Philip shared some stats he put together from police reports comparing 2014 to 2024 and no, it’s not pretty.
There are events and incidents that make the news, and these need to be included. But there are other incidents that don’t make the news and yet make us feel less safe. Like that time your toddler almost pricked her fingers on a dirty needle. Or the constant speeding on residential streets that nobody ever does anything about. Vandalism on your vehicle or home. Bike theft. Someone peeing in your backyard. Or trying to break into your house.
These are incidents that happen on a daily basis. I know this because people complain to me about it. But we don’t have a way of tracking those — hell, they’re not even newsworthy enough for journalists to write about — and they don’t get reported to police because there’s nothing the cops can do about them.
I hear from people who work, live or do business downtown that the situation on the street has degenerated in the last year and a half or so, to the point where people are thinking of leaving. If they do, what’s going to hold this downtown together? Federal public servants frog-marched to the office?
Oh, and safety is not just a concern for those of us who are in or near downtown. When I shadow people running for municipal councillors in some of the newer and nicer suburbs, I hear a lot of people complaining about cars speeding and not respecting stop signs, right when little kids are out running around between houses. You don’t need anyone actually getting hurt to feel threatened by a driver going 70km/h on a Stittsville residential street.
I want to count those incidents and have them tell the story. I want to use that story to force candidates for office into taking this issue seriously, and work together — with experts in the field, residents, business owners — to find solutions that work. Ignoring the problem won’t work. Neither will appointing a safety czar.
Know someone who has a safety incident to include in the database? Send them this link.
