Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall is seeking a second term, placing his record on public safety, homelessness and municipal finances at the centre of the city’s 2026 election campaign.
Nuttall filed his nomination papers and launched his campaign May 5 at the Mill Creek housing complex, the neighbourhood where he grew up. His platform emphasizes public safety, housing, downtown renewal and economic development. He has also set a broader goal of reducing Barrie’s reliance on Toronto by attracting enough investment and employment for more residents to live and work within the city. Barrie 360 reported on Nuttall’s campaign launch.
He was initially the only declared mayoral candidate, but Tanya Saari entered the race July 6. The field can continue to grow until nominations close at 2 p.m. on August 21. Barrie’s official candidate list currently shows Nuttall and Saari.
The most politically charged part of Nuttall’s first term remains the state of emergency he declared over encampments on September 9, 2025. That declaration remains in effect.
At his campaign launch, Nuttall said no encampments remained on city-owned land, although others continued on provincial property controlled by the Ministry of Transportation. Current municipal figures show how quickly the situation can change. As of July 7, the city reported five known encampments on municipal property. It also reported that 184 encampments had been addressed since the emergency declaration, while 702 people were identified as homeless in Barrie. The city defines a single tent or structure as an encampment, while the county uses a narrower definition requiring at least two people. The city publishes updated encampment and homelessness figures.
Nuttall’s fiscal argument will rest heavily on council’s decision to approve a zero per cent increase to the city’s operating portion of the budget for four consecutive years. That figure doesn’t include the infrastructure levy or costs submitted by service partners such as Barrie police, the public library and Simcoe County.
Once those costs were included, council approved a 3.95 per cent residential property-tax increase for 2026, adding about $206 to the bill for a typical home assessed at $372,000. Previous blended increases during the term were 2.89 per cent in 2023, 4.82 per cent in 2024 and 4.31 per cent in 2025. BarrieToday detailed the final 2026 tax increase.
Barrie’s first AAA credit rating provides Nuttall with another favourable financial marker. S&P Global upgraded the city in October 2025, citing robust operating results, strong liquidity and a declining debt burden. The rating can lower borrowing costs as Barrie undertakes major infrastructure projects. S&P’s assessment gave the city a stable outlook.
Barrie is the corridor’s largest municipality and has operated under strong-mayor powers since July 2023. The campaign will test whether voters credit Nuttall for measurable fiscal stability and aggressive encampment enforcement, or focus instead on the continuing homelessness count and property-tax increases beyond the city-controlled operating budget.