Ontario Protecting Communities by Enhancing Policing in the City of Barrie

October 15, 2025

$1,260,789 for Barrie Police Service will help fight crime and keep people safe

BARRIE-INNISFIL Barrie Police Service receiving $1,260,789 as part of the Ontario government’s more than $91 million investment to help protect families and communities across the province. The funding is being delivered through the Community Safety and Policing Grant Program. $500,000 will be used to Project CryptoCatalyst, $460,000 will be allocated to Project Furthering Our Capabilities, and $300,789.00 will be dedicated to Project Align.

“I applaud Ontario government’s dedication to keeping our communities safe by investing in the local police service,” said Andrea Khanjin, MPP for Barrie-Innisfil. “This investment will have a direct impact on public safety in our region and ensure that Barrie Police Service front-line officers are equipped to maintain the law and order for the local law-abiding residents.”

The Barrie Police Service projects are part of 127 projects being funded across the province for 2025-26. Of the 127 projects, 88 projects will address local priorities, and 39 projects will address provincial priorities, including gun and gang related violence, sexual violence and harassment, human trafficking, mental health and addictions, hate-motivated crime, housing and homelessness, and commercial/retail theft.

“Our government is delivering on our promise to protect Ontario and keep communities safe,” said Solicitor General Michael Kerzner. “Through this funding, we are helping to build safer communities by ensuring Ontario’s police services have the resources they need to address local issues and improve the well-being of the people they serve.”

The Community Safety and Policing Grant Program supports policing initiatives that focus on local or provincial priorities and provides eligible police services/boards and municipalities policed by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) with funding to deploy front-line officers where and when they are needed most.

QUICK FACTS

▪ Project CryptoCatalyst: human trafficking (HT) is a growing issue, with traffickers increasingly using cryptocurrency to conceal activities and move funds. Project CryptoCatalyst aims to enhance the Barrie Police Service’s (BPS) capacity to investigate and respond to the use of cryptocurrency in HT and related crimes. This project will build the necessary infrastructure and expertise to address this complex, emerging provincial priority.

Project CryptoCatalyst will foster partnerships with organizations such as Timea’s Cause (HT survivor advocacy group), Victim Services Simcoe County (VSSC), and other police services. Together, we will focus on education, collaboration, and utilizing cutting-edge tools to improve HT investigations and victim support.

▪ Furthering Our Capabilities: this project is a continuation of the Furthering Our Capabilities initiative that commenced in 2018 under the Policing Effectiveness and Modernization grant structure and continued under the Community Safety and Policing structure. This initiative allowed for the establishment of a functional Technological Crimes Unit which is now critical in supporting front-line investigators in instances where extraction and analysis of digital evidence is required. Subsequent activities will concentrate on furthering the capability of the Technological Crimes Unit to recover digital evidence by investing in technological equipment and training to supports front line investigators, external partners and victims of human trafficking.

▪ Project ALIGN seeks to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of policing practices in Barrie, and beyond, in alignment with the objectives of the Community Safety and Policing Act (CSPA). Through rigorous research and data-driven analysis, the project will support police services in two key areas:

  • Resource Deployment: Ensuring that police services are equipped with the necessary tools, data, and decision-making frameworks to deploy frontline officers when and where they are needed most, based on harm, demand, and community needs.
  • Community Safety Initiatives: Supporting the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of public safety and community policing initiatives to ensure they are impactful, responsive, and aligned with local priorities.