Mayoral candidate Mike Maguire proposes housing and drug enforcement plan

Ottawa mayoral candidate Mike Maguire announces a housing and homelessness plan in the ByWard Market. Sept. 23, 2022. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)

Ottawa mayoral candidate Mike Maguire has released his platform for fighting homelessness and drug addiction in Ottawa.

Maguire says he has been consulting with front-line mental health counsellors on the best approaches to reduce the effects of homelessness, how best to respond to housing needs of vulnerable residents, and avout ideas to reduce the level of street crime.

He proposed a three-pronged approach Friday.

“Ottawa has a homelessness problem. I think everyone is perfectly aware of that,” he said, speaking to reporters in the ByWard Market. “We need to increase mental health services for the individuals who are suffering from terrible mental health anguish. That’s going to be one of the remedies.”

He also called for more police enforcement to “get rid of the drug dealers; to get rid of these poisons on our streets.”

He is also proposing a personal municipal rental assistance subsidy.

“The subsidy is not tied to the specific unit, it’s tied to the person,” he said.

“This will be less expensive, more responsive and flexible and, will allow qualified individuals some leeway in choosing where they want to live.”

Other mayoral candidates have made pledges on the issues of housing, homelessness and safety.

Mark Sutcliffe announced Saturday a plan he previously spoke to CTV News about, pledging to hire more police officers, open a new station in the ByWard Market and push to install CCTV cameras in an effort to deter crime.

Sutcliffe has also promised to increase the availability of new homes and community housing, saying his plan would see 100,000 new homes built in 10 years, including 1,000 community housing units per year.

Catherine McKenney is vowing to end chronic homelessness in the space of a single council term, by building supportive housing for 250 individuals through the federal Rapid Housing Initiative and housing another 250 people through housing allowances.

McKenney also says their focus with regard to policing is to rebuild trust between the community and the police service and reassess policing priorities.

Four days of special advance voting are underway between Saturday and Tuesday, allowing residents to cast ballots at any of a list of locations, regardless of their address. Election Day is Oct. 24.