Petition to Ottawa City Council
Improving Public Safety and Addressing Persistent Street Disorder in the Civic Hospital Neighbourhood and the surrounding area 

We, the undersigned residents and community members, respectfully ask Ottawa City Council to address recurring public-safety concerns and persistent street disorder affecting the Civic Hospital neighbourhood and its surrounding communities. 

Civic Hospital is a stable residential community with families, children, parks and pedestrian routes. Residents are increasingly concerned about recurring incidents involving property crime, suspicious activity, discarded drug-related hazardous materials and other forms of public disorder, particularly in areas bordering Highway 417 and along routes used by residents and children.

These concerns include: 
A publicly reported incident at Princess Margriet Park in February 2024, in which a two-year-old child came into contact with a discarded syringe. The incident was reported by Ottawa media, and used needles and drug paraphernalia were also reported in the children's play area.

Resident reports of discarded syringes along pedestrian routes near the Highway 417/off-ramp area, where families walk daily to and from school. 

Resident reports of theft from yards and sheds and individuals rummaging through vehicles.

A resident-reported incident involving an individual entering or occupying a private residential backyard and engaging in inappropriate behaviour around children's property. 

Residents should not have to accept discarded syringes in children's parks, repeated theft from residential properties, people entering private spaces, inappropriate sexual behaviour around children's recreational areas, or persistent disorder along children's routes as an unavoidable feature of neighbourhood life.

The Civic Hospital neighbourhood is a stable residential community. Its residents should be able to use parks, sidewalks, playgrounds and pedestrian routes without having to routinely inspect children's play areas for hazardous materials or worry about recurring property crime and disorder.

We therefore request that the City:
1. Conduct a coordinated public-safety assessment of the Civic Hospital neighbourhood, with particular attention to the areas around the Queensway/off-ramps, parks, pedestrian routes and children's recreational spaces.
2. Review Ottawa Police data on property crime and calls for service in the neighbourhood, including theft from sheds and yards, vehicle-related theft and suspicious activity.
3. Review 311 reports concerning discarded needles and drug-related debris in and around the neighbourhood and identify recurring locations.
4. Increase monitoring and appropriate enforcement in identified hotspots, particularly around parks, playgrounds, pedestrian routes and the highway/off-ramp area.
5. Ensure rapid removal of discarded syringes and other hazardous materials from parks, sidewalks and routes used by children.
6. Assess lighting, visibility, landscaping and other environmental-design measures that could reduce opportunities for theft, trespassing and inappropriate activity.
7. Coordinate the response among Ottawa Police, bylaw services, Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Ottawa Public Health and relevant social-service agencies, so that both public safety and underlying social needs are addressed.
8. Meet with Civic Hospital residents and the Civic Hospital Neighbourhood Association to review the concerns and establish measurable actions and follow-up.
9. Provide residents with information about the City's response and any identified problem areas, including what measures will be implemented and how their effectiveness will be evaluated.

Our goal is not to stigmatize individuals or communities. We are asking for a measured, evidence-based and preventative response to recurring safety concerns in a residential neighbourhood.

Residents should not have to wait for a serious injury or violent incident before persistent public-safety hazards and disorder are taken seriously.

We respectfully ask Ottawa City Council to investigate these concerns and take appropriate action to protect the safety and livability of the Civic Hospital neighbourhood.