Time for a change.

My interactions with police have never been noteworthy – but I'm a white woman. Knowing what I (we all?) know at this point about how many folx in the BIPOC & LGBTQ2S+ communities feel about their interactions and experiences with police services, I would be very reluctant to call the Ottawa Police Service for help (especially if I was not the only person involved).

Currently, almost 20% of our tax dollars go to funding the police. I would feel much safer, and better, in my community if I knew some (many!!) of those dollars were being redistributed to community services that would better serve the public. (I understand that the OPS is not a city department, but I still think the city should be seriously looking into reducing the OPS budget, or at the *very* least, not continuing to expand it, and what that would look like.)

In my mind, a Community Safety and Well-Being Plan would mean prioritizing housing and public health (including support for safe injection sites and safe supply) for all. Instead of punishing and criminalizing poverty, we should be helping those who need it in our communities. Access to mental health services and resources for anyone escaping gender-based violence/unsafe domestic situations should also be cornerstones of this plan. Broadly, we need to ensure that this plan tackles the inequities that exist in our city, and does *not* further rely on police services. Alternatives exist, let's use them.