Ottawa police chief says he's 'optimistic' about future of ByWard Market in year-end interview

Ottawa police chief Eric Stubbs speaks with CTV's Patricia Boal. (CTV News Ottawa)

2024 proved to be an impactful and at times tumultuous year for the Ottawa Police Service.

Chief Eric Stubbs sat down with CTV's Patricia Boal in a year-end interview on Monday and spoke on a variety of issues that impacted the city in 2024.

While acknowledging there remains work to do to improve public safety and confidence in the police service from residents, Stubbs expressed optimism at the year ahead, with the force hiring more police officers, bringing in a mounted unit and expanding the implementation of its new CORE strategy in the new year.

While Stubbs says he expects issues such as public safety in the downtown core to improve in 2025, he called 2024 a "very difficult year" with the number of homicide victims in the city hitting a record high. The force struggled in its handling of some protests that erupted across the capital over the Israel-Hamas War and a long-awaited inquiry into the death of Abdirahman Abdi following an arrest by Ottawa police officers eight years ago reignited conversations over the force's relationship with racialized communities and those struggling with mental health issues.

'Optimitistic' about future of the ByWard Market

Ottawa police rolled out its new Community Outreach and Engagement (CORE) strategy this year, which included several initiatives and operations to tackle growing concerns over public safety in the ByWard Market and on Rideau Street.

The plan includes stepped up enforcement in high crime areas and the creation of a neighbourhood operations centre in the Rideau Centre, which opened in May.

Stubbs says business owners and residents in the area have told him they are seeing positive changes.

"I am very optimistic about safety in the ByWard Market increasing in the next year," he said.

"But we're certainly not there yet. As we go through 2025, we do have resources coming that will increase our presence in the ByWard Market, Rideau Street as well."

Stubbs says police will be working further with community members and will implement its new mounted unit in the spring. The force will bring in a total of eight horses by early 2026, with four expected to be working sometime in April.

The chief noted the horses will be primarily used for demonstrations but also to increase the overall presence of police around the downtown core. Each horse represents the equivalent of about a dozen officers on the ground, he said.

"As the capital of Canada, we need a mounted unit," he said. "They're just a game changer in terms of their presence."

The CORE strategy has been criticized by some members of the community, who've said it would further punish vulnerable residents. Those opposed to the plan say they want to see more resources be spent on mental health initiatives, affordable housing, and aid for people with substance use disorders instead of more police officers.

Stubbs emphasized they are working with various community partners and are taking a multi-faceted approach, which includes proactive and preventative strategies, over strictly enforcement-based ones. He says their priority is making sure vulnerable people are getting the care they need.

"Obviously getting people into treatment, getting people into homes is a preferred path," he said.

He noted that enforcement will still be used, when necessary.

"Those that are creating a lot of victims everyday – that’s our job and we can't apologize for enforcing the law when somebody is breaking the law every single day, whether it be robbing, whether it be shoplifting."

Statistics from Ottawa police last month reported an increase in the number of officers in the ByWard Market and Rideau Street led to a 17.9 per cent reduction in calls for service and a 4.62 per cent reduction in crime overall, though certain hot spots saw increases.

Record number of homicide victims

Ottawa saw the highest number of homicide deaths in its history in 2024, with 25 victims and 19 incidents. The deaths included the worst mass-murder in the city's history, after a mother, her four children and a family acquaintance were killed inside a home in Barrhaven last March.

The force also received national attention after it used the term “femicide” for the first time to describe an incident of intimate partner violence following the murder of Jennifer Zabarylo in August. It was used for a second time in the death of Brkti Berhe in a city park in October.

Stubbs said there is not one single trend being seen in homicide deaths, making it difficult for police to prevent many of the incidents. He added there were advancements in cracking down on gang activity, noting “Project Champion,” an 18-month investigation that led to charges for over a dozen high-level gang members in November.

On the decision to use femicide to label a homicide death, he said it was a necessary and important step for the force to take.

"It was deliberate because it's accurate and because it’s a problem," he said. "We want to make sure that gender-based violence is something that we talk about in the public."

He said the decision to use the term came from the police's intimate violence unit who worked along local organizations and community partners that support women.

"If not now, when? Let's be very public about what's occurring," he said. "It's not an Ottawa issue, its not an Ontario issue, it’s a Canadian issue."

Police to hire more officers

Stubbs says he is focused on a three-year stabilization plan to expand the number of uniformed officers and to fill vacancies. The force plans to hire 435 sworn officers and 120 civilian officers in that time.

He said he believes the relationship between police and the community has improved and added that most of the residents he meets want to see more officers on the ground.

"I've heard loud and clear from the community, from 24 councillors, for the most part, the overwhelming message is we want more of you, we want your presence, we want better service.”