Matthew Barker on Muck Rack

Matthew Barker

Verified
St. Catharines
As seen in: St. Catharines Standard, The Peterborough Examiner, The Toronto Star, Waterloo Region Record, The Hamilton Spectator (Hamilton, ON), Brampton Guardian, Niagara Falls Review, Welland Tribune, NiagaraThisWeek.com, NorthumberlandNews.com, OurWindsor.ca, InsideOttawaValley.com and
Covers:  Social issues, housing, homelessness, opioid crisis, food insecurity
Reporter at St. Catharines Standard| Homelessness, Housing & Food Insecurity | *retweets not endorsements* mbarker@niagaradailies.com

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Matthew Barker’s Biography

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I am passionate about issues impacting people. I take pride interacting with people who have complex experiences, whether it is people experiencing homelessness, people living with addiction or housing issues.

Matthew Barker’s Journalist Portfolio

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Decriminalizing drugs would make a difference in Peterborough, advocates say

Decriminalizing drugs would make a difference in Peterborough, advocates say

Officials with Peterborough front line organizations say decriminalization of the use of illicit substances w…

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Tent ban bylaw hurts people without options, say advocates

Tent ban bylaw hurts people without options, say advocates

Opponents of the city's two-year-old ban on camping in parks are calling for its repeal, saying it has target…

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Street nurses are a key health care link for Peterborough's marginalized people

Street nurses are a key health care link for Peterborough's marginalized people

Street nursing provides outreach for people experiencing homelessness, poverty, food insecurity and ailments …

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Day 215 rally in Peterborough reflects on residential school system's toll

Day 215 rally in Peterborough reflects on residential school system's toll

Indigenous leaders and elders from Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations held a rally in Peterborough Tuesday…

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Peterborough priest launches drive to kick-start tiny-home development

Peterborough priest launches drive to kick-start tiny-home development

A retired Catholic priest has donated $100,000 to help with the acquisition of land for a proposed tiny home …

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Could sleeping cabins solve homelessness in Peterborough?

Could sleeping cabins solve homelessness in Peterborough?

A "sleeping cabin" from Kingston has been loaned to Peterborough for a week to demonstrate an idea aimed at a…

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Articles

Good or bad? Either way, vacancy rates are impacting rents across Niagara

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By Matthew Barker Verified
| St. Catharines Standard Verified
Vacancy rates are behind increases or drops in Niagara rental prices, says a leading market observation company. Rentals.ca, a rental aggregate website, recently released its June report highlighting rates across Canada have declined 4.7 per cent from last year. It said rents have been dropping nationally for 20 consecutive months. But Niagara residents may be seeing a different picture, depending where in the region they’re looking.
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Thorold Community Market anticipates large crowd for opening of fourth season

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By Matthew Barker Verified
| St. Catharines Standard Verified
Thorold’s fourth annual Community Market is set to open for the season Wednesday with many improvements, new vendors, music and the return of crowd favourites. The market runs Wednesdays at Battle of Beaverdams Park on Sullivan Avenue starting June 17 until Aug. 26 from 5 to 9 p.m., with a special season-ending celebration Saturday, Sept. 5.
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Final day: Emotions run high as St. Catharines safe injection site closes its doors

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By Matthew Barker Verified
| St. Catharines Standard Verified
Staff and clients of Niagara’s only safe consumption and treatment site closed Friday after provincial funding was cut earlier this year. “(We’re) heartbroken about what this means for our community,” said Talia Storm, director of StreetWorks Services at Positive Living Niagara, which had been operating the consumption and treatment site (CTS) on Queenston Street in St. Catharines since December 2018.
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Interview

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What was your first job as a journalist?

paginator

Have you ever used a typewriter?

Yes, I have one, it is an Underwood that was made in Toronto in 1952, needs some restoration, but it is in good shape.

How is social media changing news?

it is making news more accessible, but a lot more misinformation about journalists is disseminated making people think that we are biased.
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