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Charming little piece from some ignorant asshat from Toronto

Downtown Ottawa in decline

By CHRISTINA BLIZZARD

Canada's capital city is a national disgrace.

That's the only conclusion I can come to after visiting my son, who attends university in Ottawa.

It used to be a joy to visit that city, with its great galleries, museums and lovely restaurants. But the place has gone downhill rapidly over the past three years.

The city's downtown core is infested with crack addicts. At an intersection just a few blocks from Canada's beautiful Parliament buildings, I saw dozens of drug deals happening in broad daylight. I saw countless people sitting around smoking crack.

We had dinner at a posh restaurant in the trendy Byward Market. It was a beautiful evening, so we sat out on the patio. Imagine our shock when numerous addicts interrupted our meal, begging for cash.

The city has a big push for tourists on right now, with advertising campaigns offering a special -- stay two nights and you get the third one at half price. Only problem is, I can't imagine anyone wanting to spend more than one night in this place if you didn't have to.

I understand that not all of Ottawa is a disgrace. But downtown Rideau St. is an urban wasteland.

I watched as dealers came and went with absolute impunity. Cops, you sense, were doing their best. I saw cruisers, unmarked cars and even two officers on bikes patrol the area frequently. But they can't be everywhere at once. And there's only so much they can do. They made no arrests that I saw, and within minutes of them departing the area, the creeps were back selling their evil commodities.

Their clientele was mixed. Sure, there were the people you'd expect -- the shuffling down-and-out addicts and twitching hookers. But we also saw at least one well-dressed preppy suburban-type kid in Dockers and loafers. The only thing they all had in common was their pathetic dependence on an illegal substance and a willingness to do anything to get it.

I am not naive about drug use. My husband and I have travelled extensively in Europe and the U.S., and neither of us could think of another city where we had seen addicts and dealers operating so brazenly. The only other place I have seen drugs used so openly was a heroin addict I saw shooting up on a sidewalk in Frankfurt about 12 years ago.

I've visited other big cities -- New York; Boston; London, England, and yet I can't think of another one in which I have felt as unsafe as I did walking around Ottawa's main intersections.

And I'm not foolish enough to think Toronto doesn't have a problem with drug dealing as well. But it doesn't happen downtown, in the heart of the tourist area.

You have to wonder how legitimate businesses in downtown Ottawa cope. We stayed at a very elegant bed and breakfast in the area. A neighbour told my husband that cops do their best, but the dealers work in pairs, with one selling and the other holding the illicit stash, so it's hard to catch them. A block away from the smart B&B, in broad daylight, I saw a man urinating publicly against an apartment wall.

You can't help thinking Ottawa is fast becoming a cesspool -- a national capital that is a blight on the country.

Even when they are caught, I suspect the cream puff sentences our courts hand out put these dealers back on the streets with a slap on the wrist. What other reason can there be for such brazen illegal activity?

It seems to me rest of the country likes to take pot shots at Toronto as a violent city. And, sure, we have our problems. But perhaps they should be looking more carefully at some of our other cities. People in glass houses shouldn't get stoned.

What is truly shocking is that Ottawa has more politicians per square metre than any other city in the country. Yet no one seems to notice this disgrace. A nation's capital, with its embassies and high commissions and trade delegations, is supposed to be a vibrant, cosmopolitan place that impresses visitors from around the world. No one seems to notice that our capital is seedy and run down -- and rotting at the core.

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Torontonians, does Ottawa really look like that when you visit?

Not to me. Don't revere Christina's comments as typical of all Torontonians.

Shit like this just fuels the useless bickering about what city is "better" or "worse" than another. It's like arguing that Phish is better than the Grateful Dead.

Stop reading the Sun (whether it be the Toronto Sun, Ottawa Sun, etc. ... pure tripe on newprint)

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The main problematic drug I see on Rideau (between Sussex and King Edward, including bits of the Byward Market) isn't crack, it's alcohol.

Aloha,

Brad

It can sure get a bit odd Rideau east of King Edward...

But, man, Ottawa's a pretty damned safe/clean city.

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Torontonians' date=' does Ottawa really look like that when you visit?[/quote']

Not to me. Don't revere Christina's comments as typical of all Torontonians.

Oh, sure, my wife is from Toronto and sure doesn't think this way ... just asking for another perspective on our city from someone outside it.

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On a serious note, since I have arrived I have seen the same things......... Crack deals, crack smoking etc. Right in plain view on that terrible stretch of Rideau near the Loeb and Beer Store around Rideau and King Edward

The booze is a problem also if you have ever been into that Beer Store- absolutely the depths of humanity.

But on the other side of the coin is that is seems to be contained to that area, and this is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. Surely this person is also a bitter Leafs fan to call this out, because it sure as hell ain't Newark after dark down there.

Good thing city council put away the "Crack Pipe Program"...........

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I wonder if her gourmet meal was a steamed hotdog at the Mission on Murray/Dalhousie.. thats the only area you typically see people one might assume are 'crackheads'- or the disadvantaged or homeless that might appear to be- lining the street..?

Pretty weak appraisal, especially considering the difference since they built up Daly plaza, and took out the glass encasement on Rideau.. THAT was sketchy.

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Good thing she missed Cauldwell st...now thats where the good crack action can be found. Everywhere else is just boring old Crystal...oh 'cept Bank from Sommersette to the bus station...thats a good heady mix of anything that pleases your soul.

Ahhh it warms the heart little Ottawa stepping up into the ranks with all the other dirty, dirty cities.

Most of her criminals still where suits though.

Toronto though....think shes still gots a ways to go....more shootings please!

I heart dirty cities.

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