Security costs in ByWard Market rising at 'unsustainable rate'

Security costs to protect the ByWard Market are becoming unbearable, pushing the group that manages it to look for another way to deal with problems with theft and harassment.

Zachary Dayler, executive director for Ottawa Markets, told city council Wednesday that security costs are "increasing at an unsustainable rate."

He later told CBC News the non-profit, which manages the ByWard and Parkdale markets, is spending about $280,000 per year to hire two private security agents at its historic ByWard Market building.

It's also brought in a drive-by patrol at Parkdale amid problems with theft and break-ins.

Dayler said those costs are now at the limit of what Ottawa Markets can support, raising a need to look elsewhere to "increase the presence of eyes on the street."

"The demands in the area are just increasing such that we can't continue to add onto our program any further. It is sort of at the max in terms of what we can spend as a not-for-profit," he said.

"So we are going to evaluate new solutions as we move forward, whether that will be a watchperson-type program, whether that be better relationships with Ottawa police."

New centre in the ByWard Market

The city is leading an effort to create a hub in the ByWard Market that would combine an increased police presence with other social services.

Dayler said it's become clear police are not there to "subsidize" private security in the market building and deal with issues according to their own priorities.

He said problems include harassment and small-scale theft, including clothing, and "challenges" connected to social services near the ByWard Market play a role in driving up security costs.

"This is a product of what's known as the cluster model, where you have a high variety of social services all within one area and so that leads to certain challenges that can come up," he said.

Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stéphanie Plante, whose ward includes the ByWard Market, said there's a need to look at accelerating plans to increase the police presence there.

Recent violence in the area — this month alone has seen a police-involved shooting that left one dead and a shooting that harmed bystanders — only make that more pressing for her.

"Probably the number one thing that I heard throughout the election while I was going door to door is people want that police presence in the ByWard. They don't necessarily want it in a silo, they want it with some social supports as well," she said.

"I'd like to make sure that there is some special constables from OC Transpo and bylaw, as well, going around on foot, taking care of our ByWard Market and ensuring it gets the love that it deserves because it is the crown jewel of the city."

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said safety continues to be a concern, one that he's monitoring closely.

"It's not a situation that's going to change overnight, but there's a lot of good people working on this right now and I think over time we are going to see the situation in the ByWard Market improve," he said.