Member News

Downtown Barrie BIA partners with community leaders on Bright Spot project

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, April 20, 2021 (Barrie, Ontario)

Downtown Barrie BIA partners with community leaders on Bright Spot project

The Downtown Barrie Business Association (BIA) has partnered with the Barrie Police Service, the Women & Children’s Shelter of Barrie, the Salvation Army, Shak’s World and the City of Barrie to make downtown Barrie even more inviting.

Born out of a safety audit that followed a concerned citizen’s experience of feeling unsafe in the downtown, the Bright Spot project was created. Community partner agencies worked collaboratively to identify areas of concern and took action. The Bright Spot project is similar to the well known Block Parent project and provides safe places for the public to go if they are feeling unsafe.

Participating downtown businesses have undergone training on how to handle unsafe situations and are prepared to assess the situation and determine the next steps. Business owners can call police, help arrange a ride, or just offer a place to wait till a friend arrives. To find the downtown’s Bright Spots, look for these signs in the windows of participating businesses.

The safety audit also prompted the Downtown Barrie BIA to work with Barrie Police, the City of Barrie and property owners in the downtown to install string lighting in the alleys between 28 Dunlop St E and 34 Dunlop St E as well as between 50 Dunlop St E and 46 Dunlop St E.

"Leading the safety audit was a really informative process for all partners involved. I want to thank all the businesses who have signed up for the Bright Spot program and I'm really excited to see the lights go up in the alleys. Downtown Barrie is made up of amazing people and businesses and we want them all to feel safe," noted Community Safety and Well-Being Officer Constable Keira Brooks.

The string lights add increased lighting to the alleys and also beautifies and draws attention to the area. Further, ten more security cameras have been installed in downtown Barrie bringing the total number of cameras in the area to twenty.

These safety measures add to the strength of the downtown community while encouraging the public to come downtown, support local businesses and feel safe.

See you downtown!

For more information about the Downtown Barrie Business Association (BIA), head to downtownbarrie.ca
For more information about Barrie Police, head to barriepolice.ca
For more information about the Women & Children’s Shelter, head to barrieshelter.com
For more information about the Salvation Army, head to salvationarmybarrie.com
For more information about Shak’s World, head to shaksworld.org
For more information about the City of Barrie, head to barrie.ca

Media Contact:

Barrie Police Corporate Communications
[email protected]
705-725-7025 x 2926

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