Followup on Half Moon Bay retail break-ins, community safety meeting

Newsletter: October 6, 2023

A few weeks ago I visited our new Pharmacy and Cornerstore at Greenbank and Kilbirnie in Half Moon Bay in the aftermath of two back to back break ins. This week there was a series of brazen day time break ins on Kilspindie as well as a series of car thefts. I have spoken with our Police Chief, Eric Stubbs on this issue and requested: 1. Additional police presence in the area and 2. A community engagement in the next few weeks to ask questions and seek clarification. I am also interested in discussing with the community association and the city the options for neighbourhood watch. It is unacceptable for criminals to think they can operate with impunity in our backyard. I received confirmation that the Ottawa Police will be holding a public meeting before the end of October to address the recent community issues and other areas of concern. We are still working out the details, but if you would like to be kept informed, please add your name to the update list here. I will also be speaking with the Mayor and my fellow councilors on this when it comes to budget time as well in order to safeguard the appropriate investments and to push back against the ‘defund the police’ special interest lobby. I will be much more involved in the coming months on the Police Services Board in order to ensure that suburban safety is not overlooked.

Newsletter: October 14, 2023

I know that there is a lot of concern about security and safety in our community.  I will be hosting a community engagement along with Chief Eric Stubbs from the Ottawa Police Service to discuss the rash of break-ins and car thefts in our area.  This will be held in the dining room at the Stonebridge Golf Course on October 26th at 6:30pm.  Registration is required as space is limited. Please register HERE.  

Newsletter: October 27, 2023

This Thursday, police chief Eric Stubbs and I hosted over 200 people at the Stonebridge Golf Course to discuss concerns about local safety and security.  We had some excellent questions on the topics of: stunt racing, car thefts, break ins, robberies, traffic safety as well as a number of one on one discussions after the formal discussions concluded. You can find the meeting recording here. We were able to introduce the Ottawa board for Neighbourhood watch which was well received both by the community association and the local residents on Kilspindie ridge.  I am very grateful for the forward thinking perspective that Ottawa Police have taken and I greatly appreciate the positive reinforcement that I received for my delegation this week at the Police Services board.  I will be certain to update you on these innovative solutions as we make progress in the coming months.  I will be looking to be more involved in the police services board in order to ensure that our needs are not overlooked.