Whatever is keeping people away from Queen’s Park in downtown Barrie drew a crowd there Monday afternoon.
Mayor Alex Nuttall, Police Chief Rich Johnston, senior city staff, including CAO Michael Prowse, Barrie parks staff and Couns. Craig Nixon, Nigussie Nigussie and Sergio Morales were all on hand today.
That’s because Nuttall’s update on work being done at the downtown park to increase community safety, scheduled for Tuesday morning, was moved up after a weekend encampment left the park a mess that city officials said had to be cleaned up right away for public safety reasons.
“This park was left a mess again,” Nuttall said. “(This) used to be one of the most vibrant and popular parks in our city. There was a time when this park would be filled with families.
“The ball diamond here was one that teams would be thrilled to play at, where we’re standing here used to be the bleachers that we filled with families cheering on little leaguers. But that’s all changed now," he added.
Nuttall noted that girls and boys minor ball teams no longer use Queen's Park, due to safety concerns, and the bleachers had to be removed because of the needles and drug paraphernalia beneath them. The city has also closed the Queen’s Park washrooms for the safety of the public and city staff cleaning them.
“The situation here at Queen’s Park is very sad for everybody and the problem has just gotten worse over the years,” the mayor said. “We can’t just stand by and let our parks become places where lawless activity is accepted.”
Monday’s event at Queen’s Park did not take place without another kind of protest, however.
City council’s May 17 motion addressing chronic homelessness and public safety remains controversial. It also contains measures to deal with drug addiction, mental health, a panhandling ban, shelter, counselling, limiting camping in city parks and feeding the hungry.
“This motion contains a provision that disallows, criminalizes and fines individuals who hand any supplies — food, water or living supplies — to any individual in a public place,” said Rebecca Madrid of Barrie, one of three people holding signs.
“This is incredibly problematic and flies in the face of everything being suggested this motion does," Madrid added. "That’s why I’m here.”
The city is implementing a number of measures to help at Queen’s Park, such as having city forestry staff trim back tree branches to improve sight lines for Barrie police officers patrolling the area.
Chief Johnston said police support environmental design in Queen’s Park to improve sight lines.
But he also said there are a broad set of socially constructed rules police are there to enforce.
“In any given community, sometimes these rules are forgotten or ignored or sadly some are not able to be abided by,” the chief said.
“We’d like to make it safe for all those who want to access the ball diamonds, tennis courts, parks, and greenspaces," Johnston added. “If individuals are creating criminal acts, we will always hold those individuals accountable.”
But he also noted that keeping the park clean does not address homelessness, substance abuse, mental health problems, or income security.
The city is getting help from other places as well.
The County of Simcoe has retained One Community Solutions, an alternative security company to undertake a pilot program for downtown outreach with marginalized and vulnerable residents and local businesses.
One Community Solutions is conducting walking patrols in teams of two, with two shifts – one from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the other from 4 p.m. until 12 midnight. They wear yellow vests with identification on them.
One Community Solutions staff work with people who may be experiencing homelessness, opioid/drug/alcohol addiction and those suffering from mental health challenges in a compassionate way.
“Their work has been incredibly helpful and is a sustainable approach to security in this community,” Nuttall said. “They hope to establish healthy relations and lines of communications for those who are experiencing homelessness in our community, working with people on the street while ensuring that rules are also being followed.”
Barrie police say their community safety and well-being unit are regularly at Queen's Park to engage with people who may be loitering.
Dating back to May 27, there are two occurrences on file related to Queen's Park. One was for people consuming alcohol near the skate park shortly after the noon hour. They were moved along after being cautioned under the Liquor Licence Act, according to police. The other incident happened later that afternoon and involved people in the washroom who may have been doing drugs.
“By taking an approach that combines increased law enforcement presence and community engagement, improved park design and collaboration with social services, I’m hopeful we can effectively address this problem,” Nuttall said.
“We’re entering what will be the summer break for children," he added. "And the reality is that there’s lots of families around that don’t have the means to have their kids in day camps. And the reality is that parks like Queen’s Park, they are the answer for many families in our community.
“What we’ve seen in Queen’s Park is a sheer reduction in the number of people who are coming to do their physical activities and to enjoy their family time.”
