With six weeks remaining until Barrie’s municipal election, a new campaign pledge from mayoral candidate Alex Nuttall has sharpened the debate over homelessness, addiction and affordable housing, as candidates outline competing visions. It has been one year since Barrie declared a state of emergency over homelessness. Incumbent Alex Nuttall says that, if re-elected, he would introduce a dedicated emergency response team and advocate for changes to Ontario’s public intoxication laws. Barrie mayoral candidates Russell Tighe, Kay Sayer and Tanya Saari are also laying out their priorities, calling for stronger outreach, closer scrutiny of the emergency declaration and greater accountability for how public resources are being spent. Nuttall marked the anniversary at Barrie City Hall Wednesday, pointing to the city’s response over the past year while making further campaign promises. Mayoral candidate Alex Nuttall “One year ago I declared a state of emergency in our city. I did so because what was happening was not normal,” Nuttall said. “It was not safe and it was not something I was prepared to accept as a new reality for our city.” According to figures shared by Nuttall, 221 encampment sites have been cleared and 64 new beds have opened in Barrie since the emergency was declared on Sept. 9, 2025. He said 870 people have also been diverted through efforts related to prisoner releases, while 424 people have been connected with treatment and support through the HART Hub and 83 have graduated from a live-in treatment program. If re-elected, Nuttall said he would push for a dedicated police, fire and paramedic response team focused on what he calls “compassionate intervention,” hoping to connect people experiencing intoxication or addiction with treatment and other services. He is also promising to push the province to modernize public intoxication laws, arguing police should have authority to respond to impairment regardless of whether alcohol or drugs are involved. “The principle is simple. The laws should respond to dangerous behaviour and level of impairment, not to which substance has caused it,” Nuttall said. His campaign plans to gather signatures for a petition calling on the Ontario government to make those changes. Mayoral candidate Russell Tighe Mayoral candidate Russell Tighe agrees the city needed to act when the emergency was declared last September, but said his approach would put a focus on sustained outreach and the circumstances that leave people without housing. “I agree with how the state of emergency was enacted a year ago, because at that time it got to a point where it was absolutely out of control,” Tighe said. He argued people living in encampments need continued contact with outreach workers and services rather than being left without somewhere to go. “We’re not going to leave them alone, we’re not going to leave them in desperation. They need help,” he said. “We’re going to start taking people that know people and allocating them into offering help. We’re going to equalize. We’re not going to look from above. We’re not going to look from below.” He also highlighted housing affordability as a part of the problem, saying rising rents and property costs are leaving some people with limited options. “If shelters are full, your options are encampments,” Tighe said. He told CTV News people with low incomes can face additional barriers to finding a home, like meeting credit requirements, rental references and previous evictions. “People are actually suffering and need the help,” he said. Mayoral candidate Kay Sayer Candidate Kay Sayer is approaching the issue from personal experience, saying she is currently staying at a local shelter and experiencing it first-hand. Sayer questioned whether homelessness should continue to be treated as a Barrie-specific state of emergency. “It’s not just Barrie. It’s the entire province of Ontario. It’s actually coast to coast,” Sayer said. If elected, Sayer said she would seek greater transparency over government spending and look at how resources intended to address homelessness are being used. “There are currently 444 mayors in Ontario, and 215 of them have powers similar to those of Premier Doug Ford. With 215 mayors holding those powers, including Alex Nuttall, I don’t think there should be an emergency like this in any way, shape or form,” she said. She also said donated resources need to reach the people they are intended to support. Mayoral candidate Tanya Saari Mayoral candidate Tanya Saari said she wants a closer look at whether the state of emergency has delivered measurable results after one year. “It’s been one year since the state of emergency was called,” Saari said. “I think that when we look outside and we see the numbers, I’m not seeing that the numbers have gone down. The problem still exists and it’s gone up.” Saari told CTV News she would review the data before deciding whether the emergency declaration should remain in place. “I want to deep dive into it, has it actually had an impact, and if so, what has that impact been?” she said. “If that data doesn’t show me that there has been an improvement, then I don’t think it’s necessary to keep the state of emergency.” Saari said her approach would prioritize long-term supportive housing and services for people experiencing homelessness. “What I think we need to do is actually provide real solutions to our homelessness crisis that we’re experiencing, which is proven to be long-term supportive housing with those wraparound supports,” she said. Municipal election While candidates disagree on whether Barrie’s state of emergency should continue, all have plans to address homelessness as it becomes a key issue in the mayoral race. Municipal election day is Mon., Oct. 26, when voters will cast their ballots across the city.
