'LGBTIQ+ communities won’t be held down — we will organize, fight for our rights, and heal together.'
It is not necessary or cost-effective to continually dispatch armed police to deal with conflicts rooted in mental health distress, addiction or homelessness.
OPINION: The rise in online hate has made local politics a critical new battleground in LGBTQ2S+ rights
Troster said that supporting the most vulnerable helps create a better city for everyone.
Many city services are in short supply in Ottawa's downtown. The bus that gets cancelled and never comes. The library that is closed on Sundays. The lack of public bathrooms. The shrivelling, tiny trees offering little shade on Bank Street. The absence of benches or any place to sit down.
The problem with telling people to avoid downtown Ottawa is that many of us live here — nearly 50,000, in fact. To the city of Ottawa and all levels of government: we beg you to facilitate the hasty exit of extremists from our streets and our neighbourhoods.