Defund the OPS, reinvest in communities

I have lived in Ottawa for four years now, right in the heart of downtown. I have seen personally the shift in atmosphere in the downtown core since the Ontario government has diverted funding from our addictions services and mental health resources. The OPS are called so frequently to my area, yet they do not lessen the crisis, if anything they exacerbate the issues that downtown residents face (especially BIPOC residents dealing with homelessness or other issues). The OPS consumes more of Ottawa's budget than ALL our other social services combined ($360 million in policing vs $72 million for Public Health? There's clearly something wrong there!). If we wish to actually see lasting, sustainable growth and change in our communities, then we need to stop funding a broken police system, and instead divert those funds to public housing (I am sick and tired of seeing yet another out-of-city condo company swoop into our community and build empty overpriced condominiums, rather than providing for our people), public health, addictions services, mental health specialists and centers, and community food services.