Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall says enough is enough.
On Tuesday morning, the mayor declared a state of emergency aimed at addressing encampments across the city, pointing to growing safety concerns, damage to municipal property, and the ongoing toll of the opioid crisis.
“Barrie residents have had enough,” Nuttall stated, adding the city would support those seeking help but would not allow encampments to continue on public property. The mayor said the City would “reclaim” its streets, park and public spaces.
The mayor cited a series of disturbing events as the tipping point. Over the summer, a double homicide and dismemberment investigation forced the shutdown of one of the city’s largest encampments, leaving behind millions of dollars in cleanup costs and hazardous waste.
Around the same time, city testing revealed troubling E. coli levels in Dyment’s Creek, which runs through the encampment and to Kempenfelt Bay, that were five times higher than levels already too dangerous to swim and bath in. Despite being notified, Nuttall said the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit didn’t attend the site, adding to his frustration that the city has been left to manage the fallout on its own.
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