ByWard Market needs commercial diversity: Lowertown Community Association member

The current state of the ByWard Market is nowhere near where it could and should be said one community advocate. 

Sylvie Grenier with the Lowertown Community Association told Wake up with Rob Snow on Nov. 2 that the area was once a thriving year-long food market with a good mix of interesting small shops that made it a great place to visit. 

But that's no longer the case according to Grenier. 

“It's really a place to avoid,” she said. “It's really a nightlife destination, it's got a very high crime rate, it's got an over-concentration of services for the homeless, it lost it's farmers market and it's commercial diversity.”

Grenier noted there's incredible potential for the Market, but without a farmer's market, the residents have been left with a “flea market selling lemonade and hot dogs,” and something akin to a food court that you can find in the basement of any shopping mall.

“If you only have one thing, it's like having the Rideau Centre selling only shoes for example, it's very uninteresting,” she added. 

Grenier said the City of Ottawa has allowed this bar and restaurant takeover to happen and not listening to the concerns of area residents.

“Too often, the City is just responding to the interests of the private sector,” she added. 

One thing that could help revitalize the area, said Grenier, is to enforce a moratorium on new bars and restaurants in the Market, along with putting a halt to any new services for the city's homeless population.

Listen to the full interview with Sylvie Grenier below: