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Peter Howitt woke up in Rhode Island to a phone call that would turn his routine upside down—he had just joined the ranks of Nobel laureates in economics, an honour that left him fielding congratulations before the official notice even arrived. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced Monday that Howitt, a Canadian economist and […]

Barrie’s decision to declare a state of emergency over homeless encampments sent ripples through neighbouring communities, prompting questions that reached the corridors of Orillia’s city hall. Yet Orillia chose a different path, one marked by deliberation rather than dramatic declarations. Homeless encampments have emerged as a stark symbol of urban struggle across Simcoe County. Barrie’s

Sirens split the calm of a Sunday morning in Simcoe as police converged on Head Street South, the hush of routine broken by a crime that would leave a lasting mark on the community. On October 5, 2025, the Norfolk County OPP responded to a call at a residence on Head Street South. What they

A harsh yellow streetlight flickered over the empty crossroads of Peter and Colborne in Orillia, casting long shadows across an abandoned service station—a place that, until recently, had been forgotten by all but the wind and the rain. That changed on a Saturday night, when police, responding to a tip about masked figures and a

Almost 10,000 times this summer, the Orillia OPP found themselves at the sharp end of local life—from sunlit park patrols to the midnight shadows of Colborne Street. New detachment commander Insp. Todd Landon laid bare the sheer scale during his recent presentation to the Couchiching OPP Detachment Board. Over June, July, and August, officers responded

Thursday after midnight in Barrie, the real drama wasn’t a masked burglar—it was a raccoon with a gourmet craving and a knack for comedy. Forget your average crime, this was a home invasion with a punchline, right in the heart of Ontario. Picture this: a homeowner on Sunnidale Road, nerves on edge, calls 911 after

On a quiet Sunday in Orillia, a routine police patrol shifted rapidly into high gear when officers spotted suspicious activity near a cluster of mailboxes on Memorial Avenue. The events that followed exposed not just petty theft, but a web of criminal enterprise stretching far beyond the city’s borders. Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers were

Before sunrise on October mornings in Barrie, clear bags filled with once-loved shirts, worn sneakers, and faded linens line the curbs, waiting for a second act. In a city ever mindful of its landfill’s limits, the question is no longer what to toss but what can be salvaged. Barrie faces a challenge familiar to municipalities