NO, SHE WAS RIGHT

Toronto Sun columnist Christina Blizzard may have gone over the top
in describing the nation's capital as "rotting at the core," but her
description of the appalling state of the Byward Market area should
be a wake-up call for the mayor and councillor as well as the Ottawa
Police Service.

I also have found that having to walk the gauntlet of aggressive
panhandlers seems to have become the norm on Rideau Street. I have
often witnessed crack-dealing in the market similar to what Ms.
Blizzard describes. The general untidy streets in the market area are
also not becoming of our city. Having lived in Ottawa over 40 years,
I do not find the market area as safe and welcoming as it used to be.

Rather than condemning Ms. Blizzard as another one of those crazy
Torontonians, Ottawa citizens should be demanding better from our
representatives.

We pay some of the highest property taxes in Canada but are not well
served by allowing the market to become such a downtrodden area. I
sure wouldn't like to be the owner of one of the high-end condos in
the market and not feel safe going out at night.

Like Ms. Blizzard, many visitors see the market area as being
representative of Ottawa as a whole. This may be a case where the truth hurts.

Larry Comeau, Ottawa