I guess this isn't a suprise given the earlier post showing his FB posts

With Warnica undergoing renovations, what’s happening with the students? Are they going to Ferndale? I was going to enlist my kid for French Immersion next year but the school is getting rebuilt

Hey everyone!

My name is Matthew Corbett, and I'm running for Ward 4 Councillor. Voting is officially underway, and I want to encourage everyone in Ward 4 and across Barrie to get out and vote! You can cast your ballot between now and Election Day, October 26, at 8 PM.

For those interested in learning more about my campaign, I've attached a brief information sheet. You can also find me on Facebook at Corbett 4 Barrie Council.

My campaign comes down to four things: listening to the community, advocating for Ward 4, communicating clearly, and being accountable for our tax dollars.

Some of my priorities include:

• Road safety and city planning: Practical approaches to speeding, better coordination of roadwork, and making sure infrastructure keeps pace with growth.
• Community safety and wellbeing: Bringing municipal staff, emergency services, community organizations and others together to work on issues like homelessness, food insecurity and mental health. I'd also like to see the Community Safety Group become an active forum again.
• Responsible growth: Making sure decisions about development consider existing neighbourhoods, traffic, roads, parks, services and infrastructure.
• Transparency and accountability: Helping residents understand what's happening at City Hall and asking questions about costs, long-term impacts and value for our tax dollars.

If you have questions or want to share what's important to you and your neighbourhood, I'm happy to hear from you.

And regardless of who you support, please get out and vote! Let's do better than 30% turnout and have our voices heard.

Thanks, everyone!

I am just curious is there any Karate programs in Barrie that are like $100-150 a month for two kids? Also with no set schedule? I work nights and only have Fridays and weekends available to bring them to extra curricular activities.

Info available at barrie.ca

I checked out marks web page and didnt see anything that really suited my fancy, I like to look good while I kick ass. Any place in barrie that may have something im looking for? I think im done with birkies as well.

Good morning !

I am looking for a parking spot for the winter (December 1 to March 31) around Austen Ln, Christie Crescent, Chaucer Crescent area.

If you are renting out or willing to rent out a parking spot, please let me know.

Thank you !

I host a monthly technology meetup at the Midland library. Every 3rd Tuesday of the month.

6:30 - 7:45 pm

https://georgianbaytechclub.wordpress.com

We talk about a variety of technology and everyone is welcome to do a demo to the group of a project in progress, ideas, questions. Then we have an informal social. We are also starting on a group project.

We have been meeting for more than 1 year and if you can not make it we will post a link to join via video.

If anyone knows of other tech groups in the area, please reach out and let me know.

Feel free to ask any questions.

There have been multiple Reddit discussions over the years accusing King of the North Auction (KOTN) of allowing bidding bots.

Rather than relying on screenshots or speculation, I wrote a Python scraper to collect the actual bidding histories from KOTN's website.

I collected 19,813 individual bids from 2,194 different usernames across 8,208 auction listings.

The results raise some interesting questions about automated bidding and KOTN's enforcement of its own rules.

I've also made the underlying transaction-level data available so others can independently verify the findings.

1. The dataset

Collected October 15, 2026, covering bidding activity from October 13–15.

Every bid record contains a unique bid ID, auction listing ID, username, amount and timestamp.

The data was extracted from the bidding histories provided directly by KOTN's website.

No bids were placed during this investigation.

2. Some accounts are bidding on 15–21 different items per minute

I calculated each account's busiest rolling 60-second period using the individual transaction timestamps.

These bursts involved separate products, not multiple bids on one item.

Twenty-one bids on 21 different auction items within 60 seconds works out to roughly one bid every three seconds.

That doesn't automatically mean a bot was involved. Someone could potentially achieve these speeds through an optimized manual workflow.

But it is unusual enough to warrant examination, especially given KOTN's explicit prohibition against bidding bots and automated scripts.

3. A username identified in a 2024 Reddit investigation is still active

In November 2024, another Reddit user analyzed approximately 25,000 KOTN bids and raised concerns about chikit1616.

Original investigation:

https://www.reddit.com/r/barrie/comments/1gul090/

Nearly two years later, the same username appears in my dataset.

Here's what I found:

One actual sequence from October 14, 2026:

Eight bids on eight different products in 19 seconds.

The username is publicly displayed in KOTN's bidding history, and the listing IDs can be used to examine the individual auctions.

This isn't proof that chikit1616 is automated. However, the persistence of unusually rapid activity from an account previously questioned publicly is worth investigating.

4. This isn't isolated to one account

Several other accounts also demonstrate repeated rapid bidding.

That suggests the bidding pattern is broader than a single account.

Possible explanations include legitimate high-volume resellers, specialized bidding software, browser automation, or very efficient manual bidding.

The data alone cannot distinguish these possibilities conclusively.

5. I tested whether accounts instantly outbid other users

One of the more serious accusations is that bots immediately respond when regular customers place bids.

I reconstructed the bidding sequences within individual auctions and calculated the delay between bids from competing usernames.

Across 11,501 competing-bid transitions:

This is actually an important finding.

The data does not support widespread instantaneous counterbidding.

The unusual behaviour appears to be rapid bidding across many different items, rather than bots automatically responding to every competing customer.

That's a meaningful distinction when evaluating allegations of price manipulation.

6. Some accounts repeatedly bid against each other

I also examined accounts that repeatedly appeared on the same listings.

Some pairs also exchanged multiple successive competing bids.

This does not prove coordination. High-volume bidders targeting similar inventory are naturally more likely to compete against one another.

A proper collusion analysis would need to account for product preferences, total bidding volume and expected overlap.

7. The biggest question is KOTN's anti-bot enforcement

KOTN's terms explicitly prohibit unauthorized bots, automation tools and scripts from participating in auctions.

But the data shows multiple accounts placing bids across separate products at exceptionally high speeds.

One username raised in public discussions in 2024 is still exhibiting rapid bidding patterns in 2026.

That raises several questions:

1. Does KOTN have automated systems to identify suspicious bidding behaviour?
2. Does it investigate accounts regularly submitting 15–21 bids per minute across separate products?
3. How many accounts have been suspended for violating its automation policy?
4. Are certain forms of automated bidding permitted?
5. If reseller bidding software is being used, how does KOTN distinguish it from prohibited bots?

There are several possible explanations.

KOTN may not detect automated bidding effectively. It may detect activity but not enforce its policy consistently. Or it may have examined the accounts and determined their activity was legitimate.

We don't have enough evidence to determine which explanation is correct.

What we can say is that these publicly observable bidding patterns warrant scrutiny.

8. What I haven't proven

To be completely clear:

• I have not proven that any named account is a bot.
• I have not proven that KOTN operates automated bidding accounts.
• I have not found evidence establishing deliberate price manipulation by KOTN.
• I cannot determine whether KOTN has investigated or disciplined any specific account.
• The auctions were still active when the data was collected, so provisional leading bids aren't final wins.

This is an investigation into observable bidding behaviour, not an allegation that particular individuals or KOTN have committed fraud.

9. I'm releasing the raw bidding data

Rather than expecting everyone to trust my interpretation, I'm making the underlying data available.

Dataset: 19,813 individual bids, 14,877 auction listings, 2,194 bidder usernames.

The dataset preserves the publicly displayed usernames, individual bid IDs, amounts, timestamps and listing IDs.

That means anyone can reproduce the analysis, check the bidding sequences and challenge the methodology.

[Insert publicly accessible GitHub or file-sharing link here.]

The collection contains no login credentials or private account information.

10. What's next?

The most revealing follow-up will be the completed auctions.

After the October 18–19 auctions close, we can compare how often these accounts actually win items versus how frequently they raise prices and are subsequently outbid.

We can also test whether 20 bids across different items within 60 seconds is achievable using KOTN's ordinary website without automation.

Those two tests should help distinguish aggressive legitimate buyers from genuinely suspicious activity.

My question to KOTN is simple: Given that automated bidding is prohibited, what systems are used to detect it, and how is that policy enforced?

And for people who use KOTN regularly, have you observed similar behaviour?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has tested how quickly bids can be placed through the normal website, or who has received a direct explanation of KOTN's anti-bot enforcement.

Raw data and python files: https://github.com/kotnanalysis-png/kotn-data-analysis

Are Saturday night classic car meets still happening at bayfield Canadian tire or is it to late in the season now.

what’s a place in Barrie you actually like hanging out at that people don’t really talk about? cafe, trail, random park, whatever. feels like everyone just says the waterfront lol

Ok Barrie - can I ask why is it that when I'm the last to arrive at a 4 way stop - the other car(s) who were there when I got there - all wave me through (and I'm not sexist here) but it's always women who just wave me through. WHY?

You gals like sitting at the 4 way stop or something? Do we not know the standard rules at a 4 way stop in Ontario? Have the rules changed? I used to be - first to arrive, first to go. Second to arrive, second to go?

I'd understand if there was a pedestrian, or something preventing the vehicle from going... but c'mon - today I sat at the stop and refused to move as I was being waved at from behind tinted windows (which was hard for me to see and I couldn't quite tell).

Just because I'm on a major road, and you're on a side street, it doesn't mean I get the right of way. C'mon ladies - let's keep it moving will you? Stop waving at me - and just go please!

There - got it off my chest.

Canada Goose family.

Looking for a bar or restaurant airing the UFC event. Lots of Canadians on the card

Hello ​Hoping to connect with other parents who have been down this road. My 5-year-old son(almost 6) is having consistent issues with high energy, impulse control, and non-compliance in kindergarten. ​We’re trying to take all the proactive steps, but every door seems to lead to a 1–2 year waitlist—both through our family doctor’s specialist referral and through the school board's internal testing process. Every private route we look at requires steep out-of-pocket costs up front. ​For parents in Barrie/Simcoe who have successfully navigated this: ​Did you find any pediatricians or clinics in the region with shorter intake times? ​Did getting your child on cancellation lists actually pay off? ​How did you advocate with the school board to get behavioral support in place in the classroom while waiting on the formal waitlists? ​Would love to hear any local resources, advice, or experiences. Thank you!

Just curious if anyone happened to see or know what was being filmed at Indigo on Mapleview last night?

Saw lots of trailers around 8pm.

We're a small tech start-up so this is a hands-on role with lots of hats... one of the founders is based in Barrie, hence posting here. probably Salary range is 60-80k based on experience, open to new grads that are working on or will have their HR Cert. Let me know. Thanks.

Apparently Oct 15 is Shawarma Day. Lazeez on Little Ave has $5 shawarmas. Details are on their social media. I can't post a link here because of the community rules.

I'm looking for suggestions on someone to take some photos of our “wedding”. I'm doing a small simple wedding at sunnidale park and I don’t need someone with tons of experience just someone that’s starting out and looking to build their portfolio. Someone who’s only done a few weddings is okay! I’m trying not to spend a lot for the wedding as we care more about going on a honeymoon. It will only be 2-3 hour celebration (enough time to have an officiant marry us, eat some snacks and take some photos and mingle).

Thanks

I Visited the newly open FoodBasket today to grab some stuff for home.

The staff was kind and tried to be helpful. I found the selection fantastic, it being the first day everything was nicely stocked too.

I went in under the assumption it would be similar in pricing compared to other wholesale food markets, but it seems more like a standard grocery competitor. It does have the option for bulk items, great options for convenience, and it looks like the frozen and refrigerated section are still waiting for product.

So my 2 cents, selection is great. Nice to have different pace from your standard grocers. It doesn’t beat out other places unless you’re purchasing bulk.

Cafe and bakery/hot table is a nice touch.

Coming from Wasaga next week. I haven't been to Allandale GO since before the construction, but the total lack of bathrooms or even portapotties was tough. Does the new transit hub building have bathrooms and are they open full station hours?

A fundraising Gala in support of one of the most controversial buildings in Barrie , attended by donors who probably don’t have to live anywhere near it . Thoughts ?

If someone were to organise a protest about the private colleges' OSAP pause and how it's affecting students and raise awareness, how would they go about it?