Barrie mayoral candidate Russell Tighe says his campaign is rooted in tackling poverty, homelessness and addiction, arguing the city is facing a crisis that requires a more coordinated response from governments, agencies and the community.
In the third installment of our series profiling candidates running for mayor of Barrie, Tighe spoke about affordability, growth, public safety and what he sees as gaps in the current response to homelessness.
Tighe said his interest in public service stems from his own upbringing in a low-income family and a desire to address challenges he experienced growing up.
"I've been honestly thinking about running for mayor for a long time," he said, crediting former mayor Janice Laking as an inspiration.
Looking back on his family's experience, Tighe said Barrie is now at a critical moment.
"I don't think it can wait. I think we're in a crisis. We have an emergency on our hands," he said.
Taxes and growth
With property taxes and the cost of living top concerns for many Barrie residents, Tighe said he would be cautious about halting major city projects, noting that pausing some projects can end up costing more in the long run.
He argued that rising costs are being driven in part by service demands, particularly around policing, mental health, addiction services and homelessness.
Tighe said he supports maintaining predictable tax increases while looking for ways to ease the burden on homeowners. Among his ideas is seeking greater financial contributions from larger industrial developments and businesses moving into the city.
"I'd like to be able to see that be more of a tax contributor from the get-go from the deal arrangement, and that would essentially take the pressure off the homeowners," he said.
On housing, Tighe said Barrie must continue to grow but ensure affordable housing commitments actually meet the needs of residents struggling to find housing.
He pointed to the thousands of households waiting for rent-geared-to-income housing and said the definition of "affordable" needs closer scrutiny when developments are negotiated.
Listen below to our interview with Russell Tighe
Homelessness a central issue
Homelessness was a recurring theme throughout the interview and remains one of the key pillars of Tighe's campaign.
He said he supports Simcoe County's 10-point homelessness prevention plan and believes more emphasis needs to be placed on prevention, long-term support and housing stability.
According to Tighe, too many people continue to fall into homelessness through circumstances such as family breakdowns, aging out of foster care, releases from hospital or corrections systems, and financial hardship.
He argued that outreach teams need additional resources and staffing to provide more consistent supervision and support for people struggling with addiction and mental health challenges.
Rather than focusing solely on new facilities, Tighe said services should be brought directly to people in need through expanded outreach efforts.
"We have more people complaining about a situation than helping the situation," he said.
Tighe also called for greater collaboration among service providers, saying agencies often work toward the same goals but lack a unified structure for sharing information and supporting people through recovery and housing transitions.
Looking ahead
Asked what success would look like one year into a term as mayor, Tighe returned to the issue of homelessness and community support.
Tighe said he would like to see a coordinated model that can be replicated across organizations helping vulnerable residents, with a focus on reducing suffering and improving long-term outcomes.
"We are working separately, we need to work together," he said.
The municipal election campaign is expected to focus heavily on affordability, housing and public safety issues in the months ahead, with candidates offering differing visions for how Barrie should manage growth while addressing ongoing social challenges.
- Barrie 360 reached out to all of the mayoral candidates in Barrie. Russell Tighe, Tanya Saari, and Alex Nuttall accepted our invitation.
