More police expected to patrol downtown Guelph to address 'open drug use,' public safety concerns
Police service says it's 'very mindful of the complexities of issues related to drug dependency'
Police in Guelph say more officers will be in the downtown core in the coming weeks to address "open drug use," criminal behaviours and public safety concerns.
In a statement, the Guelph Police Service said it has seen the number of drug poisonings rise in the city since 2020. Poisonings in the downtown "are more than four times higher than the next highest neighbourhood," the statement said.
"We're responding to an ever increasing concern being expressed to us that our public is telling us they simply don't feel safe," Chief Gordon Cobey told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition host Craig Norris on Wednesday.
"Unfortunately many citizens are telling us that because of this, they don't want to frequent our downtown. So we feel like we have a responsibility to act to support those who need it, but to address these public safety concerns."
Cobey said officers will be in place in the downtown core for "as long as it needs to be" and he said it's important for people in the city to understand "we are committed to their safety."
The service has taken a health-first approach in recent years, but the service says the downtown has seen a "disproportionate negative impact" of open illegal drug use compared to other neighbourhoods.
LISTEN | Guelph police chief explains why more officers will be in downtown core:
"We'll continue to work closely with our social service providers to make sure those who need supports can get them. But having said that, it is still illegal to possess illicit substances when lawful grounds exists," Cobey said.
"Arrests will be made, drugs will be seized, and then what happens after that will be determined by the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act."
Police say that since January 2023, there have been 35 controlled substances investigations that have led to the arrest of more than 80 individuals and more than 460 charges.
Earlier this week, police said two men were charged as part of a trafficking of controlled substances investigation. The investigation took place downtown in St. George's Square and involved an undercover officer who met with a man twice to purchase fentanyl. As part of the transactions, another man was seen in the area weighing crack cocaine on a digital scale, with the intent to sell it, police said.
Officers have also collaborated with workers from the Canadian Mental Health Association. In the past six months, the teams have had more than 600 interactions with more than 100 people getting guidance and support from the workers and officers.
"Despite these efforts, illegal open air drug use and public safety issues have persisted," the police service said.
"We are very mindful of the complexities of issues related to drug dependency and fully support measures being taken by our partner agencies to treat and support those with drug dependency issues," the statement added.
"However, as the heart of our community, Guelph's downtown is a shared public space that must be safe and welcoming for all who live, work and visit."
Mayor's message to criminals: 'Get out of our city'
Mayor Cam Guthrie issued a statement on social media supporting the police service's move to have more officers in the downtown core. Guthrie said he's talked to police about the need to have front-line police officers in the core.
He said the city is facing "unprecedented open drug use, crime, and criminal activity from the drug trade."
"Our downtown public spaces should be a safe and welcoming place for all—but not for criminals. I know the vast majority of citizens and businesses will welcome this enhanced approach," Guthrie's statement said.
"My message to criminals is simple: don't just get out of our downtown, get out of our city."
Guthrie said he will continue to advocate to other levels of government to help the city deal with issues, including addictions and homelessness.
Concerns about more officers
Sanguen Health Centre, a community-based health service that operates in Guelph as well as Waterloo region, said it understands the need to address public safety but there are concerns about more officers being in the core.
"We are deeply concerned that this strategy may not address the root causes of the issues we're seeing, particularly as it relates to public drug use and homelessness," Julie Kalbfleisch, Sanguen's director of fundraising and communications, said in an email to CBC News.
Kalbfleisch said open drug use is "a visible symptom of a larger national public health crisis" of opioid-related deaths. She said the province's plan to close consumption and treatment sites in Guelph and Kitchener next March, coupled with not enough shelter spaces, will "likely exacerbate the challenges" individuals and the communities face.
"You cannot have it both ways. When harm reduction services are defunded, shelters are closed, and affordable housing remains scarce, it is inevitable that the crisis will become more visible," she said.
"Instead of focusing resources on enforcement, we urge municipal leadership to invest in services that truly make a difference — affordable housing, healthcare, mental health support, and evidence-based harm reduction initiatives."
Encampment remains downtown
Meanwhile, an encampment in St. George's Square in downtown Guelph remains in place, despite a new bylaw prohibiting structures from being set up in certain areas of the city including the square.
LISTEN | Tents still up in downtown Guelph despite new public space use bylaw:
Colleen Clack-Bush, the city's deputy chief administrative officer for public services, said there are a small number of encampments on city owned or operated properties that violate the bylaw.
"Bylaw staff have already provided verbal communications to those whose structures are in violation with information on supports available, and clearer direction on the regulations affecting encampments or temporary structures," Clack-Bush told CBC News.
Clack-Bush said on Monday that written orders would be issued to people who remain in violation of the bylaw.
"If required, a trespass notice for erecting the structure will be provided by bylaw staff," she said, adding, "We will continue to lead with a respectful, human-centred, and education-first approach as we enforce this bylaw."
Eviction notices issued
Stephanie Clendenning, a lawyer and executive director of the Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington County, said the timing of more officers in the downtown core is "no coincidence."
"Public sentiment about safety in the downtown core is nothing new. What is new is that the residents of St. George's Square received an eviction notice this week with a deadline of November 13," Clendenning said in an email to CBC News on Thursday.
She said she believes increased police presence will "intimidate those who have chosen to remain into packing up and moving to one of the permissible locations."
"While this strategy may help with the city's problem of having to be the one to publicly dismantle the meagre shelter structures the homeless have erected right as winter approaches, without all levels of government meaningfully addressing the root cause of the problem, this storm is just beginning," Clendenning said.
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