A Barrie woman is facing impaired driving charges after she allegedly ran a red light and collided with an e-bike rider at a downtown intersection on August 6, 2026. Police say her blood alcohol level was nearly four times the legal limit.
Barrie Police officers responded to the collision at Anne Street North and Dunlop Street West just after 10:30 p.m. According to the Barrie Police Service, CCTV footage showed the passenger vehicle running a red light and striking the e-bike, which was travelling lawfully through the intersection on a green light. The driver left the scene heading northbound, but officers found the vehicle about 30 minutes later in a Bayfield Street parking lot with damage consistent with the collision.
A 45-year-old Barrie woman was arrested and breath tests showed she was impaired by nearly four times the legal limit. The legal blood alcohol concentration limit in Canada is 0.08 percent. She now faces seven charges, including operation while impaired, fail to stop after an accident, fail to render assistance, and operating a vehicle without insurance.
The e-bike rider, a 38-year-old Barrie man, suffered minor injuries and was checked by paramedics as a precaution.
This incident follows a warning from Barrie Police Chief Rich Johnston in March 2026 about a concerning rise in impaired driving incidents across the city. Ontario has also introduced tougher impaired driving penalties this year, including a seven-day licence suspension for first-time offenders, up from three days, and a doubling of the look-back period for repeat offences from five to ten years.
