Two tents linger in once encampment-plagued city, Barrie mayor says

Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall speaks on encampments in Barrie, Ont. (CTV NEWS)

“We are down to around one or two tents that exist,” Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall said Wednesday, signaling a dramatic drop in encampments since the city declared a state of emergency last fall.

Speaking to CTV News ahead of council night, Nuttall said he is not ready to lift the emergency declaration yet but noted the progress made since September.

“That means there has obviously been considerable work, 180 down to 150 down to where we are at today,” he said, crediting expanded shelter capacity and community efforts, including the opening of the HART Hub.

“The county has been putting a lot of effort to get their shelter space open,” Nuttall said. “The HART Hub is a really big win for the community.”

The state of emergency was announced on Sept. 9, 2025, after tents lined Mulcaster Street near City Hall and the Barrie courthouse.

At the time, Nuttall declared a zero-tolerance approach to tents, drug use, and violence on public property and sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney calling for immediate federal action.

• Learn more about the State of Emergency on CTV News Barrie

City officials estimated 40 to 60 people had been living at the Anne Street encampment for years before it was evacuated during a devastating police investigation, which also uncovered serious contamination in Dyment’s Creek.

Water testing showed E. coli levels as high as 921 per 100 milliliters, more than four times the threshold for public swimming advisories in Barrie.

Encampments persisted into the fall.

On Oct. 6, the city confirmed 26 active encampments with roughly 111 people still living outdoors. Since then, officials say shelter expansion and outreach have reduced those numbers.

Nuttall said that the emergency status remains necessary as the city watches for seasonal changes. “We do have colder months right now. When we get warmer months back, we do see a rise in those who are wanting to live in tents and encampments,” he said.

If numbers remain low through late spring, he added, that council could consider lifting the emergency declaration around May or June.