Ministry shuts down Barrie encampment after residential waste, human sewage pose concerns

It’s been nearly two weeks since an extraordinary police investigation turned heads in the City of Barrie, and residents are still searching for answers.

What began in a quiet wooded area between Victoria Street, John Street, and Anne Street South on July 31 has unfolded into a complex tight-lipped operation involving police who will still not say what they were looking for or what brought them to the site.

Now city officials and environmental crews are taking the lead.

• Province shuts down encampment site at centre of investigation citing health and safety risks

On Saturday, the site was returned to the City of Barrie only to be sealed off again as the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) issued an order under the Environmental Protection Act.

The city released a statement saying: “Following their investigation, the MECP issued an Order under the Environmental Protection Act to close the site down.”

Officials reported that the amount of waste in the now fenced-off encampment site poses serious health and safety risks. The environmental concerns stem from the types of waste identified on-site, which include steel drums, batteries, paint, construction debris and residential waste.

The action is necessary to mitigate the potential public and environmental risks to the Anne Street Wellhead, Dyment Creek and Lake Simcoe.

The wooded area is currently on the path to restoration.

‘Given the MECP order to close the site down, the city is working with the County of Simcoe and our community partners to ensure that anyone affected by this cleanup is provided shelter and connected to appropriate resources," said City of Barrie official Scott Lamantia.

According to the Busby Centre, around 40 people had been living in the encampment before it was vacated. On Monday, former residents were given time to re-enter the area and gather their belongings.

A temporary evacuation site is being set up at 29 Sperling Drive for people impacted.

On Aug. 2, Barrie police arrested, ‘primary suspect,’ Robert Ladouceur, 52, who had been considered armed and dangerous.

He faces 19 criminal charges, including multiple weapons offenses related to a handgun and fleeing from police. Ladouceur appeared virtually in court from a holding room at the Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene seeking bail.

• Ont. man centre of massive encampment investigation seeks bail

It is unclear if his arrest and charges are directly connected to the ongoing investigation. The allegations against him have not been tested in court.

Police have linked another location to this operation. The Cardwell Lake Road area in Huntsville remains under investigation. It is unclear how this northern region connects to the wooded area west of Anne Street.