They will be taking back the night in Barrie on Thursday.
Hundreds of people are expected to attend a rally and march downtown for the annual Take Back the Night event to raise awareness about sexual assault and gender-based violence.
Barrie-based Athena's Sexual Assault Counselling and Advocacy Centre (ASACA), a program of Huronia Transition Homes (HTC), is hosting the event.
"By creating a space for collective resistance, Take Back the Night helps communities to imagine what it would feel like for women, gender-diverse people, non-binary people and children to be safe to claim their space and walk freely through the streets at night," HTH said in a news release.
The news release notes that while Take Back the Night typically focuses on safety in public spaces, in 80% of sexual assaults, the perpetrator is known to the victim, and safety is just as much a concern inside the home.
"The Hockey Canada sexual assault trial, which resulted in non-guilty verdicts in July of 2025 for all players who were charged, underscores the critical need for systemic change," HTH stated in the news release.
Five players, all former members of Canada's world junior hockey team, were acquitted of sexual assault charges stemming from an incident in London, Ont. in 2018.
"We are reminded daily in our work of the dire need for safe spaces and diverse solutions that involve community members, government leaders and politicians, and changemakers," says Haily MacDonald, Executive Director of HTH, in a statement.
Out of every 1,000 sexual assaults in Canada, 22 have charges laid, 13 of those cases are prosecuted, six are found guilty, and three are sentenced to jail.
The rally will take place inside the rotunda at Barrie City Hall beginning at 6 p.m., followed by the march downtown.
More event information and the route map can be found here.
