Article: Community advocates question Barrie's rising police budget amid increased social, housing pressures
- Engage Barrie
- Sep 28
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 1
Thanks to Brent Glover for this article, and to our contributing member Brandon Rhéal Amyot for representing us so well.
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Highlights
“Public engagement is one of our most important tenets in a democratic system. We want to see not just the loudest lobby — the zero percent-ers if you will — be heard, but all residents who’ve given their feedback year after year. Meaningful engagement matters, and when feedback isn’t listened to, residents become disenfranchised,”
Re: the 11% increase to the Police budget:
“It’s more of the same. We’ve seen, over the past 15 years, exponential increases to the Barrie police service budget. This is one of the largest increases as a percentage over the previous year that we have seen in the past, roughly, 15 years, and it raises an eyebrow about the justification.”
“Our city is no safer. Crime stats continue to show Barrie is a relatively safe city, particularly when it comes to violent crime. But the question is, safe for who? We’ve seen increased crackdowns on unhoused residents and people who use drugs, we have heard that the police service isn’t doing enough to address crimes in the city and so the question is where...what is it actually accomplishing for the material needs of residents in the city?”
Re: the 0% increase to Property Taxes
“Zero per cent tax increases aren’t free,” they said. “It really just means kicking the can down the line and cutting services that people depend on, and in a time where, obviously, our city is grappling with so many challenges.”
Re: Public Engagement
“Residents have said, year over year, that they want the police budget frozen or decreased by five per cent. Why does the police service get an exemption?”
“Is the budget allocator tool actually something they consider, or is it just something they do to say they’ve consulted, while passing the budget regardless of what feedback says?” (Note: see our Position Paper on Community Consultation)
“It would seem to be that residents have said ‘no’. Whether it’s the allocator tool, whether it is the increase in the number of people who are not only slipping between the cracks, but completely falling through them, clearly, we’re not getting our money’s worth,”
Re: Public Safety being more than just Policing
“It’s about access to stable and affordable housing, access to health, mobility around the city, and opportunities for employment and community. I think that the reaction is just, why aren’t you listening to residents?”
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