'There were fights'

The Barrie Examiner - Local News

Posted By BOB BRUTON

Updated 22 hours ago

Noise, fights, crowds, drunks, littering, arrests.

Six members of the Barrie Downtown Neighbourhood Association experienced it all during a late night-early morning weekend walk-about in the city's central core.

"(The) majority of people were (in the) 19-30 age group. Some were surprised by us and polite to us. Old geezers, they called us. Others, intoxicated, (with) slurred speech and staggering, were foul-mouthed to us," said Stephen Riddell of the BDNA.

"Any yelling, shouting you heard was mainly female (identified by) higher pitch, but the males were also yelling and shouting. They would forget that they are not in the bar anymore to communicate with each other over the loud music."

Association members say excessive noise, drunken rowdies, vandals, street fights and sexual assaults are concerns in downtown Barrie, and that they are related to the high concentration of bars there.

An August stabbing death in the downtown heightened concerns, as did a brawl at a bar which left two Barrie men cut and injured.

Riddell said he felt safe going downtown on the weekend, although his wife did not and decided not to go.

"We were a group of six. When you are in a group, it's not as bad," he said. "You can cross the street and observe. Just beware."

The BDNA recently asked city council for a six-month ban on any new or expanded downtown bars, saying the area had reached or surpassed a sustainable number of liquor licences for late-night clubs and establishments

Council took no action on the association's request, but did send the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), which issues liquor licences, a request for more enforcement and to convey the city's concerns about over-serving alcohol in downtown bars.

City staff are also investigating the merits of establishing a liquor licence review committee in Barrie, similar to Kitchener's, to look at future applications.

The BDNA walk-about took place from 11:30 p.m. Friday until 2:30 a.m. Saturday. Its members visited 11 establishments, and Riddell said all had music — a live band or a DJ.

"Five out of 11 bars had the music volume so loud that when they opened their entry doors you could hear and/or feel the bass vibrations on the sidewalk, approaching the establishment," he said. "You could hear the music half a block away."

Riddell said association members asked why the music was so loud and were told that bar patrons liked it that way, and that nearby residents were not a concern.

He said there's no question about the popularity of bars in the downtown, however.

"In front of some bars, the crowds are so large that you need to step into the street to get by them," Riddell said. "The smokers throw their lit cigarette butts on the sidewalk or fling them out onto the street."

He said there were many Barrie city police officers in the area, and they were arresting people for being drunk, for fighting and for other infractions.

"There were fights on Bayfield Street and Owen Street," Riddell said. "Four males were seen urinating — (in) Memorial park, Mewes off of Bayfield Street, (the) RBC parking lot and Mulcaster Street."

Riddell said the BDNA members met at the corner of Mulcaster and Collier streets, then headed south down Mulcaster to Dunlop Street east. At Dunlop they headed east half a block, then turned around and headed west on Dunlop to Mary Street.

The group then turned around and went east to Bayfield, then north on Bayfield to Collier.

They then went to Memorial Square to observe the bars closing.

"The group learned a lot from this walkabout," he said.

City police issue releases twice a day to Barrie's media. While the Friday/Saturday release did not include any downtown incidents, there were two of note on Saturday/Sunday.

Early Sunday morning, officers arrested a man downtown for public intoxication. His friend was so upset about the arrest that he punched the window of a pizza place, breaking the glass and severely cutting his hand — which required stitches at Royal Victoria Hospital.

And just after closing time Sunday, police went to a downtown bar to deal with a man being detained for assaulting and threatening a staff member. He was arrested and charged with these offences, as well as for breaching several conditions of his probation on another charge.

bbruton@thebarrieexaminer.com