ByWard Market growing more dangerous, scaring visitors away: businesses

Claire Lauzon and her family consider themselves a part of the ByWard Market —  in fact, her family was among the first settlers to the area.

The owner of Ma Cuisine was born and raised in the Lowertown area, but has been in business in the market for the last 25 years and lived on top of the store for the last 10.

But, she says, she’s seen a noticeable change in the area she calls home, and not one for the better.

According to Lauzon, she feels the market and surrounding areas have become more dangerous in recent years due to the presence of safe injection sites, and it’s driving people away from visiting Ottawa’ gem.

(There are safe injection sites locations on Murray Street and Clarence Street, as well as Nelson and Eccles Streets.)

“I’ve seen the evolution through the years of the market and Lowertown — all the stages they have gone through,” Lauzon recalls. “Sometimes we turn a blind eye and say it’s not that bad, but when other people start to get scared to walk alone, then you wonder.”

Lauzon said she hasn’t started to feel uneasy while walking through the market up until about five years ago.

It’s gotten to a point where she now parks her car behind her store — something she didn’t do before. And when she goes inside, she pays more attention to who is on the street.

“It’s not the homeless — the homeless have never been dangerous,” she explained. “The biggest problem is the drug users. If they are under the influence, they’re lost. If they’re looking for [drugs], they’re dangerous — their dealers are also quite aggressive and don’t back down. So it gets to where you constantly need to watch behind you.”

Before store owners used to be able to chase people back who were hanging around, but now, she said, folks are getting more bold — even sometimes going up to people’s cars.

“The city wants to revitalize the area. But if people are scared, you can make the area as beautiful as you want, people are not going to come,” she said.

“Since they have the injection sites — you would think it was solving a problem, but it hasn’t. The system’s not working. Their intention is good and probably works for certain things, but it’s not working for the community or the area.”

Arash Madipour, who owns Lauzon Meat and Groceries at the corner of Guiges and Cumberland, also expressed his concerns in an email sent to Coun. Mathieu Fleur and Mayor Jim Watson.

In the email, which Madipour also forwarded to CityNews Ottawa, the business owner shares his experiences with crime: a break and enter, theft, vandalism, violence and “dangerous and aggressive behaviour.”

Not to mention the garbage that builds and litters the streets. 

“Over the years, we have made numerous police reports about different incidents happening in our place of business and residence,” Madipour, who has operate the store for 14 years, wrote. “We have had robberies, properties damaged and stolen, vehicle and building vandalized, our employees and tenants being harassed, insulted, threatened and attacked.”

And because of this, Madipour said they've lost many good employees and tenant due to the area “being unsafe and dangerous.”

Lauzon said she’s been in touch with Coun. Mathieu Fleury about her concerns, and they plan to have a discussion.

“I am not a city official or a planner,” Lauzon said. “What I really wanted — I know they know there’s a problem, but I really want them to know they’re not solving it the right way. You can’t put all this help to people and keep them all in Lowertown.

These latest incidents, Madipour added, are now happening more often than ever before — and now, Madipour said, it's time for Ottawa's mayor and councillors to listen up and address concerns. 

In the email to Watson and Fleury, Madipour said he had attached a petition that included over 200 signatures from residents, which he sent along to the city on May 12. 

Lauzon understands that other neighbourhoods aren’t necessarily supportive or keen to want to be in the situation the market is in, but she believes the more concentrated the problem is, the more it empowers it and attracts the players feeling the issues.