Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered conversations that matter
In cities and towns across Ontario — and at Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill — our journalists work for you. Their mission is to dig for answers and tell you what they find. This new podcast from Village Media — ‘Closer Look’ — is all about the stories we tell. Every weeknight, hosts Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith go beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.
Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered conversations that matter
Barrie mayor says ‘more and more’ cities will follow his lead on encampments
It’s been 10 days since Barrie mayor Alex Nuttall declared a state of emergency over homeless encampments in his city — and communities across the province are watching closely to see how the situation unfolds.
“The mayors I'm hearing from are asking: ‘How's it going? How did you do it? What effect is it having?’ Nuttall said today, during an appearance on our Closer Look podcast. “The response has been very supportive...I think you'll continue to see more and more municipalities take the same approach that we are."
Along with declaring a state of emergency, Nuttall also sent open letters this week to Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Mark Carney, requesting provincial and federal help to tackle the “real and urgent” crisis facing his city.
On the podcast, Nuttall answered a wide range of questions about why the state of emergency was necessary, what it allows the city to do that it couldn’t do before, and what his team is specifically doing to help vulnerable people being evicted as encampments are dismantled.
“I've been very clear: if you want help and support in the city of Barrie, we want to provide it to you,” he said. “If you want to live in addictions and you want to live in encampments, we need you to find somewhere that accepts that, because we don't.”
Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.
Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.
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Have something to say? Please reach out. Our email address is closerlook@villagemedia.ca.
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