The Research Project

2007-06-19: Ottawa, ON

Good Fences do not necessarily make good neighbourhoods (I’ll explain later)

Like many - make that “most” - Canadian cities, Ottawa has a large homeless population and also a significant number of people who are using illegal substances. The fact that a lot of them are visible and easy targets has not escaped the politicians, and the mayor seems to be bearing the brunt of the anger of front-line workers and service users, though his actions are not his alone but likely have the sanction of a majority of he members of the City Council. His denial of the worth of harm reduction services such as crack kit distribution - in the face of ample evidence to the contrary - is probably the result of either wilful ignorance or callous opportunism, neither of which is a desirable quality in a civic leader. What can one say about the capitols of nations? In the USA, Washington is only now beginning to move toward the provision of new syringes.

Our stay in Ottawa was very full. We visited several agencies, did an excellent tour of some of the troubled neighbourhood of the city, discussed with Eugene Oscapella of the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy Canada’s drug laws and the current government’s focus on aping the failed American approach (more wilful ignorance or callous opportunism?) and, of course, held a focus group. I have visit Ottawa many times since I moved to Canada in 1965, but I saw more of it and learned more about it than I have in sum of my past experiences of the city. That is to the credit of our hosts and guides.

Our first visit was to the Ottawa clinic of the Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres (OATC), where we met with Dr. George Kolbe. Dr. Kolbe is a family physician who splits his time between work in the Methadone Clinic and a family practice in Brockville. According to its website, OATC has 26 sites in Ontario and a total staff of health professionals and support staff that at the present time includes over 50 Physicians, 68 Nurses, three Hepatitis C Treatment Nurses, a Lead Clinical Psychologist, ten Addiction Counsellors, 60 Support Staff, a Director of Operations, and a Director of Public Relations. The place was busy, and Dr. Kolbe, the only doctor on duty that day was running late. His patients were getting impatient. At the same time, however, they spoke very highly of the service they receive from him.

OATC is a storefront clinic, with a discrete entrance. There was no one hanging around outside. I suspect that this is mandated. Ottawa has not been overly friendly toward methadone clinics. The waiting room is nondescript and businesslike. Though we did not try to engage the patients while we were waiting our turn, they did engage us. One of them, a middle-aged woman, had been a photographer in California. Her interest was photojournalism and street photography, and she was very taken by this project and some of the things which we had seen and photographed.

Like injection drug users everywhere, many of Dr. Kolbe’s patients have HepC and have had a relationship with the criminal justice system. As well, many have mental health issues, such as depression, and have difficulty accessing services to support their progress from dependence on illicit opiates to maintenance on methadone. The Clinic has, at the moment, no social work or mental health staff. And there is concern about the impact will be of the pending recommendations of the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons regarding the delivery of methadone services. Things seemed a bit up in the air.

I saw nothing unusual or innovative about this clinic, but it appeared to “work”. In some cases innovativeness is not the answer.

We visited next Oasis, a drop-in centre and medical clinic for street-involved people. Oasis is a program of the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre. It offers a variety of programs, including food, access to medical and nursing help and very personalised support. In a few days it will be moving from its current location - in an office building a mere stone’s throw from the parliament buildings - to relocate within the health centre itself. Hence, it was in a somewhat chaotic state. That said, it was very busy and people were being well served.

The staff is approaching the move with mixed feelings. For one thing, there is a fear that many of the clients will not follow Oasis to the new location, and so they will be cut off from essential services. On the other hand, Oasis will be able to provide their services to a large group of clients who do not frequent the centre of the downtown core. Perhaps too they will have more access to medical services. Of course, time will tell how well this move works. The consequences of a move of this sort are unpredictable, and admittedly scarey. A lot will depend on how accommodating is the culture of the Sandy Hill Health Centre.

If Wendy Hyndman is an exemplar of the staff at Sandy Hill, integration and acceptance will be no problem. Wendy is their Street Health Worker and a long-time employee of Sandy Hill. She knows what she is about and has a very good handle on the street scene. She took us on a two-hour tour of agencies and neighbourhoods adjacent to the downtown.

It was fascinating how much street activity was visible in broad daylight, to the experienced eye, so close to the major attractions of Ottawa, as well as the number of closed up buildings - formerly subsidised housing - which had become squats. What was even more fascinating, however, was the evidence of “security”. A security guard posted in front of the Salvation Army hostel shoed us away from the public sidewalk because Lisa had a camera.

And then there are the fences. They are sprouting up everywhere - the result of a campaign by the Mayor and his cohorts to close off buildings and park areas to homeless people. Parts of Ottawa are now “gated”. There is developing a clear delineation between the "good" people (the citizens or gentry) and the others. The fences mark this division, within neighbourhoods. We were told that there is one hostel that was promised a fence if it gave up distributing new syringes. It took the fence. If this is indeed true, it speaks volumes about both the city government and the hostel.

Ottawa is clearly not a model for the rest of Canada, yet it is scarcely different. Agencies are underfunded and understaffed. Service providers are dedicated and overworked. Homeless people abound, and housing is unavailable for them. The city government’s attitudes toward and policies regarding them, especially those of them who use drugs, are cosmetic at best and do nothing to solve the difficulties. They serve merely to push the people away - to where, no one seems to give a damn. Out of sight out of mind, I guess.

That this is not much different than what is taking place seen in other parts of Canada is irrelevant. One must demand and expect more from our nation’s capitol.

– Walter