Some Centretown business owners say growing concerns about petty theft, public drug use and property damage are making it harder to operate. “There has been damage to our AC unit costing us over $1,500,” said Eric Polk, owner of Subito Sandwich. “There’s been a large number of graffiti that has been going around along with quite a few other minor things that have added up over time.” Polk says he’s had his tip jar stolen and recently had to install a gate blocking off the alley next to his business, adding many of his staff don’t feel safe walking to work. “When I’m talking to my landlord and I say ‘hey I need gates put up and I need graffiti removed,’ well then my rent goes up and then my food costs and what I have to charge customers goes up. Everyone is kind of paying for this in some way and it’s unfortunate,” he said. Across the street, Spaceman Music owner Tom Stewart says he is dealing with many of the same issues. “I’ll come here in the morning, and they just throw a bunch of stuff. There are clothes, bottles and drug paraphernalia and stuff,” Stewart said. “We do have a problem in the neighbourhood with unfortunately a lot of homeless people and people struggling with addictions and stuff, which we have great sympathy for.” Police data shows Somerset Ward has one of the highest crime rates in the city. In 2025, property crime was up more than 15 per cent and thefts under $5,000 jumped 25 per cent year over year. “As of May 1 of this year, we’ve dedicated more than 550 officer hours in the hotspots along the Bank Street corridor and that’s in addition to the regular day-to-day patrol officers and calls for service,” said Sgt. Sébastien Lemay with the Ottawa Police Service. Councillor says long-term solutions needed Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster says the concerns are not new, but says rising homelessness, the increasing cost of living and the closure of the former supervised consumption site in Chinatown have added pressure to the neighbourhood. “Without looking at the systemic roots associated with these problems, we’re going to just be spending a lot of time chasing these concerns from one part of the neighbourhood to the other without a landing place for people to get the help that they need,” Troster said. The city has also expanded outreach support downtown, including ANCHOR, its non-police crisis response program. But Troster says those measures are only short-term fixes without more long-term support from other levels of government. “It’s very frustrating for my community and I live in this community,” she said. “I had a break-in in my own car just this week and it’s very discomforting. But as a city we can’t solve the roots of these crimes on our own without more provincial and federal support.” For Polk, the concern is what continued problems could mean for the future of the neighbourhood. He says he has already watched some businesses close and worries others could follow. “It becomes a downward spiral if you don’t have people going to work, then all of those other businesses that rely on those individuals, they start to crumble as well,” Polk said.
