On Sept. 9, Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall called a state of emergency. It was declared after a double homicide took place in one of the city’s homeless encampments. But long before this, Nuttall has been trying to find a way to “fix” the problem of homelessness in the city. He was one of several mayors in Ontario that called for Doug Ford to use the notwithstanding clause to speed up evictions of encampments in 2024. In 2023 the Barrie City Council tried to push through a bylaw to make it illegal to give out things like food, clothing, and tents to homeless people.
After a similar attempt in Kitchener to clear an encampment, the Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice has ruled that it went against the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to clear encampments without adequate housing or shelter space. Now the state of emergency in Barrie is being used to clear out encampments without those pesky “rights and freedoms” getting in the way. This is no solution, already communities surrounding the city are being overwhelmed by the influx of people fleeing Barrie, with Orillia considering declaring its own state of emergency.
Politicians and the capitalists they serve have no interest in a real solution to homelessness. They see the suffering of some of the most vulnerable people in the community as nothing more than a thorn in their side on their way to building more luxury lakeshore condos.
– Holly T., Barrie
