MARKET A DRUG HAVEN

As newcomers from Toronto, my wife and I live in the Byward Market, a
unique area and a jewel in the city's mosaic that in the last five
years has undergone densification spurred by a booming condominium market.

However, drug pushers and addicts, allowed by a complacent City Hall
and an ineffective police force, have literally invaded this area.
These derelicts can be seen on George Street from sunrise to sundown,
pushing drugs, injecting themselves with needles, loitering and
disturbing and frightening residents and other passersby, including
many of the thousands of tourists who flock to the Market.

The police are continually being called to the scene by frightened
residents largely to no avail. By the time that the police react, the
drug deals have been completed and the druggies have dispersed. The
result? No arrests and no reprieve as pushers and addicts return once
the police have moved on.

In vain, the residents have also complained bitterly and repeatedly
to Councillor Georges Bedard to take this problem to council and
provide a solution -- and there are several available to fix this
problem. Look at how effectively former mayor Rudolph Giuliani
cleaned up New York City's crime problem, much larger by comparison
than Ottawa's. Mr. Giuliani exemplified strong leadership and
determination, something that residents in the Market feel is
certainly lacking in our city leadership. Mayor Bob Chiarelli and
council have proven not only to be incompetent but regrettably
detached from the community's need to maintain clean and safe streets.

How long will it be before we follow in the footsteps of Toronto,
which was also regarded by outside visitors as a very clean and safe
place relative to other North American cities until the invasion of
drug pushers and gangs? There is a noticeable link between the
proliferation of drugs in an area and the rise of violent crime.

What is it going to take to get our local politicians' heads out of
the sand and to get them to start caring about the safety of the
citizens and the tourism economy and fix this outrageous problem in
the Market? Those who are not fully committed to the obligations of
their civic duty should step aside and make room for those who are
more suitable to the task.

Oliver Toffoli,

Ottawa