Mayoral candidate Alex Nuttall is marking one year since the City of Barrie declared a state of emergency over homelessness and encampments by highlighting measures taken.
Nuttall, who is the incumbent mayor, spoke to local media at Barrie City Hall on Sept. 9. He told reporters that 870 prisoner releases have been diverted from entering the community without connections to support, while 221 encampment sites have been cleared.
He also cited 64 new beds opened, 424 people connected to the HART Hub and 83 people accessing live-in treatment. But Nuttall said more work is needed.
“We chose action one year ago. We’re choosing action again today,” he said.
As a next step, he is proposing a petition calling on the provincial government to establish consistent legal standards for severe public drug intoxication, similar to existing approaches to public alcohol intoxication.
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“I want Barrie to go to the provincial government with one voice and ask for consistent, legal standards for severe illegal public intoxication – full stop,” he said.
“This intervention shouldn’t mean abandoning someone – it should mean getting that person out of danger and connecting them to treatment.”
Nuttall said police need the tools to intervene when someone is impaired in public and poses a risk to themselves or others, regardless of the substance involved.
He has also proposed a dedicated police, fire and paramedic compassionate intervention team that would connect people experiencing a crisis directly with treatment and support.
Nuttall said intervention can sometimes be necessary when someone is experiencing serious addiction.
“If someone is suffering from severe addiction and deteriorating on a sidewalk or in an encampment, that’s not compassion. Sometimes the compassionate thing to do is intervene,” he said.
Barrie voters will elect the next mayor, councillors and school board trustees on Oct. 26.
