City of Barrie unveils new tool in fight against racism

The City of Barrie is unveiling new tools in its ongoing effort to create a welcoming and inclusive community.

On Tuesday, the city, alongside its anti-racism taskforce, debuted a new website to tackle racism at a local level. The task force was set up under the previous council in a joint effort with the Barrie Police Service.

"When I moved to Barrie, the city was not what it is today," says Esther Enyolu, the task force co-chair. "There is more diversity, more people coming from different areas, newcomers, new immigrants from different cultures, different races, so we want to create an environment that is more welcoming."

The task force has five members and has met regularly over the last few months, but Tuesday was the first meet and greet with the public.

"For the City of Barrie, I know that we are a strong, forward-looking city that wants to grow, and certainly, we've seen that growth come over the last number of years," says Mayor Alex Nuttall. "It's important that ensure that it's a safe, great place for everybody to live… I think we want a place where everybody has the equal opportunities to succeed."

The website is part of an effort to raise increased awareness and to find allies in the fight against racism in Barrie.

1. "We have to continue to raise awareness, we have to continue to mobilize, we have to continue to gather people to join forces to be allies, to join in our quest to eradicate racism," says Enyolu.