Tents expose homeless plight
Honks and hoots drew attention to a long line of camping tents set up along Barrie's waterfront to highlight the peril of the homeless.
Early Wednesday morning, nearly 160 tents were tethered along the grassy boulevard between the city marina and Victoria Street by the Elizabeth Fry Society and the Busby Centre.
Both shelters reported helping 1,100 individuals last year, more than double the pre-pandemic volume.
"There's a problem in Barrie with the amount of unhoused individuals there are, and the opioid crisis on top of COVID, so we are here today to prove a point that there's a need," said Hannah Legere, Joyce Cope House residential manager.
Sara Peddle, executive director with the Busby Centre, said the tents were a visual representation of someone needing service.
"Right now, we do already have quite a few people living in tents, but it's somewhat hidden from the public eye, and we wanted to show that this is real."
The goal is to increase awareness ahead of next month's provincial election.
"There needs to be a tandem investment into emergency services and emergency sheltering and shelter-diversion and homelessness-diversion and also into affordable and supportive housing," said Meagan Chambers, executive director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Simcoe Muskoka.
City Councillor Natalie Harris said talks had been going on for months to find ways to deal with those who will be displaced next month, with no immediate fix.
She noted that more affordable housing is crucial for a long-term solution.
"If we don't catch up with the backlog that we have and make some more stock, we will be seeing these types of tents across our waterfront because, unfortunately, these individuals will have nowhere to go," Harris said.
Meanwhile, police and city staff were on-hand Wednesday to discourage people from moving into the tents.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince Charles and Camilla kick off three-day Canadian tour in St. John's today
Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, are in Newfoundland and Labrador's capital today to begin a three-day Canadian tour focused on Indigenous reconciliation and climate change.

Average price of gas in Canada tops $2 a litre for first time
Gasoline prices are showing no signs of letting up as the average price in Canada tops $2 a litre for the first time. Natural Resources Canada says the average price across the country for regular gasoline hit $2.06 per litre on Monday for an all-time high.
Top 6 moments from the 2022 Ontario election debate
Ontario’s four main party leaders were relatively civil as they spared at Monday night’s televised election debate in Toronto.
Attacking schools, Russia deals a blow to Ukraine's future
The Ukrainian government says Russia has shelled more than 1,000 schools, destroying 95. Intentionally attacking schools and other civilian infrastructure is a war crime. Experts say wide-scale wreckage can be used as evidence of Russian intent, and to refute claims that schools were simply collateral damage.
Tim Hortons and Justin Bieber set to launch Biebs Brew
A match made in marketing heaven between Tim Hortons and Justin Bieber is back with a new French vanilla-flavoured chilled coffee. Biebs Brew is the pop star's rendition of the coffee chain's cold brew coffee launched last year.
Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre denounces 'white replacement theory'
Pierre Poilievre is denouncing the 'white replacement theory' believed to be a motive for a mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., as 'ugly and disgusting hate-mongering.'
Rising cost of living worries Canadians, defines Ontario election
The rising cost of living is worrying Canadians and defining the Ontario election as prices go up on everything from groceries to gas.
Online diary: Buffalo gunman plotted attack for months
The white gunman accused of massacring 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket wrote as far back as November about staging a livestreamed attack on African Americans, practiced shooting from his car and travelled hours from his home in March to scout out the store, according to detailed diary entries he appears to have posted online.
Man killed in California church shooting called a hero
A gunman motivated by hatred against Taiwan chained shut the doors of a California church and hid firebombs before shooting at a gathering of mostly elderly Taiwanese parishioners, killing a man who tackled him, authorities said.