Serving the Glebe community since 1973 December 8, 2023 www.glebereport.ca TFI@glebereport ISSN 0702-7796 Vol. 51 No. 10 Issue no. 560
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GLEBE SAFETY AN INCREASING CONCERN By Roger Smith
For Rebecca McKeen, the last straw was the unconscious man behind her store, McKeen Metro, in late September. Grainy security video shows a man wandering into the lane and urinating on the delivery door. He sits down, fiddles with what looks like a hacksaw, then keels over. After staff called 911, police woke the man, questioned him and let him go. A search of the Second Avenue parking garage turned up a loaded needle and empty packaging for knives. “He’d obviously shot up in the parking garage and then wandered into our laneway,” says McKeen. “They just let the guy wander off in the community, obviously high.” McKeen was already fed up with shady behaviour and inadequate policing that she believes is making Glebe more dangerous and less appealing. A fire extinguisher tossed off the top floor of the parking garage in April. Increased shoplifting as food prices rise. More homeless people, many with drug addictions and mental health problems. Discarded needles in parks. Aggressive panhandlers, including one who has personally threatened her. “People say it’s not as bad as Toronto or Vancouver, it’s not as bad as Centretown,” says McKeen. “But people don’t realize how close we are to becoming just like Centretown. I think there’s a false sense of security that it won’t happen here.” A new police “data visualization tool” released last month allows you to zoom in to see where, when and what crimes have been committed in the Glebe (see box). It shows about 130 offences so far this year, from harassment to car thefts. Beyond crime, the homeless are also a problem, especially for Bank Street businesses.
Rebecca McKeen, owner/manager of McKeen Metro, has seen first-hand morefrequent incidences in the Glebe of street drugs, vandalism and antisocial behaviour and is calling for action to combat the problem. PHOTO: LIZ MCKEEN
“We’re concerned about the guys asking for a quarter when they’re tweaking on meth,” said Ian Boyd, owner of Compact Music and a board member of the BIA. “They walk up and down the street yelling. They’re scaring people. People are just going to go to Walmart and stop coming to the Glebe.” Last month, the Royal Bank at First and Bank shut down evening and weekend access to its ATMs, citing “security concerns” but declining to give specifics. Up the street at Fourth, Scotiabank ATMs used to be accessible 24/7 but the branch started closing them at 6 p.m. last year because of problems with the homeless. “When you walk in the morning and see people sleeping on the floor, you can’t have that, it’s bad for business,” said assistant branch manager Alex Murray. “We’ve had client complaints
Index
Mark Your Calendars
ART................................................. 25, 28 BOOKS...................................................22 BUSINESS............................. 7, 13, 15, 16 EDITORIAL...............................................4 ENVIRONMENT............................... 17, 18 EVENTS..................................................35 FILM...................................................... 23 GLEBE HISTORY �����������������������������������31 GLEBOUS & COMICUS ������������������������ 34 HEALTH..................................................32 HOMES............................................ 30, 33 LETTERS..................................................5 MUSIC................................................... 26 NATURE................................................ 19 NEW YEARS...........................................27 OPINION.................................................. 8 REPS & ORGS..........................6, 9-12, 29 SAFETY................................................ 1-3 SCHOOLS...............................................37 SPOTLIGHT..................................... 13, 15 THEATRE............................................... 24 TRAVEL................................................. 36
RIDEAU CHORALE SINGS BAROQUE ������������������������������ DEC. 10, SOUTHMINSTER UNITED CHURCH, 7.30 P.M. SOUL MUSIC FOR CHRISTMAS �������������������������������������� DEC. 10, GLEBE-ST. JAMES UNITED CHURCH, 4 P.M. BYTOWN VOICES CONCERT ������������������������������������������� DEC. 10., KNOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 3 P.M. GNAG WINTER CARNIVAL......................DEC. 10, GCC, 1:30-3:30 ART LENDING OF OTTAWA ���������������������������������������������� DEC. 16, RA CENTRE, 10 A.M.-4 P.M. SEVENTEEN VOYCES ������������������������������������������������������� DEC. 16, ST. MATHEW’S ANGLICAN CHURCH, 7:30 P.M. HOGMAN-EH!................................................................... DEC. 31, LANSDOWNE, 2 P.M.-1 A.M. PATHWAY YOGA OPEN HOUSE ����������������������������������������JAN. 10, 253 ECHO DRIVE 1-3:30 P.M. GCA MONTHLY MEETING.........................JAN. 23 ONLINE, 7 P.M.
and employees complained about their own safety.” But Debbie Long insists the top priority isn’t more policing, “it’s all about affordable housing.” “Housing first, then social services to solve their problems,” says Long, co-chair of the GCA’s health, housing and social services committee. “You can’t solve problems when they’re still on the streets.” Trouble is, appropriate housing is limited. Police, outreach services and shelters are stretched for resources. Shelters and jails are often full. Even police admit their focus on higher-crime areas like the Byward Market chases problems to other neighbourhoods. “It’s just money, it’s all about money,” says Long. “There’s just not enough to go around.”
Differing views spilled over at an October 24 meeting set up at McKeen’s request with councillor Shawn Menard, the GCA, GNAG, the BIA and Ottawa police. It didn’t go well – some participants were put off by McKeen’s confrontational behaviour. According to the minutes, she challenged Menard on his spending priorities, including tree replacement on Bank Street. “If there’s a resource issue for police and outreach services,” she explained later, “why is the city spending $500,000 on trees?” While Menard agrees there are misplaced priorities – “like $419 million for Lansdowne” – he defends the tree expenditure and urges more patience. “This is a problem right across the city,” he says. “This isn’t just a simple solution. We need to talk this through. We can’t just flood the streets with police.” A small committee from the GCA, GNAG and the BIA met again on November 20 – without McKeen. They’re planning ways to get more money and help for affordable housing, emergency shelters, mental health and social services. But McKeen has new reason to be skeptical about promised remedies. The Second Avenue parking garage was supposed to be safer with a new security firm in place, but on November 18, licence plates were stolen from a vehicle there, probably to put on a stolen car. The vehicle was McKeen’s delivery van. “I’m tired of people saying it will take a long time or there is nothing we can do,” she says. “Resources need to be reallocated to the immediate needs, not the long-term needs.” Though her store is a pillar of the community – it donates up to 10 Article continued on page 2
What’s Inside
The St. Rita................................................................ Page 15
Mint chocolate cookies............................................ Page 20
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