Skip to content

LETTER: Amid push for permanent warming centre, many people to thank

'These folks have performed the acts of kindness, leadership and commitment to our community that should inspire and reassure us all,' says reader
09-01-2022 WCgone104
The makeshift warming centre in downtown Barrie was dismantled Sunday morning following a complaint to police.

BarrieToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to a story titled 'Will indoor warming centre in downtown Barrie get county support?' published on Jan. 9. 
*************************

Hearing about the extreme cold heading our way, I became aware over the weekend of the fact that Barrie did not yet have a warning Centre for our “unhoused neighbours."

Then I read about a pop-up shelter being built at Sam Cancilla Park and all the additional support for the community. Sadly, the police ordered it be taken down… fire risk, etc. No other offers from the police as to solutions.

However, it reassures me that there are some committed community members who would like to remedy this situation. I would like to thank:

* The John Howard Society that is working on establishing something more permanent with the help of some very generous donations from some folks

* The Busby Centre, who for years have been helping these folks

* A couple of Barrie councillors who have been working tirelessly to create a warming centre for several months now 

* Blueberry Moon, a local business on Dunlop Street who contributed and supported these efforts over the weekend

* Christine Weir Naylor for her coming up to one year of providing breakfast and clothing for these folks and building a network of support.

These folks have performed the acts of kindness, leadership and commitment to our community that should inspire and reassure us all.

Thank you to all and any I may have missed.

Myrna Clark
Barrie

*************************