Title
STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATES
ENCAMPMENTS
The memorandum from M. Prowse, Chief Administrative Officer dated August 13, 2025 regarding the Homeless Encampment near Anne and John Streets was circulated to members of Committee and Council.
Members of Committee and Council asked the following questions:
1. Councillor, C. Riepma asked if the lands in question are owned by the City and if there is an estimated cost for the clean-up.
Mayor Nuttall confirmed that the lands are in the possession of the City. M. Prowse, Chief Administrative Officer advised that there is no current estimate on clean-up costs and staff are not sure what funding may be available through the Province to assist.
2. Councillor, B. Hamilton questioned how the City can prevent a similar situation from happening in the future, why it was able to continue for so long and the City’s role moving forward.
M. Prowse advised that the City was aware of the situation and that when dealing with encampments there is legislation and rules of the Courts that must be followed. The City needed to first ensure adequate housing is available through the City’s service manager, the County of Simcoe, to accommodate the people living there. M. Prowse advised that this situation was different as it was subject to a police investigation and the City was served with a search warrant, the site was closed off and anyone residing there was asked to vacate the premises.
The County was able to resource adequate accommodation for the individuals in the encampment and to date we have about 6 individuals who have accepted the housing that is available being a handful at Tiffen and zero as Sperling. The reality is that the unhoused are not able or willing to move. The remainder have migrated and not availed themselves of the housing supports made available.
M. Prowse confirmed that the Health Unit was contacted but did not attend the site and that the Ministry of the Environment attended the site and advised that it was unsafe for human beings to reside there. Due to the emergency order, the service manager was able to access resources to provide 60 rooms to accommodate the unhoused The City has activated 29 Sperling Drive as an emergency rest area, and the service manager has activated their Tiffin site as a rest area.
3. Councillor, S. Morales asked M. Prowse to clarify what he meant by the County lacks money assistance. Councillor, S. Morales also shared his concerns regarding the propane tanks located at the site.
M. Prowse advised that he was speaking in the absence of the County at the meeting and that there is a lack of funding available for the County to provide the services needed.
4. Councillor, J. Harris asked why the health unit did not respond or attend the site?
M. Prowse advised that the health unit did request that videos and drone footage of the site be sent to them to be examined but that they would not send someone to physically attend the site. R. James, Reid, General Manager of Access Barrie, advised that the health unit indicated they wanted to wait until the Ministry of the Environment attended the site and would speak to their inspector regarding the situation.
5. Councillor, J. Harris asked how the City’s response to this encampment differed than the response to the Berczy Park encampment.
M. Prowse indicated that the Berczy Park encampment clean up was initiated by the City and that the City triages the encampments in the City using a variety of criteria including items such as proximity to schools and open parks as well as size of encampments. Mr. Prowse indicated the Berczy Park encampment was smaller and the County was able to provide sufficient housing.
6. Councillor, J. Harris asked if the site was a hot spot for police based on calls for service.
M. Prowse indicated he does not believe it was a hot spot for the police and was not a hot spot from the City’s perspective.
7. Councillor, J. Harris questioned if other areas have dealt with an encampment situation involving the Ministry of the Environment.
M. Prowse advised he believes it is a unique situation.
8. Mayor, A. Nuttall asked how many tests of the water have been done by the health unit at City beaches, and how many were done at the encampment site? He asked where the water from the encampment site drains into?
R. James-Reid advised that the sampling is done daily and the City receives any beach closure notices from the health unit. M. Prowse advised that to his knowledge no water testing has been done at the encampment site to date, and that the water drains into Kempenfelt Bay. M. Prowse advised that beach closures have been happening due to high levels of E. Coli in the water.
9. Councillor, AM. Kungl asked how many wellheads were located in the encampment area?
M. Prowse advised that there were no active wellheads in the location, but that staff can provide a list to make sure there are no encampments near active wellheads.
10. Councillor, B. Hamilton asked if there was a possibility to approach other encampments, why there was little uptake, and do the public health laws and other laws supersede the Charter of Rights and Freedoms?
R. James-Reid advised that currently the County service providers are going to the encampments and encouraging people to seek shelter space. She advised that right now the City is just trying to manage the situation and understanding why there is no uptake will come later on.