A poll commissioned by the city of Barrie shows residents have strong support for tougher action on homeless encampments and increased spending on public safety.
Between Dec. 3 and Dec. 8, 2025, the City of Barrie commissioned a telephone poll of 1,000 residents to measure public opinion on homelessness, encampments, policing, and the city’s overall budget priorities.
Oraclepoll Research Limited conducted the survey using live callers, drawing from both landline and cell phone numbers. The sample was evenly distributed across Barrie’s 10 wards, to make sure that each area of the city was equally represented.
The results were delivered to council in a seven-page staff memorandum this Wednesday.
The document, prepared by Cheri Harris, the city’s associate director of communications and customer service, is addressed directly to Mayor Alex Nuttall and members of council.
On its first page, staff frame the poll as a way to “gather opinions from residents on the City’s approach to addressing homelessness and encampments and the City’s investments in community safety,” two issues that have dominated council debates, public delegations, and social media discourse over the past year
The first substantive question was whether residents support the city’s “additional investments to address homelessness and encampments.”
Nearly three-quarters of respondents said yes.
According to the raw data in 73.1 per cent of respondents supported the city’s increased spending, compared with 21.8 per cent who opposed it and just over five per cent who were unsure.
That support becomes even more pronounced when the poll turns to encampment removals.
On page three, staff summarize responses to the question “do residents agree with removing encampments if people living there are offered shelter and support?”
Nearly eight in 10 respondents said they do.
Specifically, 79.8 per cent agreed with encampment removals under those conditions, while 17.3 per cent opposed them and fewer than three per cent were unsure.
If there is one result in the poll that borders on unanimity, it appears on the same page.
When asked whether Simcoe County, which is responsible for social services in Barrie, should do more to address homelessness, addiction, and mental health, nearly 90 per cent of respondents said yes.
The raw numbers show 89.6 per cent in favour, 7.9 per cent opposed, and just 2.5 per cent unsure.
By page four, the poll shifts from homelessness specifically to broader fiscal confidence.
Asked whether the city’s budget strikes the right balance between community services and keeping taxes low, residents were notably more divided.
A modest majority, 56.6 per cent, agreed. But 35 per cent disagreed, and 8.4 per cent said they were unsure.
The final policy question, outlined on the same page, returns to firmer ground for city hall.
Nearly 76.4 per cent of respondents said they support the council's investments in policing, security, and reducing crime. Fewer than one in five opposed those investments, and under five per cent were unsure.
Together with the encampment results, the data suggest a public appetite for visible order-and-safety measures, especially when they are paired with assurances that support exists for the homeless population being displaced.
The document says the respondents were spread across age groups, with the largest shares in the 30-39, 50-59, and 60-69 brackets. Household incomes ranged widely, though nearly 55 per cent of respondents reported earning under $75,000 annually or declined to answer. Gender split was nearly even, and each ward contributed exactly 10 per cent of the sample.
Barrie residents seem ready to back spending, law enforcement, and police.
Mayor of Barrie Alex Nuttall said that the poll results reflect a reality that he already knew.
“When I called the state of emergency, [on encampments] it was not a decision made lightly, but it was necessary,” he said. “I am encouraged to see that residents ultimately agreed with the approach and support the action required.”
“Barrie residents have made it clear they support action and results. Nearly three-quarters support the City’s investments to address homelessness, close to 80 percent support the City of Barrie’s approach to encampment removals, and more than three-quarters support our investments in policing and crime reduction. These results reaffirm that our approach is on the right track,” Nuttall added.