The Centretown BIA is trying various ways to help local business owners who say they’re dealing with a new influx of people experiencing homelessness, mental health struggles and substance addiction.
To address issues of crime and public safety, Ottawa police have increased their presence in the downtown, beginning with the opening of a new Ottawa Police Services satellite post on the ground floor of the Rideau Centre at the end of June. In mid-July, the police force announced it would be increasing patrols and presence in eight “hot spots,” all of which are in or near the ByWard Market.
Since then, businesses and community leaders in surrounding neighbourhoods say there is “overflow” as people experiencing addiction or mental health concerns move away from the Market.
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SabriNa C. Lemay, the executive director of the Centretown BIA, said her organization has been working to support business owners and community members through these latest challenges.
“There has definitely been an uptick. We see it. I see it personally. My team sees it. The businesses see it. The residents see it,” Lemay told OBJ. “We’re getting a lot of people sending emails through. We’re also experiencing a lot more damage to properties … And a lot of human feces and things like that are being spread across sidewalks and in corridors and in areas that we’ve never seen before. And new people who we haven’t seen before.”
One of the ways the BIA has tried to bridge the gap is with a recent “faces of Centretown” social media campaign that introduces individuals who are currently unsheltered or who work and live in the area to the wider community.
“We’re trying to change the narrative,” said Lemay. “We’re shedding light on these individuals and speaking to the fact that there are individuals that you can actually employ. I know Howard Fine Jewellers employs an unsheltered individual who helps clean the street.
“We have to be open-minded to the fact that not everybody’s cookie-cutter is the same. There is an opportunity to build a better community if we’re working together and we’ve seen that language change with our members as well,” she continued. “There are a lot of challenges we face, but there are also a lot of really beautiful moments and benefits to what’s happening in the area from an evolutionary perspective.”
The BIA has hired a cleaning team, Lemay said, to maintain the streets and has been providing business owners with a “who-to-call list” with resources such as helplines and crisis centre information. But “resources are limited,” she said.
“What we’re finding is the members are in a state of fight-or-flight,” Lemay explained. “If they see something like this, they’re panicking and they’re trying to make calls, or they’re trying to wear different hats and trying to be solution-oriented, but when doing so, (they) don’t really understand what the different support systems do.
“By educating our members, we can make the right call and we can take the right steps.”
Devinder Chaudhary, owner of Aiana Restaurant Collective at 50 O’Connor St. near Queen Street, said there’s been an “increased presence of individuals grappling with mental health challenges and substance abuse” in his neighbourhood.
“This situation is deeply concerning, not just from a business perspective, but more so from a community and humanitarian standpoint,” Chaudhary told OBJ.
On Bank Street, Wanda Cotie, owner of Wicked Wanda’s at 327 Bank St., said her neighbourhood and its businesses are in a “serious state of emergency.”
Cotie has previously warned of the increase in drug use and mental health crises on Bank Street, but since the increased police presence in the Market, it’s gotten worse, she said.
“I am actually beyond concerned for our future,” she said. “Small business has serious challenges and without the help of the city I see many more closing down.”
The methadone and safe consumption site across the street from Wicked Wanda’s has had a huge impact on her neighbourhood, she explained.
“We need treatment, but in the middle of block is not the place as they (overdose) in front of the stores,” Cotie explained. “It’s traumatic to witness and it’s discouraging to have no answers.”
For Somerset ward, what was already a complex issue has been exacerbated in recent weeks, says Coun. Ariel Troster.
“Centretown already has its own troubled population … So, to be clear, we were in a crisis situation to begin with,” she told OBJ. “But I and our service providers and business owners have certainly noticed that, since mid-July, after the new police station was opened in the Rideau Centre, that we’ve seen a migration of an additional troubled population into Centretown.
“These are folks that we maybe never have seen before. We’re seeing groups of five, six, seven, eight people sitting on the sidewalk injecting or smoking drugs publicly. There have been some fights,” Troster explained. “One individual told a (local business owner) directly that he’s gotten out of the Market because the police presence has essentially forced him out of there.
“Displacing people is not solving the problem.”
Public drug use is at the top of the list of concerns, Troster said, especially since the ward’s only safe consumption site at the Somerset West Community Health Centre is set to close as a result of a recent decision by the provincial government.
“When that place closes down, there will be no safe indoor places for people to use drugs, especially if they live in the shelter system or in rooming houses or don’t have an indoor place to gather,” she explained. “The displacement of people might make one area feel safer, but it’s having a knock-on effect on the rest of downtown.”
Troster said she personally has sensed an “increased feeling of safety” while in the Market, but that these issues should be addressed more holistically.
“What I’ve been arguing is that we need to look at all of urban Ottawa as one ecosystem and we need to ensure that folks are well cared for and have the services they need and places to go,” Troster continued. “Otherwise, the problem is going to keep perpetuating itself.”
Centretown recently launched the ANCHOR crisis response program, which provides free, confidential support for individuals aged 16 and older experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis. There is also “definitely a role for (law) enforcement in all of this,” Troster added, to keep everyone safe and ensure businesses and residents feel secure.
But there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, she said, and an increased police presence is not the only way to solve this issue.
“We’re seeing a high degree of unwellness among people who use drugs … And it’s creating a lot of erratic behavior and a lot of social disorder,” Troster said. “Businesses and residents in Centretown are definitely feeling burnt out from all of this and they want to see sustainable solutions, not just moving the problem from block to block.”
For Chaudhary, addressing the “root cause” is vital for a vibrant neighbourhoood and local economy.
“While it’s undeniable that such challenges can impact local businesses and deter visitors, we must also recognize the underlying social issues contributing to this situation.” he said. “The displacement of vulnerable populations is a complex problem that calls for a thoughtful and coordinated response from all stakeholders — businesses, local government, and social services alike.
“Addressing the root causes of mental health and substance abuse in our community is not only a moral obligation, but also a critical step towards ensuring the vibrancy and safety of our neighbourhoods.”
