ByWard Market businesses in ‘crisis mode’ as crime rates and safety concerns increase

“Clients don’t come downtown anymore, it’s not safe.”

Published Dec 21, 2023 • 3 minute read

John Rmor is closing his shoe shop at the corner of Sussex and Murray streets at the end of this month. Rmor said a cascade of events, including safety concerns, have led to high operating costs. Photo by JULIE OLIVER /Postmedia

John Rmor lost $40,000 in theft in August after a two-night robbery at his business in the ByWard Market. Now he is closing for good.

Rmor, owner of the John Rmor designer shoe and leather store, announced the closure of his business on Nov. 29 after weeks of back and forth with his accountants.

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The owner said a cascade of events, including safety concerns, have led to high operation costs. Rmor had hopes for his store to recover during Black Friday.

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“We suspected that Black Friday would help us recover some money,” said Rmor. “But clients don’t come downtown anymore, it’s not safe,” said Rmor.

Since Rmor’s substantial loss on Aug. 28 and 29, crime rates against retailers have increased significantly.

“I never worry about the material things because I can’t do anything about it,” Rmor said. “But people can hurt you for these silly things.”

After several forced entry robberies in the area, ByWard Market businesses expressed safety concerns in a meeting held with the City of Ottawa and Ottawa Police Service officials at Bistro Ristoro, a restaurant in the ByWard Market.

The increase in crime rates within the heart of the capital of Canada is leaving many downtown business owners feeling unsafe.

As well, despite repeated efforts to draw the attention of the City of Ottawa towards a sustainable solution to assist the homeless population, retailers say the situation remains unsolved – and growing.

Phil Emond, owner and gallerist of the Gordon Harrison Landscape Gallery in ByWard Market, expressed his disappointment following the meeting. Emond said the city will not be taking immediate measures to ensure the safety of retailers in downtown Ottawa.

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“In one week, six retailers – that’s one per day – were broken into in the same area,” Emond said.

Rmor was one of those six local business owners who were robbed in the ByWard Market area that week.

The Ottawa Police Service’s 2022 crime statistics report showed a 16 per cent increase in crime rates from the year before, the second-highest rate in the city last year.

To de-escalate crime rates, the city established the ByWard Market District Authority (BMDA) to replace the Business Improvement Area (BIA), a decision that Emond disagreed with.

“[The BMDA] is a one-person operation that looks after three locations [for business owners]: ByWard Market, Lansdowne Park and Parkdale Avenue,” Emond said.

“Part of their mandate is that the market is a safe area. It is totally unsafe.”

Const. Paul Stam, a community police officer overseeing the ByWard Market, said the issue is deeply rooted in problematic substance use, unhoused populations and street-involved people who are experiencing mental health issues.

“There’s a tremendous amount of safety concerns for the people who live in the communities that I represent,” Stam said.

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“But the people who are at the highest risk of harm and who are vulnerable are folks who are unhoused or have mental health and substance use issues,” he added. “These are the people who are being victimized the most and they have the greatest harm being done to them.”

Emond said the police do not have enough resources to assist the high concentration of unhoused populations in the market.

“I’m not an expert, all I know is we’ve got a problem and we’re in crisis mode,” said Emond. “We need help, and these people need help.”