Clang!
During Monday night's general committee meeting, city councillors loudly slammed the door on a motion to have staff investigate the feasibility of purchasing the shuttered Barrie Jail, for the purposes of preservation and affordable housing, with the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and/or Infrastructure Ontario, the province’s property manager, and report back.
Motion sponsor Coun. Mike McCann had said he would ask the province to sell the historic Mulcaster Street building to the city for $10. The Ward 10 councillor has also said he would pay for it out of his own pocket.
“This is a completely unique property that will attract so many creative investors and people wanting to be a part of this project,” he said. “We’re just sitting on our heels doing nothing. I don’t have to tell everyone that we are in a housing affordability crisis. So sitting back and being patient… is the exact opposite of what we should do.
"We need to get on the balls of our feet and start acting.”
But McCann found no supporters for his motion.
“Coun. McCann, raising your voice about it isn’t going to change the fact that we’re talking about the jail for affordable housing,” said Coun. Natalie Harris. “Even if it’s on the property, the amount of stigma around this, that isn’t being recognized, is shocking to me.
“And to kind of infer that we haven’t been already discussing about other areas for affordable housing throughout our term is just not true, and that this is maybe the only thing that’s come in front of us and why aren’t we saying yes to this is a little bit ridiculous," she added.
Barrie’s housing affordability task force has recommended city council allow housing as a right on large, well-located commercially zoned properties, eliminating parking standards entirely for affordable, rental, supportive and social housing, offering public land to non-profit and charitable housing providers and builders.
The task force has also recommended looking at tiny homes, pursuing hotel/motel conversions to create supportive housing communities, have one city planner dedicated to oversee and ensure the delivery of Barrie’s affordable housing strategy and taking $5 million from the city’s community benefit reserve for a new supportive housing capital fund.
McCann wants the city to partner with the province to preserve, restore and refocus the Barrie Jail into something that’s going to generate tourism in Barrie. He also mentioned a museum, a restaurant and a boutique hotel.
“We’ve voting on staff going and having a conversation,” McCann said of Monday’s motion. “If this council wants to say 'no' because I’m trying to promote affordable housing and housing affordability, just have the conversation, then I would be shocked at that. We’re just voting to have the negotiations, a talk.”
But Harris wasn’t buying it.
“It’s not even close to being feasible right now,” she said. “And the conversation is already happening with the province around the historic portion of it.
“It’s not about raising your voice to make us see your side of it,” Harris said to McCann. “To be honest, I’m getting a little frustrated by that. We have very valid reasons why we are voting no against this, and it’s not really fair that you’re throwing it at us that we’re not considering affordable housing in our city. It’s a little insulting, actually.”
McCann wasn’t done, however.
“Coun. Harris, you said you were insulted by my comments, you say we can’t afford it. What cost is this negotiation going to be to the city of Barrie?’ he asked.
“I’m not going back and forth,” she said.
Coun. Clare Riepma has earlier tried to amend McCann’s motion so that city staff would talk to the province for the purpose of preserving it, opening the existing Barrie Jail, constructing affordable housing on any surplus land, and then report back.
“I don’t think the city wants to buy it. I don’t think we want to own it, simply because we can’t afford to do the rehabilitation work that’s required on a historic building, and the province can put up a building for affordable housing much faster than we can,” he said. “They have deep pockets, we don’t.”
Riepma’s amendment was defeated.
Infrastructure Ontario (IO) manages the former Barrie Jail, which is a Provincial Heritage Property of Provincial Significance, on behalf of the provincial government. The former jail facility is surplus, but remains in use for the delivery of ministry programs.
The Barrie Jail opened in 1841 and closed in 2001. The Barrie Historical Archive says it was not just criminals who ended up in the Barrie Jail. In the late 1800s, it was a catch-all for law-breakers, the homeless, elderly, mentally ill, heavy drinkers and the disabled when there was nowhere else to place them.
