Barrie set to approve textile program, $400K loan to bring Cornerstone addiction treatment site to city

Treatment centre could open within the next few months and it will be operated using revenue from textile collection

Simcoe.com
October 23, 2020

A major addiction-treatment resource is nearly here.

City council could approve recommendations on Oct. 26 that pave the way for Cornerstone to Recovery, a charitable addiction-treatment centre founded in 2004 and based in Newmarket, to set up a women’s facility in Barrie.

That includes providing a $400,000 interest-free loan to the organization -- money that would be used to renovate a building and operate the service. The funding will be paid back in equal instalments over 20 years.

Barrie may also enter into a two-year sole-source agreement with Cornerstone to allow for the placement of clothing and textile donation bins on city property. Cornerstone is expected to offer a curbside collection program too.

The treatment centre could open within the next few months and it will be operated using revenue from textile collection.

“They’re collecting textiles and diverting it from landfills -- it’s a great plan,” Coun. Natalie Harris said.

Those collection bins would be placed in parking lots at roughly 30 city-run facilities. Each site may have one to three bins. These bins will have a sensor to indicate fullness and a GPS system for tracking in case of theft.

“Staff received and reviewed information provided by Cornerstone and confirmed that Cornerstone’s operations in other communities, supported in part by the textile-diversion program, appear to operate a balanced budget,” city business performance and environmental sustainability manager Sandra Brunet said.

Eventually, Cornerstone hopes to operate a larger wellness community in Barrie, serving women and men through a residential facility and clubhouse model.

Cornerstone runs a similar program throughout York Region. Based on its York numbers, the organization is expected to help divert 2.5 million pounds of textiles and household items from Barrie's waste stream annually.

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“This isn’t a contract with a service provider,” Mayor Jeff Lehman said. “We’re permitting only one organization to place clothing donation bins. We’re not paying for a service. This isn’t a procurement; it’s a decision to allow an organization to collect donations, which they’re then going to spend on a particular program in the city. With that (collection), they are able to do this great work.”

For more about Cornerstone, visit cornerstonetorecovery.com.