With its slick architecture, the blooming condominium project at the corner of Cumberland and Rideau Streets sharply contrasts with the panhandlers living on the sidewalk across the road.
Such real estate development is an example of a winning approach to crime reduction, explains Rideau-Vanier Coun. Georges Bédard.
“We have encouraged urban development, especially on Rideau Street,” he said.
“The more people there are in an area, the less crime there is normally, because criminals look for places where they won’t be disturbed in their work.”
Bédard, the incumbent in the upcoming municipal elections, is also a strong supporter of an increase in police patrol time – something the Ottawa Police Services Board recommends in its 2010-2012 business plan.
But contender Andrew Nellis sees this as an attempt to drive poor people out of the ward. He says police resources should not be used to further marginalize the homeless.
“I believe that the police should be given more money. But the money should be to hire nurses and psychiatric professionals, who should be out on every single [police] patrol,” he said.
“A lot of the problems the police are dealing with are more easily solved through social work than they are with a hammer.”
Advocating for the homeless is what pushed Nellis to run for council. In his civilian life, he’s the spokesperson for the Ottawa Panhandlers Union.
Social development is a particularly important issue in Rideau-Vanier. With a median, after-tax family income of $50,393 in 2005, the ward ranked as the poorest in Ottawa. Citywide, the median family income was $72,433 in the same time period.
Bédard agrees it’s trivial to enforce bylaws against homeless people, recognizing that they don’t have money to pay fines.
But he contends social services alone won’t get people off the streets either. That’s why, in contrast to Nellis’s approach, he thinks a hammer should be used – to build more affordable housing.
“Providing more services to homeless people won’t help them, because they [don’t have a permanent address],” he said, speaking in French – the ward has an important francophone population.
“It is difficult to provide them services when they don’t have a place to stay. We need to find them housing and then provide them services in their housing.”
But in the context of a cash-strapped city, federal and provincial governments need to foot their share of the bill, Bédard says.
Asking upper levels of government for help in tackling poverty and homelessness is also something another major candidate in the ward suggests.
“The city could invest [money from the provincial government] to come up with a comprehensive strategy of social development in Ottawa,” said Mathieu Fleury between sips of coffee.
The 25-year-old thinks he has a good chance of winning against Bédard. The latter won by a narrow 203 votes against his main opponent in the 2006 elections.
While many could see his age as a sign of his lack of experience, Fleury believes his involvement in the community puts him in a perfect position to address local issues.
Like Bédard, he sees social housing as a key factor in reducing homelessness, but says strategies to prevent crime and poverty should go further.
His proposal: Invest in youth – the city’s future driving force.
“Young people nowadays are in school 20 per cent of the week. The other 80 per cent of their life is a critical moment,” he said.
“We have to make sure that during this 80 per cent, there is a form of education – be it physical, moral, civil – to show these young people the path and the advance of an individual in our society.”
Fleury suggests the creation of municipal drop-in points where youth could seek the services they need. For instance, they could request access to a soccer field or ask for help doing homework.
Nellis does not have as many concrete proposals as his opponents to reduce criminality and poverty in Rideau-Vanier. He instead sees the role of a city councillor as one of community organizer. If he’s elected, he says, he plans to bring together the community members who have a stake in a given issue and work with them towards a consensual solution. He hopes to apply this approach to most of the city’s administration.
“Councillors are not qualified to be voting on the things that they are currently voting on,” he said, barely hiding his bitterness towards the current city council.
JEAN-SÉBASTIEN MARIER was born and raised on the South Shore of Montréal. After spending a year studying the basics of television production at Cégep de Jonquière, he took part in the first Canada World Youth Journalism and Human Rights Quebec-Benin program. During those seven months, he wrote articles and co-directed two short documentaries on the Quebec students’ movement, and child trafficking in Benin. Jean-Sébastien holds an Attestation of College Studies in Community Development and Cross-cultural Relations from Cégep Marie-Victorin, as well as an Honours Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and a Certificate in Law and Social Thought from York University. His work has been notably featured on the NFB’s Parole Citoyenne web portal, in La Presse, and in various student newspapers. Passioned by languages, Jean-Sébastien is fluent in English, French and Spanish. In his spare time, he enjoys biking, reading and rock climbing.
Jean-Sébastien is currently pursuing a Master of Journalism degree at Carleton University.