June 5, 2026 Newsletter

Public safety means more than emergency response. It also means ensuring that residents feel supported, informed, and connected to resources when difficult incidents occur in their neighbourhoods.

Many residents were understandably concerned following the shooting that occurred on Prince Albert Street this week. While Ottawa Police Service has advised that there is no ongoing threat to public safety and the investigation remains active, incidents of violence can affect an entire community.

Neighbours may feel shaken, families may have questions, and residents may be looking for information, reassurance, and support.

My office is working closely with the Ottawa Police Service, Ottawa Community Housing, the Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre, the Overbrook Community Centre, the Integrated Neighbourhood Team, and other community partners to coordinate a neighbourhood outreach response. Earlier today, teams connected directly with residents, distributed information about available supports, shared community resources, and provided opportunities for residents to ask questions and raise concerns.

This coordinated response reflects years of work by community partners to strengthen how neighbourhoods respond when serious incidents occur. One of the key initiatives supporting this work is Ottawa's Post-Incident Neighbourhood Support (PINS) program, a community-led approach coordinated by the Coalition of Community Health and Resource Centres of Ottawa. PINS brings together resident leaders, community agencies, housing providers, schools, emergency services, and local organizations to support communities affected by violence, tragedy, or other critical events. The goal is to reduce distress, connect residents with supports, strengthen neighbourhood resilience, and foster a sense of stability and connection during difficult times.

Overbrook has a special connection to this work. Before being elected to City Council, I was proud to support the development of the PINS model as President of the Overbrook Community Association. Our community served as the pilot neighbourhood for the program, helping demonstrate how coordinated outreach and support can make a meaningful difference for residents affected by traumatic events. The collaborative approach that was activated this week grew from those early efforts and continues to serve communities across Ottawa today.

The response also highlighted the value of the Ottawa Police Service's Neighbourhood Resource Teams (NRTs), which focus on building long-term relationships with residents, schools, businesses, housing providers, community organizations, and local leaders. These officers work proactively to address neighbourhood concerns, support crime prevention initiatives, and collaborate with partners to improve community safety and well-being. Because they remain assigned to neighbourhoods over extended periods, including in Overbrook, they develop a deep understanding of local issues and are able to respond in ways that reflect the unique needs of the communities they serve.

This collaborative, community-focused approach is also at the heart of Ottawa Police Service's new District Policing model. District policing is designed to deliver more visible, responsive, and locally informed policing services by bringing together frontline officers, Community Police Officers, Youth Officers, Neighbourhood Resource Teams, Community Intake and Relationship Specialists, and other specialized resources into integrated district teams. The model emphasizes stronger partnerships, greater local accountability, and policing priorities shaped by community needs and neighbourhood data.

A safer community requires a range of approaches. While programs such as PINS help neighbourhoods recover following traumatic incidents and enforcement remains an important part of public safety, prevention is equally important. I was pleased to recently join North-South Development Roots and Culture Canada for the recent local launch of "It's A Trap," an initiative focused on helping youth recognize and avoid gang recruitment, drug involvement, and online exploitation through mentorship, education, and lived-experience guidance. Originally based at the Rideau Community Hub in Rideau-Rockcliffe, the program demonstrates the value of investing in prevention and positive opportunities for young people.

Taken together, these initiatives recognize an important reality: public safety is not achieved through enforcement alone. Strong communities require prevention, outreach, early intervention, crisis support, housing stability, youth engagement, and partnerships among residents, community organizations, emergency services, and local government. When those systems work together, communities are better equipped not only to respond to challenges, but also to support recovery and build long-term resilience.

It is in that spirit that I am pleased to share news about the expansion of Ottawa's Alternate Neighbourhood Crisis Response (ANCHOR) program into Overbrook beginning June 12. Last week, I was pleased to attend an information session at the Overbrook Community Centre where residents had the opportunity to learn more about the program and the supports it will provide in our community.

ANCHOR represents an important investment in community well-being by ensuring that residents experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis can access specialized support from trained professionals, helping people receive the right response at the right time.

ANCHOR is a community-led, culturally sensitive and equity-centred service that provides support tailored to individual needs and circumstances, created to help ensure that individuals in crisis can be connected with trained professionals who are equipped to provide compassionate, specialized care and assistance.

Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to Ottawa residents aged 16 and older, the program can be accessed by calling 2-1-1. The service is confidential, and interpretation services are available in more than 200 languages. Residents can call for themselves, a family member, friend, neighbour, or someone else they are concerned about.

Trained call takers assess each situation and determine the most appropriate response. Depending on the circumstances, support may include information and referrals, a well-being check, or the dispatch of a multidisciplinary mobile crisis team made up of mental health professionals and peer support workers. These teams meet people where they are, provide immediate crisis support, help de-escalate situations, connect individuals with community resources, and offer referrals to additional services.

The program is delivered through a partnership between Community Navigation of Eastern Ontario (211), the Centretown Community Health Centre and the Somerset West Community Health Centre. Importantly, ANCHOR's support does not end once the immediate crisis has passed. The program includes post-crisis follow-up and wraparound supports that help individuals connect with healthcare providers, counselling services, addiction supports, social services, housing resources, and other community programs that may assist with long-term stability and well-being. This continuity of care is one of the features that distinguishes ANCHOR from traditional emergency responses.

Originally launched in August 2024 in Ottawa's Somerset and Kitchissippi wards, including Centretown and Somerset West, ANCHOR has demonstrated strong results. Program data collected between August 15, 2024 and December 31, 2025 shows that ANCHOR received nearly 6,000 calls, dispatched more than 2,300 mobile crisis responses, and resolved more than 93 per cent of dispatched calls without police involvement. These results demonstrate that many mental health and substance use crises can be safely and effectively addressed through a specialized community response while ensuring police and paramedic resources remain available for emergencies that require their involvement.

ANCHOR serves people from all walks of life. Mental health and substance use crises can affect people of any age, income level, background, or housing status. The program supports youth, adults, seniors, families, and community members who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis and need timely assistance from trained professionals.

The decision to expand ANCHOR into Overbrook, Vanier, Lowertown, the ByWard Market, Sandy Hill and Lees Towers follows a review of community needs, demographic information, health indicators, and service data. Overbrook was identified as one of the priority neighbourhoods for expansion. Beginning June 12, the expanded service area will extend east to St. Laurent Boulevard, north to Beechwood Avenue, south to Highway 417, and west to the Rideau Canal, bringing this important service to thousands of additional residents.

The expansion also reflects a broader conversation taking place at City Hall about how we respond to mental health and substance use crises in our communities. During the 2026 budget deliberations, I brought forward a motion advocating for additional investment in community-based safety initiatives, including the expansion and long-term sustainability of ANCHOR. The motion recognized that public safety requires both responsive emergency services and preventative, community-based approaches that address mental health challenges, addiction, poverty, housing instability, and other factors that can contribute to crisis situations. Expanding access to community-based crisis response services remains an important investment in both public safety and community well-being.

I am encouraged to see this successful program expanding into our community. By providing residents with access to specialized crisis supports, ANCHOR helps ensure that people receive the right response at the right time while strengthening community safety and well-being. Expanding services like ANCHOR is an investment not only in those experiencing a crisis, but also in healthier, safer, and more resilient communities for everyone. 

I encourage residents to learn more about the program and how it can help members of our community when support is needed most by visiting ottawa.ca/ANCHOR.