The Future of Community Safety in Ottawa: Breaking Silos, Building Harmony

What if Ottawa could become a model of transformative community safety—not just for today, but for generations to come? The opportunity is here, and the time to act is now.

With Ottawa reviewing its Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) Plan, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) finalizing its CSWB Framework, and the Community Development Framework (CDF) partners reframing their strategies, 2025 is shaping up to be a pivotal year. These interconnected efforts and the upcoming launch of the OPS District Model in January 2026 highlight a critical need: a truly collaborative approach to community safety.

This is Ottawa’s moment to go beyond traditional methods and create a model that doesn’t just react to crises but prevents them—addressing root causes like systemic inequity and social disorder.

Fortunately, we have lessons from the past and tools for the future. From 2003 to 2010, Ottawa saw the power of community-driven change. Vulnerable neighbourhoods in Ottawa South, Vanier, Lowertown, and Pinecrest-Queensway were transformed through collaborative efforts. Local service agencies, Community Health and Resource Centres, youth service agencies, Community Houses, neighbourhood police officers, and residents worked hand-in-hand to identify priorities and deliver real solutions.

While those leaders paved the way, today’s Ottawa has access to unimaginable tools and partnerships. Resources like the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study, the Neighbourhood Equity Index, the province’s CSWB-related guidelines, and related research offer invaluable insights. Collaboratives like the CDF and initiatives such as “Creating the Change We Want” provide proven strategies for community transformation.

But resources alone aren’t enough. To create lasting change, we must break out of silos and align efforts across all four areas of community safety and well-being interventions. That means:

• Understanding the root causes of social disorder, including health, housing, education, and income inequities.
• Aligning initiatives across the spheres of social development, prevention, risk intervention, and incident response.
• Ensuring collaboration across the collaboratives (already existing partnerships) for sharing knowledge, and coordinating efforts.

By addressing the root causes and designing integrated risk interventions, we can prevent social disorder from escalating into crises.

The need for breaking the silos of social development and incident response is evident. The data is clear: 65% of police calls in Canada deal with social disorder, not law enforcement. This raises critical questions:

• Can investment in the downstream (incident response sphere) alone solve the problem?
• Can social development disconnected from prevention and risk intervention address systemic issues and resultant social disorder?
• Can we succeed without a collective focus on addressing social disorder midstream?

Experience and research show that the answer to these questions is “no.” Much like an orchestra, true harmony in community safety and well-being depends on every part working together.

Social services, municipal agencies, and police must collaborate and work seamlessly with community groups and associations. Upstream partners tackle systemic inequities, while downstream responders address crises. But the key lies in the middle, where prevention and risk intervention stop issues from escalating.

Ottawa has a rare opportunity to lead.

By aligning strengths and strategies, we can move beyond a reactive approach to build a proactive, sustainable model of community safety and well-being.

This isn’t just about reducing crime today. It’s about creating a resilient, equitable city for generations to come. It’s about recognizing that everyone has a role to play, and no one is redundant in this shared mission and interconnected system.

The future of Ottawa’s safety depends on us rowing in the same direction. Together, let’s break down barriers, embrace collaboration, and build a city where everyone feels safe, supported, and valued.

This is our moment. Let’s make it count.

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