Centretown businesses report increased crime

Good morning! 

I’m super happy to report that thanks to a grant we’ve received, a team of freelancers are out covering local federal election issues that impact people here in Ottawa. This is such a great way to support local journalists while digging deep into stories which are underrepresented — especially in such a crucial election.

After Easter Monday, we will be devoting our next three newsletters leading up to the election on these stories of transit, affordable housing, interprovincial issues, riding changes, and more. Stay tuned for those stories!

For today’s newsletter, I sat down with Steven Chapman, president of the Ottawa branch of the National Association of Federal Retirees, which has been polling the candidates on election issues that matter to older and retired voters. 

Some businesses in the Centretown area are also cleaning up after break-ins over the weekend. Now a man in his 30s is in custody. 

Let’s get to it!

— Charlie Senack, Ottawa Lookout managing editor [email protected]

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WEATHER

Wednesday: 4 🌡️ -2 | ❄️ 

Thursday: 7 🌡️ -2 | ☀️ 

Friday: 8 🌡️ -6 | 🌧️

OTTAWA NUMBERS

🏫 2,373: The number of students in the Ottawa Carleton District School Board who were suspended last year between Grades 4 and 12. There were 609 mandatory suspensions in 2023-24 compared to 347 the year before. [CTV]

👮‍♂️ 12: The number of months an Ottawa Police officer has been demoted following an off-duty crash. [CTV]

🧑🏻‍⚕️ 318,000: The number of Ottawa residents who could be without a family doctor by 2026. Now Coun. Stephanie Plante has put a motion forward recommending the Strategic Initiatives staff undertake a scan of the measures other Ontario municipalities have taken to help address the shortage. [CTV]

✈️ $80,000: The price it will cost to restore the Historic Sabre Jet monument in Brockville. [CTV]

CRIME

Centretown businesses report increased crime

What happened: Ottawa Police have arrested an individual after multiple breaking reports in the Centretown community, but the neighbourhood is still feeling on edge. 

On Saturday evening, both the Red Apron and Arlington Five coffee shops a few blocks down were broken into. At the gourmet food shop on Gladstone Avenue at Kent Street, owner Jennifer Heagle got a call from police stating there was a broken window. Inside, the cash register and computer equipment were smashed, and the space ransacked. 

• “Somebody had been running around the store grabbing what they wanted and took off at some point,” Heagle told the Ottawa Citizen. “It’s never fun to be robbed, and it’s certainly costly. The window has to be repaired and replaced, and we’ve already had someone come and repair it. We’re now trying to do an inventory of what’s been taken. It’s not how I was hoping to spend my Sunday.”

The Red Apron is looking at beefing up security, but that could cost upwards of $12,000 a year. 

At neighbouring Arlington Five, a window that was smashed had also been broken just a few months prior. Inside a suspect was found and apprehended in the basement. 

• “They grabbed close to $1,000. With the cash, we’re probably looking at, I’m told, about $1,200 and then the cost of the window being replaced,” owner Jessie Duffy told CTV. 

Man arrested: Ottawa Police said an unidentified man in his 30s was charged with break-and-enter after the two incidents which law enforcement believes are connected. They said additional charges could be laid and that he appeared in court Tuesday morning. 

Issues aren’t new: Wilf & Ada’s, a diner next door to Arlington Five, has also had a window smashed recently. And at Glashan Public Elementary School across the street, needles have been found in the schoolyard. 

The neighbouring Chinatown community has also experienced safety concerns. The local BIA says people have been urinating outside of shop windows, stealing iPads from restaurants, and alcohol from behind bars, reported the Kitchissippi Times. 

Some in the Centretown community believe incidents are climbing because people with social challenges and addictions are being pushed from the ByWard Market into other parts of the city. Somerset Ward Coun. Ariel Trister said she’s hearing the need for more police presence, but also thinks that needs to be matched with support from upper levels of government. 

• “We can’t just be chasing people from neighborhood to neighborhood. People also need places to go and they need more services available to them because we want to stop crime before it starts,” Troster said, according to CTV.  

By the numbers: When the Ontario government announced the nearby Somerset West Community Health Centre would be forced to close its safe consumption site in the spring, it justified the decision by stating crime was up in Centretown by 146 per cent.

According to the Ottawa Police crime map, Centretown has seen 383 cases of theft under $5,000, 82 assaults, and 141 real and enters since the first of this year. During that same period, there were 47 incidents of people uttering threats, 19 thefts over $5,000, 11 cases of theft of a motor vehicle, and 82 incidents of mischief.

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THE AGENDA

🌳 City councillors in Ottawa are calling for a climate-based response to U.S. tariffs. The open letter, titled “Elbows Up For Climate Action,” has been signed by 157 mayors and councillors across Canada. Notably absent from the list is Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. Local councillors supporting the letter include Capital Ward Coun. Shawn Menard, Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stéphanie Plante, Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine, Bay Ward Coun. Theresa Kavanagh, Alta Vista Coun. Marty Carr and River Ward Coun. Riley Brockington. [Ottawa Citizen]

🏫 While some parents and students will no longer be impacted by changes made to the Ottawa Carleton District School Board’s elementary program, many are still unhappy with the cancellation of alternative programs. The OCDSB on the other hand says the schools don't improve academic outcomes for their students and they can't justify their cost. There are reports the alternative program students perform below district average. It’s also incredibly costly to run because many of the students are bused far away from their homes. [CBC]

🚗 If you’re parking on a residential street, look for no parking signs. Bylaw Services officers issued 335 tickets for “parking interfering with road sweeping” in just four days. The fine is $125, with an early payment option of $105. [CTV]

🦠 No measles cases have been reported in Ottawa, but demand for vaccines is growing. Dr. Trevor Arnason, acting medical officer of health for Ottawa Public Health, said OPH has administered 1,500 measles-containing vaccines in the first three months of 2025 alone, compared to 3,900 in 2024. [Ottawa Citizen]

🏥 The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario is warning its staff about travelling to the United States. “With increased U.S. border scrutiny and evolving data security risks, we need to ensure the privacy and security of our patients’ sensitive health information and strictly adhere to the established protocols designed to safeguard patient data,” CHEO said. “Our goal is to reinforce our steadfast commitment to maintaining the highest standards of patient privacy, trust, and regulatory compliance.” [CTV]

🚦 Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo wants to know if changes should be made to the corner of Greenbank and Fallowfield. His idea involves changing the centre lane (currently the westbound left lane) into a second left turn lane. That doubles the overall left turn capacity, assuming the signal cycle maximums remain unchanged. The westbound left lane would change into a left turn lane 150 metres or so before the intersection, like the arrangement on westbound Carling/Maitland and eastbound Baseline/Woodroffe. Appropriate signage would be installed. [Ward24]

✋ Council in the Town of Perth has voted unanimously to ask the province to remove its “Strong Mayor” powers from the list. “I was shocked when this came forward — that a small town like ours would be given Strong Mayor capability,” said Mayor Judy Brown in a news release from the Town of Perth. “While there may be rare situations where this kind of authority could be useful, such as breaking a deadlock, the potential for abuse far outweighs any benefits. That’s already been seen in other communities. I would not support the idea of having these powers.” [CTV]

🔦 The family of Liam Toman is looking for the public’s help in finding the 22-year-old who went missing at around 3 am on Feb. 2 after leaving a bar in Mont Tremblant after a night of dinner and drinks with friends. The skier was last seen on camera walking back toward his hotel, but there was no footage of him heading back inside. [CBC]

🚔  Ottawa Police are warning of a grandparenting scheme targeting seniors. They pose as trusted sources and tell the older residents their financial information has been stolen. They are then told the only way to protect their money is to buy gold and hand it over to scammers, leading to “significant financial loss.” In Ottawa, two seniors were scammed into buying more than $500,000 worth of gold. [Ottawa Citizen]

👮‍♂️ Three men in Ottawa have been charged after a “high-value perfume theft” occurred at a Barrhaven Shopper’s Drug Mart on March 17.  You might recall videos posted to Tik Tok and social media showed three masked individuals loading up on the products and placing them in crates before going to a waiting car outside. The three men are facing charges of theft over $5,000, conspiracy to commit theft over $5,000 and wearing a disguise with intent to commit an indictable offence. [CTV]

FEDERAL ELECTION

What federal election issues matter most to Ottawa seniors?

For every Canadian voter, there is one election issue that will trump all others. For some, it’s the threat of U.S. imposed tariffs. For others it’s affordability. And then there are some issues which cross multiple levels of government, like healthcare. 

The National Association of Federal Retirees is a group that represents the interests of federal retirees across the country. With 170,000 members across Canada, 36,000 are located right here in the Capital city. 

The group has partnered with the Council of Aging to identify what issues matter most to their members, and bring them directly to all Ottawa candidates from all parties who want to hold a seat in the House of Commons. To date, three candidates have responded. Some of their answers are included below in bulleted points. 

The Lookout sat down with Steven Chapman, president of the Ottawa branch of the National Association of Federal Retirees, to see what they’ve been hearing.

The answers below are from Steven. The grey parts are from different candidates. Answers have been edited for clarity.

Read the story

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MUSIC SHOW LISTINGS

Sunshine Makers | House of Targ, 1077 Bank St | Apr. 16 | Radiant music combining modern and classic vibes with deep roots in R&B, funk, jazz, and neo-soul. Tickets $15.

Alex Whorms | Live! On Elgin, 220 Elgin St | Apr. 17 | Dancing behind her beloved piano gracefully blending classic singer-songwriter pop, jazz, soul, rock, and folk. Tickets $15.

Almyr Jules | Bikkurim Music Studios, 251 Dalhousie St | Apr. 18 | Soulful tunes and good vibes weaving tales of love, loss, and redemption over lush guitar tones and soul-drenched rhythms. Tickets $15.

PremRock | Anina’s Cafe, 280 Joffre-Bélanger Way | Apr. 18 | NYC-based hip-hop artist finesses smooth breaks of all shapes with New York straight talk on the human condition. Tickets $15. 

Canaan Cox | Rainbow Bistro, 76 Murray St | Apr. 19 | Fusing Southern roots and pop sensibilities to craft upbeat, resonant country anthems. Tickets $27.50.

Listings for music shows are provided by OttawaGigs.ca, the best place to discover live music in Ottawa. Check out Ottawagigs.ca for full listings across the city.

GEO GUESSER

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Woodroffe High School presents Anne of Green Gables: The Musical. [Ottawa Citizen]

• Looking for support? Individual/Couples therapy or join a relational support group with Nicole Lewis Psychotherapy. Connect, grow, and build meaningful relationships. Learn more at www.nicolelewis.ca. [Sponsored]

• If you visit local shops, you might notice ‘shop local’ stickers on some of the storefronts. [CTV]

• Here’s who will perform at the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival in August. [CTV]

• Giant Tiger has teamed up with DoorDash and is now offering same-day delivery. [CTV]

• Take a look at what is open and closed over the Easter long weekend in Ottawa. [CTV]

• Easter is around the corner: Check out this artisanally crafted chocolate store on Bank Street. [Capital Eats]

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