- Ottawa Lookout
- Posts
- Chinatown BIA opposes new HART hub in Centretown; looks to rebrand itself as a “multicultural village”
Chinatown BIA opposes new HART hub in Centretown; looks to rebrand itself as a “multicultural village”
The head of the BIA said incidents started to get out of hand when a safe consumption site opened at the Somerset West Community Health Centre in 2018

Ottawa’s Chinatown is rich in flavour and culture. It’s known for its rows of Asian restaurants, grocery shops, colourful signs, sculptures of cartoon animals, and smells of freshly cooked noodles and dumplings wafting through the streets.
But today, it’s also known as a hotspot for drug overdoses and a rise in crime.
According to the Ottawa Police Services 2022 Annual Report, Somerset Ward had the highest crime rate in Ottawa that year, with violent and non-violent crime rates increasing from the previous year. Crimes against property—which include vandalism and theft—were the second-highest in the city, following Rideau-Vanier Ward. Controlled drug—and substance-related offences rose by 16.2 percent and were second to Rideau-Vanier.
“People are causing incidents and issues such as trespassing, public drug use, theft, vandalism, break-ins; the list can go very long. This disruptive behaviour has caused emotional and operational challenges to business owners in the area — let alone the financial loss attached to these behaviours,” Chinatown BIA executive director Yukang Li told the Lookout. “Repairs, safety measures and insurance costs have increased. Such behaviours have deterred potential customers from visiting our commercial district, the restaurants and stores in our area.”
Li said the incidents started to get out of hand when a safe consumption site opened at the Somerset West Community Health Centre in 2018. The business association has long said they appreciate the site's work but feel it should be located away from schools and local businesses.
They got their wish last summer when the Ontario Progressive Conservative government announced the centre would need to close due to new provincial restrictions prohibiting such facilities from operating within 400 metres of schools and daycare centres. In its place, a HART hub could open, which provides addiction treatment to users but no needle exchange programs or safe injection sites.
The business community is also opposing it due to their past experiences, said Li.
“Some may argue the HART hubs are different from the safe injection sites. It is proposed to address challenges faced by businesses. However, businesses still say from their past experiences that they don’t think these facilities have effectively addressed the issues. Instead, they created further challenges, such as clients spilling onto nearby streets. The HART hub is not running 24/7. What happens when they close their doors, and their clients spill onto the streets? It will have a negative impact on the livelihood of the community.”

Subscribe to Premium to read the rest.
Become a paying subscriber of Premium to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.
Already a paying subscriber? Sign In.
A subscription gets you:
- • Risk free: Cancel anytime and get a 100% refund
- • Insider City Hall: A newsletter breaking down the people, players, movers and shakers of municipal politics, and how city policies impact you
- • Insider Food: Early access to restaurant reviews, special insider-info like drink, wine and beer recommendations around town
- • Bulletin: Exclusive breaking news updates so you stay on top of the biggest stories
- • Support independent, local news in Ottawa