A claim has been filed by a woman who was evicted from her tent at a downtown encampment on September 10, 2025. The city plans to defend its actions in court regarding measures put in place last year.
A woman from Barrie has initiated legal action against the City of Barrie, the mayor, and the Barrie Police Service concerning the state of emergency declared on September 9, 2025, aimed at addressing local homeless encampments.
Dannielle S. Laundry submitted her statement of claim to the Ontario Court of Justice on June 30, 2026.
“The state of emergency is and was negligent,” states the document. “The state of emergency violates … the Charter (of Rights and Freedoms) because it deprives unhoused persons of their life, liberty and/or security.”
The state of emergency “prevented or deterred the plaintiff (Laundry) from using a tent, shade structure, other temporary shelter or similar items on city property when no accessible alternative shelter was available (and) breached the plaintiff’s rights under … the Charter and was not justified,” according to the claim.
The claim references estimates from County of Simcoe that suggest there were between 865 and 974 unhoused individuals in Barrie from September 2025 to May 2026, while only 125 to 142 shelter beds were available.
As of Wednesday at 9:15 a. m., no defense statement had been filed at Barrie’s courthouse; however, a notice indicating intent to defend has been recorded since July 31.
Since this case involves Barrie’s state of emergency declaration, a police representative noted it would be inappropriate for them to comment further and suggested that inquiries should be directed towards the city or Office of the Mayor for clarification.
Mayor Alex Nuttall mentioned that he anticipated this lawsuit considering similar measures have arisen in other regions like Waterloo Region, Toronto, Kingston, Hamilton among others.
“For me, we just need to keep doing what we’re doing which is following the letter of the law and continuing to remove encampments,” he stated while adding that a defense statement will soon follow before an undetermined court date.
“I’ll leave court matters to the lawyers. They will tackle this step by step,” Nuttall remarked.
“What we’ve done is follow all legal guidelines closely to ensure support systems are offered,” he explained. “And also make sure there are pathways out of addiction and homelessness.”
The city shared its own remarks today regarding this legal filing.
“The City of Barrie continues working with County of Simcoe collaboratively in addressing encampments by adhering to relevant laws and court decisions while maintaining safe public areas and connecting individuals with suitable housing and support services through County resources,” said Barrie CAO Michael Prowse.
“The city intends to fight these claims in court,” he added.
The document identifies Laundry as being 50 years old without stable housing status while coping with several diagnosed mental health issues. She resided in a tent at Mulcaster and Mc Donald streets until her eviction on September 10, 2025.
“Ms. Laundry has experienced physical and mental distress,” notes the claim. “This includes but isn’t limited to heightened risk for illness/infections exposure increased safety risks loss of dignity self-worth privacy erosion along with declines in her mental well-being.”
Nuttall declared a state-of-emergency on September 9th under provisions established by Emergency Management Civil Protection Act regulations.
The claim also seeks an enduring injunction under Charter rules preventing enforcement against individuals living without proper shelter within designated city spaces prohibiting them from erecting tents or temporary shelters where alternative accommodations are inaccessible-alongside preventing evictions targeting these individuals lacking options elsewhere within municipal jurisdictions.’
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