Greater Barrie Chamber of Commerce Response to the State of Emergency to Address Encampments

Press Release
For Immediate Release

 

[BARRIE, ON – September 11, 2025] – The Greater Barrie Chamber of Commerce and the broader Barrie business community support the City’s decision to declare a State of Emergency to address encampments. As stated in the City’s media release, “Barrie residents have had enough.” The Chamber believes that Barrie businesses have had enough as well.

In May of 2023, the Chamber supported the Barrie City Council motion to address chronic homelessness. We believed then, and we believe now, that the solutions to this problem rely on action.

For years, limited substantive action by all parties has left critical issues unresolved — homelessness, mental health, addictions, and community safety. Based on the 2024 PIT Count, our unhoused population has grown by 92% in the last four years alone. The current situation is untenable for those living in crisis and for the community around them. This action is warranted and necessary.

The actions outlined in the City of Barrie’s Declaration of Emergency, in accordance with the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (RSO 1990), are a first step in addressing the immediate threat to our vulnerable population, residents, and businesses. We endorse the creation of the required task force, to be led by CAO Michael Prowse, and look forward to seeing its priorities, timelines, milestones, and regular updates.

The Chamber calls on the City, County, and Provincial Governments to ensure that timely, transparent, and accountable progress updates are communicated to the residents of Barrie and that the State of Emergency is ended at the earliest possible time.

As part of our ongoing advocacy, the Barrie Chamber — along with the Peterborough and Kawartha’s Chamber and the St. Thomas Chamber — formed a Social Issues Working Group. Since its formation in May 2024, the working group has grown to 17 Chambers in mid-size cities. “Social issues as business issues” is the primary focus of this network. The problems we face in Barrie are not unique, and sharing best practices and advocating together is making a difference.

Early next week, the Barrie Chamber will be extending an invitation to participate in a multi-city study on the Hidden Costs of Community Safety, administered on behalf of the Working Group by Loyalist College. This study explores the economic and social costs of community safety challenges from the perspective of business owners and operators. We are especially interested in understanding how changes in safety and well-being affect day-to-day operations and what types of community-based responses are being undertaken or supported by business leaders like you.

Results from this study will help our partners understand the real-time impacts that homelessness, encampments, and chronic addiction are having on our communities. The Chamber will continue to advocate for practical solutions.