Safer Streets · Ward 9 Policy
People in Knoxdale-Merivale want to walk their streets and pathways, use their parks, and stay in their homes without worrying about what they will find. Some problems have been around for a long time: speeding on Highwood Drive, dark pathways, and the same properties that keep generating complaints. Others are newer: harassment near schools or places of worship, or the feeling that a report goes nowhere once it is filed.
A good public-safety policy makes those walks and those reports more reliable. It does not treat every problem as something that needs a new city-wide program. It uses the tools we already have—police presence where it is needed, by-law follow-up, better lighting, and clear tracking—and it shows residents what was done.
That is the difference. We can fix lighting, get consistent action on problem locations, and support Neighbourhood Watch without promising staffing numbers a councillor cannot control. Visible presence on the streets residents actually name is worth fighting for. It is not a slogan.
The plan
Police presence where it is needed, by-law follow-up, better lighting, and clear tracking — using the tools we already have, and showing residents what was done.
Residents already walk their neighbourhoods. Some do it with community associations. Others do it because they see the same dark pathway or the same property every evening. A councillor can turn those observations into a regular process that police and by-law staff join, and that produces a public note of what was seen and what was asked for.
I will hold regular walks with residents, community associations, police, and by-law staff in different parts of the ward. We will focus on the routes and spots people use and worry about: school paths, trail connections, park edges, and streets that keep coming up in complaints.
A councillor cannot order the Ottawa Police Service to assign a fixed number of officers to Ward 9. Day-to-day operations sit with the Police Services Board and the Chief. A councillor can still identify the specific locations residents name repeatedly, request focused visible attention, and keep those requests on the table until the pattern changes.
More front-line capacity helps when it produces real results in our neighbourhoods. I will support increases in police staffing when they are tied to clear improvements in visible presence, response to repeat problem locations, and traffic enforcement in Ward 9. I will not treat raw numbers as the measure of success.
Dark pathways and park edges are among the most consistent safety concerns residents raise. They are also among the most practical to fix. A failed light, a missing fixture at a trail connection, or overgrown sightlines do not need a new city program. They need a request, a follow-up, and a record of whether the work was done.
Speeding and aggressive driving remain among the most frequent complaints in Ward 9. Highwood Drive, the Viewmount and Merivale area, school approaches, and known turning hazards come up repeatedly. The practical response is the same one already outlined for road safety: collect real speed and traffic data, then match the response to what the numbers show.
Neighbourhood Watch groups already exist in parts of the ward. They work best when they have clear communication with police and a councillor who follows up on the issues they raise. New groups can form where residents want them. Safety walks and regular public-safety meetings are the simplest way to connect people who are ready to participate.
The most common frustration residents describe is not the lack of a program. It is the sense that a complaint was filed and nothing further was heard. A simple, consistent record fixes that. It does not require a new city system. It requires the councillor’s office to log what came in, where it was sent, and what happened next, and to publish a short summary on a regular schedule.
Hate-motivated crime and harassment affect people’s ability to use schools, places of worship, and community facilities without fear. The Bubble Bylaw was put in place to protect access to those locations. Between 76 and 88 percent of residents supported it. Sean Devine voted against it at committee and at Council. Continued enforcement is a practical public-safety measure.
ANCHOR (Alternate Neighbourhood Crisis Response) is a pilot program that sends trained community teams, not police, to non-violent mental health and substance-use crises. People call 2-1-1 instead of 9-1-1 in the areas it covers. Early results show most of these calls are handled without police involvement. That frees officers for crime, traffic enforcement, and neighbourhood presence.
ANCHOR currently operates in central Ottawa and is expanding east. It is not yet in Ward 9. I support it where the data shows it works for non-violent crises, because it helps keep police focused on the issues residents in Knoxdale-Merivale actually raise. I will not treat it as a substitute for police on criminal activity, weapons, or violence.
Where I stand
Police and by-law will not always say yes. A councillor who pretends otherwise is making a promise they cannot keep. A councillor who shrugs is not doing the job. In the term, I will:
Hold regular neighbourhood safety walks and post what was observed and requested.
Keep a running list of repeat problem locations and request consistent joint attention until the pattern changes.
Publish a short public-safety summary on a consistent schedule.
Support additional police capacity only when it produces measurable local results in visible presence and follow-through.
Support continued enforcement of the Bubble Bylaw and request attention when hate-motivated incidents are reported in the ward.
Support ANCHOR where the evidence shows it handles non-violent mental health crises without police and frees officers for neighbourhood work.
Moving forward
One approach treats public safety as a series of city-wide announcements. The other treats it as a set of specific locations, pathways, and reports that residents can name, and that a councillor can track until something changes.
Residents should be able to walk their neighbourhoods, report a problem, and see what was done. The councillor’s job is to make that process reliable. It is not to wait for a larger program to solve a local pattern.
Get involved
From door-knocking to community outreach, every voice makes a difference. Join the team today.
Show your support! Let us know where to drop off a sign and we’ll bring it to you in September.
Please make cheques payable to
Campaign to Elect Anna Ielo-Tal
Drop me a line at anna4council@gmail.com and a volunteer can pick it up
