At MP Alex Nuttall’s urging, Barrie’s councillors voted to change how they plan to approach the government for help with the city’s opioid crisis on Monday evening.
“Have we done any research with regards to what currently exists in funding from the provincial and federal governments,” Nuttall questioned.
Members of council agreed that perhaps their plan of action might have been too confrontational.
The city wants the federal and provincial governments to help with the opioid crisis, but Nuttall pushed council to not just ask for a ‘blank cheque’ from Ottawa but to instead work on finding existing funding.
The councillors also voted to gather more information on whether declaring a public health emergency makes sense or not. They will vote on that issue in two weeks.
At this point, the city doesn’t know how much money would be available from Ottawa and the province, and the amount the city will need is still up for review.
