The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is probing a recent incident at the Foundry Georgian residences in north-end Barrie that left a 26-year-old woman with serious injuries.
The Foundry Georgian residential complex is home to both Georgian College students and non-students, but college officials say it is not directly affiliated with the school.
At about 9:35 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 6, Barrie police responded to 310 Georgian Dr., which includes several townhouses near Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH).
The day after the incident, Barrie police communications co-ordinator Peter Leon said he could not comment on what happened because it was “being investigated by an outside organization.”
It was later confirmed the SIU had taken on the investigation. The arm's-length agency investigates whenever there is serious injury, death or allegations of sexual assault involving police, or if an officer discharges their firearm.
An SIU spokesperson said Barrie police were called about a domestic situation at the residence on Georgian Drive. Officers arrived at the scene, heard a disturbance and entered the unit.
"Preliminary information suggests the police arrived and the woman exited a window of the residence. Police located the injured woman outside the residence," said Kristy Denette, who characterized the woman's injuries as serious.
Witnesses at the scene say the incident happened on the third floor.
Georgian College dean of students Brian Muscat said “the address is an off-campus residence that is not, and never has been, affiliated with Georgian (College).”
Staff from neither Student Services nor Campus Safety Services were made aware of the Nov. 6 incident, Muscat said.
“It is our understanding that non-students also live at (the) Foundry, so there may not have been a Georgian connection to the incident you’re referring to," Muscat added.
Muscat said the college has been made aware of some issues at the Foundry Georgian complex in the past and although it’s a residence primarily for students, it does allow non-students to live there, too. That has caused some concerns for students, especially since the Foundry bills itself as a student residence, he said.
“When students reach out to us with their individual concerns, we connect them with our Student Success staff. We also encourage students to use discretion and due diligence when looking for off-campus accommodations,” Muscat said.
An email to Foundry Georgian management seeking comment has not been returned.
Another incident that received a lot of attention in the news recently, after being recorded and going viral on social media, happened Aug. 4 when two Barrie police officers were involved in a physical altercation at the same complex.
A video from the August incident showed both responding officers — a male and a female — being kicked and punched by two women as the officers attempted to take them into custody on the home's front porch. The two women were eventually taken into custody with multiple charges.
