Barrie’s homeless encampment numbers have fallen sharply since a state of emergency was declared in early September, Mayor Alex Nuttall said Thursday.
Speaking at a Nov. 14 media conference, Nuttall — joined by Deputy Mayor Robert Thomson, Barrie–Springwater–Oro-Medonte MP Doug Shipley, Jeff Schmidt, the city’s general manager of community and corporate services, enforcement manager Tammy Banting and Fire Chief Kevin White — said 39 encampments have been cleaned up and cleared since Sept. 9. The first site, on Mulcaster Street, was cleared on Sept. 11.
City officials say the encampment population has dropped from 111 people to between 45-50. Sixty-eight individuals have accepted help transitioning into indoor spaces, and 200 people have connected with the HART Hub of Simcoe County for ongoing support.
Two of the largest encampments have been Dyment’s Creek and Audrey Milligan Park and Pond. Major cleanup efforts at Dyment’s Creek are complete, while cleanup at Milligan Park and Pond is ongoing. Both sites remain closed to the public. Of the 45 people living at the Milligan site, eight have so far accepted help.
City officials say 409 tonnes of non-hazardous waste have been removed from the Dyment’s Creek site, at a cost of $1.2 million. The amount of waste is equivalent to six days of residential garbage collection across the city.
Nuttall has also signed a strong-mayor motion directing staff to add Audrey Milligan Park and Pond to the local conservation trust once cleanup is complete.
“What this does is when the encampment clean up is complete[ly] over in Milligan’s Pond, we will start the process of ensuring what is an environmental beauty and a piece of Barrie’s natural heritage — Lake Simcoe’s natural heritage is preserved for future generations,” he said.
The homeless encampment issue escalated over this past summer. On July 30, police were called to the Dyment Creek encampment near Anne and Victoria streets. The crisis intensified on Aug. 26 when Robert Ladouceur was arrested and charged with the murders and dismemberment of two men connected to the encampments — an incident Nuttall has said was a key factor in the city’s decision to act more urgently.
Provincial attention soon followed. Ontario Premier Doug Ford met with Nuttall and other officials during a Sept. 20 tour of encampment sites, calling the situation “unacceptable” and pledging provincial support.
Under the city’s standard procedure for clearing encampments, officials issue a 24-hour notice of removal action followed by trespass notices for those who refuse to leave.
