Barrie property owners have until July 2, 2026, to challenge a new city by-law that aims to shut down businesses selling illegal products from retail spaces. City council passed the zoning amendment on June 3, and the city is now warning anyone using land illegally that enforcement is coming.
The new rules specifically target operations like unlicensed cannabis stores and body rub parlours that have been hiding under the general retail designation. According to Barrie city clerk and director of legislative and court services Wendy Cooke, the changes are meant to stop the sale of illegal, regulated, or restricted goods and services where retail is normally permitted.
Mayor Alex Nuttall fast-tracked the idea on April 29 using special powers under provincial legislation. His direct motion to council skipped the usual public input process and passed 8-2, with councillors Ann-Marie Kungl and Amy Courser voting against it. The by-law then went to a public meeting on June 3, where some residents worried about unintended consequences for legal businesses.
Store manager Jamie Mohawk of Mohawk Smoke, a downtown Indigenous shop selling native cigarettes and cannabis, told the meeting his business had followed every city request and questioned whether he was being unfairly targeted. Barrie Police Chief Rich Johnston also spoke, pointing out that downtown issues tie into addiction, mental health, and homelessness.
The city has 29 licensed cannabis dispensaries, councillor Gary Harvey noted during the April 29 council meeting. The new by-law is part of a broader push by the mayor’s office for tougher enforcement downtown. Property owners who believe the by-law unfairly impacts them can file an appeal through the Ontario Land Tribunal by 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 2.
