This week I attended a meeting organized by community members in the Britannia Woods neighbourhood located on Ritchie Street. The residents had safety concerns stemming from the recent shooting that took place in their neighbourhood. Like all parents they want their children to be safe and expressed their fear from this situation. I appreciated that our community police officers attended this meeting along with myself and staff members of Ottawa Community Housing to hear these concerns. In conclusion there was a sense of community to work together to make the neighbourhood safer.
As in all Bay Ward neighbourhoods we want safe streets for our children. We want to ensure that criminal activities are eliminated. This includes addressing the circumstances that lead to criminal behaviour. These Britannia Woods residents were victims but are committed to being proactive to ensure that their children live in a safe community. They are primarily mothers who care about their families and I congratulate them for taking this initiative to meet with community stakeholders. We as a city need to listen to these concerns and work together to ensure we have the resources to keep our communities safe.
