“Spare some change big brother, big sister? No? God bless you. Peace on earth to you.”
A few years ago I found myself at the Munich Airport in Germany with a few hours to kill. I made way to the bookstore and started flipping through the pages of The Lonely Planet. I started to wonder what they have to say about Ottawa – my neighbourhood, the ByWard Market in particular.
“It’s best to avoid Rideau Street between Sussex Drive and King Edward Avenue. In the daytime it’s cluttered with smoke-spewing buses and hoards of commuters, and in the evening it’s the preferred hangout for vagrants. The friendly ByWard Market can get a bit of an edge in the late evening with minor drug use and prostitute traffic.”
To anyone who lives or works in the ByWard Market this should come as no surprise. Still, seeing this in print half-way across the world made an impact on me.
Back in Ottawa, I trekked through the hoards of commuters, holding my breath through the smoke-spewing buses and headed into Chapters on Rideau Street. I wanted to see what other international publications are saying about my beautiful ByWard Market.
Sadly, they all echo a similar sentiment.
Frommer’s writes:
“In recent years the number of homeless people and panhandlers has increased,” and warns “two specific places to avoid are the pedestrian underpass on the South side of Confederation Square just West of the Rideau Centre and the main East-West ByWard Market streets between Dalhousie and King Edward.”
It’s not easy for a tourist to avoid Rideau Street between Sussex and King Edward… in fact, it’s pretty much impossible. And yet the two most popular travel guides in the world find it important to warn those visiting Ottawa to steer clear. It seems our underbelly has earned quite the reputation. But does the ByWard Market deserve these scathing reviews?
In my opinion yes.
Here is why:
- Does anybody feel comfortable outside of McDonalds on Rideau Street? This fall my girlfriend was accosted by an army of hoodlums while leaving McDonalds at 11pm on a Wednesday. They formed a circle around her, grabbed her bag and began to push her to the ground before a couple of bystanders raised their voices in her defence.
- If you’re out past 1am on a Friday or Saturday night you will surely be witness to a fight. 3 weeks ago some colleagues and I went to Zac’s diner after a work party. It was around 2am. Shortly after we sat down at a booth, two groups of people next to us began to argue. A wild brawl quickly gave way, punches flying, the security guard got beat up (why does a local diner need a security guard anyway!?), and a metal coat rack was ripped off its bracket. Police had to come and break it up. What really pisses me off is that our waitress said that this happens literally all the time! Hence, why they need a security guard.
- Three months ago one of my colleagues was approached by a prostitute at 8am on a work day.
- I work in an office building right in the heart of the ByWard Market. We’ve had multiple robberies during business hours, all within the last year. People come up the elevator, grab the petty cash and run.
- For the past month or so I have taken note of how many times I’m asked to spare some change on my walk to and from work. My walk to work is roughly 1km and takes 10 minutes depending on how long the light at King Edward takes. Here’s my usual route, although often I hang a left on George past The Salvation Army and cut through the parking lot:
… during that 10 minute walk I’m approached on average by 3-5 different people asking for change. Rain, snow, or shine, headphones in and listening to music or not, on the phone talking with a friend or not, I’m asked to spare some change.
There are 5 shelters in the ByWard market that offer shelter, clothes, hot food, and social support if needed – so really, what’s the money for? I can’t count the amount of times I’ve seen the same people who ask me for change drinking a bottle of Sherry in the middle of the day.
Do I feel guilty for not giving money to panhandlers? Absolutely not.
Part of the reason I don’t feel guilty is because I write a cheque for the Ottawa Mission every year. I have a great deal of respect for selfless organizations who help those in need. This one in particular serves 1,200+ meals every day to anyone who is hungry and has 235 beds for people who can’t afford to pay rent. When I give my money to an organization like that, I feel confident that I’m contributing to a solution, not simply feeding someone’s addiction. When I drop a loonie in a hat, well… I’ve got a couple guesses where that money is going.
But I’m getting off track.
What the hell is going on here ByWard Market? Robberies, wild brawls inside of restaurants, 8am hookers, excessive amounts of panhandling… and I’m sure anyone who is reading this will have their own stories. It all makes me sick. We need to work to resolving these problems. We should NOT go on like this.
Regrettably I don’t have any answers. This is merely a rant after reading some not-so-surprising nasty reviews in some very big and well-respected publications.
If anyone reads this, I’m curious to know what you think? Do you agree that Ottawa’s ByWard Market has a problem? If so – what are some possible solutions? More police? More low-income housing? Perhaps relocate some of the homeless shelters?
Join the discussion here.
**Note the man in the picture above in no way represents my thoughts expressed in this article. Although he does ask me for money almost every day, I’ve never seen him drinking on the street or harassing anyone. I just Googled “Ottawa Homeless” and picked an image at random.
Mark Hayes 
No city is perfect I guess. I have been to Ottawa 10-15 times. Compared to other Canadian cities like Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, or Montreal, Ottawa does not give me this impression at all. I think it has to do with the extreme contrast between the tourist attractions and the “other” parts of the city. It comes as a shock to see drug addicts and vagrants when all you expect is well dressed politicians and business people. I enjoyed your writings though and found it fascinating about what the world thinks of our capital. *now following
Great article. I completely agree, Mark! The byward market needs to be rebranded as cool and hip. It could be the best part of Ottawa but instead it caters mainly to homelessness and crappy tourism. It’s sad because the market has so much potential. And those few places that are worth going to really are gems.
Ps congrats on your fame, Kim! :)
I’ve made everyone a map incase for when they visit the Byward Market http://cl.ly/M8pV
How about we take out the 24 hour shitshow MacDonald’s, and replace it with a police and tourist information center with 24 hour police officers on site. I think adding this would create added security and give the police a better representation if tourists were approaching them for questions about local landmarks. Just an idea, I realize MacDonald’s isn’t going to give up such a high profile property location, but maybe even Zesty Market as one exists a block away.
I couldn’t agree with you more! I myself live and work in the byward market for three years now! Every weekend I am woken up to extreme violence after the bars close! I refuse to walk down Rideau street because often I get harrased or witness some type of drug abuse or violence! Last year I witnessed a male attack a female and throw her into traffic! As a single female I have gotten robbed on my walk home from work at 9 pm and had my wallet stolen! At the same time I have had many wonderful days in the summer enjoying the patio life and shopping in the byward market! Still I would avoid Rideau street at night all together!
Could you imagine what Rideau Street could look like if it was turned into a major shopping street, and if Sparks Street was turned into a vibrant communal centre for shopping, cafes and small theaters, and perhaps even outdoor concerts. I blame City Hall and the NCC for lack of action on this.
Also, there is a huge proverty and drug problem in Ottawa. And unfortunately its in the downtown core, not exactly out of site and out of mind.
I live in Sandy Hill and work in the Market (at night no less). Bar fights are a pretty universal side effect of a healthy nightlife zone (when you consider the number of people in all the bars and clubs, the number of fights is actually quite low) and as Ottawa keeps stating over and over again it’s desire to be a world class city, part of that equation is having a robust nightlife scene. I mean this neither as an endorsement of bar fights, nor to say Ottawa has high quality nightlife – just that we should expect some bar fights, and should have police presence to help control it.
As for the homelessness, it will involve addressing why so many of the services are crammed into one community, and that isn’t a popular discussion to have.
Now, as far as general bad behaviour towards each other (women getting accosted, people getting robbed), sadly, that’s just a matter of better police and security on site. Better design of the urban landscape can help too so the rebuilding of Rideau should help a little (by eliminating corners and shadows for people to hide in, etc).
Overall I agree with what anther poster said, I don’t think our problems are disproportional to what other cities experience, it just stands out more when less than a block from national monuments.
Great article – I often stop to read what others are saying about our city too.
I don’t think we should be relocating people. That will not resolve the problem. The problem is the shelters are only a temporary solution. We need more programs to help people with addition – programs that were cut in the 90s. The possibility for institutionalization if a person so chooses also the methadone treatment centre in Vancouver is a good example – nearly closed down last year by the Federal government. Also, we need transitional housing for people not just affordable housing in order to help people make the move from the street. Most of the disruption at night is not caused by street people but spoiled teenagers from the burbs and university students that have never had any freedom before and don’t know how to hold their alcohol.
As a local employee, I can say without reservation that the Byward Market is primarily a dump. I can’t count how many tourists approach me at various times of the year and ask me: “Where is the Byward Market?” When I respond “You’re in it”, they always look disappointed. Even the majority of the vendors along Byward Street that “market” themselves as selling fresh, crisp produce are scam artists; they routinely buy their goods from a store like Loblaws and just repackage it in their own stuff. If you get there early enough in the morning, you can watch them doing this.
The restaurants are generic and over priced, the shops sell junk, and the nightlife is generally geared towards the 19-25 year olds. Many local busniesses have been closing their doors over the last several years, partly because less people come to the market, partly because the rent/lease costs are outrageous, and partly because they sell products nobody wants. In the last year alone, Clarence Street between Sussex and Byward had 4 empty shop fronts…3 of which are still empty; this is prime real estate in the Market area.
Homelessness, panhandling, drug use, drunks, punks, assaults, robberies, and theft is rampant in the Market area. You cannot walk one block at any time of day without witnessing one or several of the above.
All this being said, it can be a beautiful area with a good vibe, particularly during the summer and fall, but there is a lot of work to be done. Ottawa is our national capital and is just flat out unimpressive.
What’s the solution? The cold hearted, but most practical answer is to relocate the homeless populations away from the central Market area and for police to come down heavy on the punks that occupy Rideau Street. Additionally, it would help significantly if the people of the Market stopped tolerating nuissance behaviour from the vagrants and punks.
Interesting post. Does anyone have any other recommended areas to visit while in Ottawa for shopping, good food and even drinks?
ditto.
The problem is threefold. One, all low cost housing is segregating to low cost buildings, creating ghettos. Other cities have given up on this idea ages ago and require any new buildings to have low cost units. The second problem is rents are too high, so that if you are on disability or welfare your only choice is low cost housing, and their aren’t enough units. The wait lists are YEARS long especially for men. Finally, Ottawa has a massive shortage of mental health services and adiction programs, meaning people are on waitlists from 3 months to TWO YEARS to get service. The combination is….well, the sad state of the market.
Hahah it’s that big sister/big brother guy. As someone who worked in the market for a good four years, I’ve seen him a bunch. He’s never really bothered me though, and he’s polite, so good on him.
I will echo the sentiment posted earlier on; many times I’d have tourists come into the shops I worked at and ask where the Byward Market was, only to disappoint them when pointing out that this was it. Always felt kind of dopey admitting to them that the Byward Market advertised in all of Ottawa’s tourism stuff was really just this boring, messy little area.
Reblogged this on SurelyShamit.
I think it is important to be clear that one’s safety is not really at risk in the Byward Market area. Many people tend to read between the lines here and take that kind of message home. What I mean here is, I think the odds are as they would be in any city. While there is a direct route some vagrant may take position to ask for change, you will find this in whatever city you visit.
I think if one would like to help trigger some changes, we can all do what this blogger did, keep writing a cheque once per year to help. This sounds so simple-minded, however if everyone did, this issue would not be as drastic.
My other opinion is way on the other side of this. A huge part of me does not believe in vagrancy; I think there is enough money, support and even low paying work out there to get one off the street. Even the pickiest person can find his or her fit somewhere in the work force, from daily construction work, to being educated while having bills paid.
Ottawa is a SAFE and good city, an amazing place for your children to go to school and find their path. If you wold like help seeing the lighter side, simply go out of the “market” area and experience the beauty of this place.
C
Also, I forgot to point out the HUGE amount of bars that opened within a 4 block radius, making the risk of upsets and noise larger. As a tourist I am sure one loves to go out. However, there is a lack of creativity in the entertainment and marketing of such bars and clubs in the Market. Its just a feeding frenzy for cheap booze and mainstream music.
I really enjoyed this post. When I was looking to relocate to Ottawa from Vancouver, I thought the Market would be my kind of place. I asked a friend and Ottawa resident for her advice and her response was “unless you live in one of the nice highrises, you’ll be stuck with all the crackheads”. I was surprised as I didn’t know about the concentration of low income housing and shelters etc. nearby. Anyway, I now live in one of those nice highrises and do see all of the issues referenced above. I can’t say it is any worse than downtown Vancouver, but it does wear on you. Until I’m ready to move, I will continue to enjoy my neighbourhood, warts included.
thanks for the lulz! Re. hoodlums; you’re talking about the high school drop out punks who stand around posing and perfecting their sullen expressions? I’m upset to learn some people find them threatening but seriously walk confidently and with purpose and they’ll ignore you. If you catch their attention and offer any resistance they’ll fold like the children they are.
Heya Mark. In 1998, Noelle and I moved to a beautiful apartment at Queen and Parliament in Toronto, in a neighbourhood we naively didn’t first scope out. It had five homeless shelters within a few blocks. No neighbourhood can absorb that many broken people! We were robbed within a year, and that was the end of that apartment. I think your last suggestion is spot on: relocate some of the homeless shelters. They need to be evenly distributed across a city.
You have excellent taste in women, btw.
Huh. That is disheartening to read those reviews about Ottawa. I have to admit that most of your list receives a nod of agreement from this gal. But the begging? Not so much. At least not compared with the US cities I’ve visited recently. For example, I just returned from Chicago. I couldn’t go anywhere without being approached — and in some cases fairly aggressively — for spare change.
Completely agree Mark! I’ve lived in Ottawa my whole life (and went to school/worked in the downtown and market area for 5 years), and I have never been able to figure out the condition of Rideau Street. I don’t understand how a street mere minutes away from Parliament Hill can be so dingy and sketchy – it’s prime real estate, why isn’t the city working harder at revamping it! I’ve seen slight changes in the past 10 years, but it doesn’t seem to be happening quickly enough.
I so agree with you Mark. My office too is in the Market and I have been seeing the same issues you discuss here in your post. Including the gentleman in the picture. I probably see him every day asking for spare change for something hot to eat. I feel that the increase in panhandling, prostitution, fighting ect. is a huge issue. The market is a top tourist destination in this city and I think the image that is being portrayed is such a negative one. It is embarrassing for me when our office receives international guests and they are being accosted walking from the Novotel to Byward Market Square. I love working here, especially in the summer, people everywhere, the fruit and vegetable vendors selling there locally grown wares makes the 20min commute from Orleans well worth it. But it does make me sad to see the general decline of the neighbourhood. I honestly don’t know what the solution is, the vagrants tend to go where the tourists are, so moving shelters and such, is probably not a solution. I really don’t have any answers but am very interested to see what is in store for our historical Byward Market.
I completely agree, the Byward Market is a little out of control at night and is a sketchy place to be walking alone. Its sad because when i travel people ask how Ottawa is and I always say it’s a very nice place. Then i think about the Byward Market and how beautiful it is but I think about how many bad interactions I`ve had with people there. It would be nice if the city could clean it up a bit and make it more friendly for tourists.
Reblogged this on Kindness by the Meter and commented:
An interesting discussion regarding the Byward Market neighborhood from a non-academic based insider. Might I suggest reading the comment section as well? – Jaslyn
We’re a bunch of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community.
Your web site offered us with useful information to work
on. You’ve done an impressive activity and our entire neighborhood will
probably be grateful to you.
I have worked and lived in the Byward Market for 22 years and I have noticed the decline .. due especially by the amount of bars and pubs replacing beautiful unique boutiques and shops of creative interest. We need to stop allowing this to happen .The city needs to become more involved in giving permits to everyone that asks… and balance out the types of business !
The sad thing is most of the shelter are being targeted by drug dealers. Having grown up in Ottawa I have seen how things really work there. The panhandlers are nearly 100% addicts, the people who truly need help dont ask for money because they have too much pride and feel bad and ashamed to ask for help….meanwhile the panhandlers (or addicts) all rush down to the shelters after they get $10 or $20 (or even just $5) looking for their next fix….while I admire the shelters for their selfless assistence to the community, truth is people dont feel safe going their….they dont know whos trying to sell them what, or whos going to try and rob them….at the Salvation Army, your see addicts just lined up along the gate there all doing their thing in public as if its the most normal thing in the world…and the cops dont do anything because they want to find the source of the drugs, rather than just focus on the individual ones….plus theirs so much disease going around (HPV, HIV, HEPC, AIDS, etc etc) that no one wnats to deal with them….and the hookers are around at 8am despirately trying to get any kind of money for their next fix….worst time to wander the market is after 3am and before 8am….all the ard close and addicts get money, but after that they get desperate and go around robbing people, (and in extreme cases killing people) just for their next little fix………..and this is just the market
people in ottawa are in shock, or fear and ignorant to the fact that the city is absoluty safe, these areas are a walk in the park in comparism.to other cities in both canada and the us.
btw stop voting for the same idiots that think its brilliant to put all homeless shelters, food banks, drug centres , drop in centres within a four block radius
We just came back from a short visit to down town Ottawa today. I was really shocked at how rough it has become. We haven’t been in two years, and in that time it has really seemed to decline.
I was searching on line to see what kind of drug was infecting the Ottawa youth. Everywhere we went were young people who looked like zombies. It was really sad. We live in Montreal and even though it’s a big city, I haven’t seen anything like it.
I came across this posting while searching about safety in the Byward area and found interesting to read the article and the comments. However, I noticed they are a couple of years old and wonder if the situation remains the same.
Would you be able to provide me an updated perspective?
Thanks and regards
The market is also filled with dirt like vomit. Pretty much every corner is covered with puke. Some dunks don’t even bother, they do it in front of you. One day, I counted 20 spots of puke on my way to work. I lived in Paris , Milan, Toronto, Montreal, and Prague and I have never seen such thing. Here in Ottawa, shop owners wait for the puke to disapear by itself….very very discusting city, hate it. I now avoid what I call “puke market” …..food is terible anyways…..
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Curious how you feel about the possibility of the SA moving one of the shelters out into a more residential area?