to them that our community here at the county (Simcoe), including the city of Barrie, has significant needs and needs to receive the resources that are required to continue to serve those complex needs,” said Fayez-Bhagat.

Mayor Nuttall said tents are continuing to come down daily throughout the city.

“I’ll just say this, that there have already been over 100 tents, probably 120-130 tents removed, and we’re going to continue working through that,” said Nuttall. “Obviously, there’s a big piece at Milligan’s Pond, but three of our four largest have already been removed.

This petition comes six days after the mayor reached out to the prime minister.

CTV News continues to reach out to the federal government for a response, but at this time all we’ve heard is that they will get us a statement by the end of the week.

But there remains no clear indication of what they’ll do to support the city.