BARRIE, ONT. -- Several organizations have come together to help keep downtown Barrie safe.

The BIA, The Women & Children's Shelter, the Salvation Army and Shak's World created a program to allow people who feel insecure in the city's downtown to have a safe space to go.

"There's a lot going on downtown, so just the peace of mind knowing you can go into a business and access a resource is tremendous," said Shak Edwards, the president and founder of Shak's World Community Centre.

The initiative is called Bright Spot. It intends to have downtown businesses open to those who feel they are being followed, harassed, and or feel unsafe and seek help.

Staff at the businesses are required to undergo training on how to direct those looking for help to social services.

According to the downtown BIA, eight businesses are trained, and another 12 have signed up.

"We are getting calls from outside of downtown from businesses wanting to get involved," said Kelly McKenna, the Executive Director of the downtown BIA.

The Bright Spot participant list includes:

  • ZuZu Fashion Boutique
  • Olive Oil Co.
  • Sandbox Centre
  • BE Beauty & Wellness
  • Our House
  • Shak's World Community Centre
  • Barrie Public Library
  • P_zza

"We're excited to be a part of this project," said the manager of P_zza April VanArragon. "We're a safe space. You can come, hang out until someone comes and picks you up."

Barrie Police said the Bright Spot program was created because a local woman shared her experience while walking downtown last September.

"I decided to come downtown to get lunch, and I was approached by a man asking me to hang out and pushed his phone my face asking for my number. I gave him a fake number," said Jasmine Bottler.

"It quickly escalated, and that's when he hugged me and kissed me on the head," she recalled.

The incident led to Bottler creating a petition outlining ways to make the downtown area safer, garnering nearly 2,000 signatures and local organizations and law enforcement attention.

"Leading the safety audit was a really informative process," said Community Safety and Well-being officer Keira Brooks. "Downtown Barrie is made up of amazing people and businesses, and we want them all to feel safe."

According to Brooks, the Bright Spot program was not created because of a rise in downtown crime.

"Crime has stayed relatively the same over the years; it has just been in response to making people and visitors downtown feel safe," said Brooks.

Over the next few months, BIA said businesses have agreed to implement string lighting in alleyways along with additional lighting in dark areas.