Testing. One, two, three. But they're the good ones. They will come back. >> Good morning everyone. We're going to get started. >> This week, guys, everybody's good. Attention. Welcome everyone to the community services committee for Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026. I'd ask the committee coordinators to do the roll call. >> Councelor Brackington >> here. >> Councelor Brown >> here. >> Councelor Carr. Counselor Hill >> present. >> Councelor Kavanaaugh >> present. >> Councelor King >> here. >> Councelor Low present. >> Conplant. Hello, >> councelor Troster >> here. >> Vice Chair Bradley >> here. >> Chair Dudas, >> EC, >> you have quorum. Chair. >> Uh, and I just wanted to mention that councelor Carr had sent her regrets. So, we have uh no declarations of interest that I'm aware of. Confirmation of the minutes for Tuesday, April 23rd, 2026. Are those carried? Carried. We have a number of responses to inquiries. Um, I had sent a message around earlier asking if anybody wanted to to hold any of them to lift them onto the agenda. I didn't receive any responses. Does that change today? Did anybody want to discuss any of those? No, we're good. Are those received? >> Saved. Wonderful. Item 5.1, status update, community services committee inquiries and motions for the period ending June 5th, 2026. We don't have any motions or presentation on that. Is that item received? We have no in camera items. Uh we're we're plowing through this. We're going to be out of here in no time. Uh 7.1 is information previously distributed use of the delegated authority during 2025 by recreation, cultural, facilities services department as set out in schedule E of bylaw 202569. Did anybody want to discuss that? We're all good. All right. Is that item received? received. All right. Now, now we're into some conversational items. Wonderful. Uh motions of which notice have previously been given. We have a motion from councelor King on data framework for unsheltered homelessness outreach model. Councelor King. >> Uh thank you so much, Chair. And before speaking to the mechanics of this motion, I want to start with why this matters. Behind every data point and every reporting channel uh we'll discuss today are people unsheltered residents living in encampments across the city often in unsafe and precarious conditions. They face real risks to their health and safety and uh so to to the surrounding communities trying to understand what's happening and what needs to be done. uh the human cost of encampments is significant and it's the human reality that makes timely, accurate and accessible information so accessible and I'd like to acknowledge uh all of my colleagues. We see the importance of information though we didn't discuss the inquiries there were multiple inquiries on our agenda today uh dealing with costs associated with emergency shelter stays, family shelter systems and and transitional housing. So we know that data and information is very important in terms of informing the actions that are taken uh by uh both uh the city staff and also by council. This motion builds on work that is already underway through the unsheltered homelessness outreach model and recognizes the importance of timely, accurate and accessible information. Encampments are among the most complex challenges facing municipalities across Ontario and in fact across the country today. They involve multiple city departments, community partners, outreach teams, and reporting channels. As a result, information exists across several systems and is not always easily accessible in a consolidated format. At the same time, counselors and the community are regularly seeking answers about encampments, service requests, response actions, and available supports. Having access to consistent and reliable information helps us communicate more effectively, respond to concerns, and support evidence-based decision-making around the council table. The intent of this motion is not to create additional reporting burdens for staff. Rather, it is to leverage the integrated data systems and reporting improvements already being advanced through the outreach model and ensure that information can be shared in a more transparent and sustainable ma manner. The motion also recognizes that new technologies and data integration tools may provide opportunities to reduce administrative effort, improve accuracy, and enhance situational awareness while maintaining appropriate privacy protections. Ultimately, I believe that better access to information supports better coordination, better communication, and greater transparency for counselors, community organizations, and residents alike, and most importantly, better outcomes for the unsheltered individuals this work is meant to serve. I appreciate the work staff have already undertaken in this area and look forward to seeing the proposed framework as these improvements move forward. Thank you so much chair. >> Thank you very much councelor King uh concier. >> Yes. Uh first I want to thank councelor king for this uh motion. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to reach out to you before uh today, but uh this is s such critical work and I think so just yesterday I had forgotten my keys uh in an Uber and I met the Uber driver on Fairly Fairly Crescent uh not in my ward and I decided to walk home and I saw a ton of encampments. I was actually very quite surprised because we see them downtown and you kind of think it's a downtown issue but it is absolutely not. I saw it in commercial areas um on Walkley Road. I saw them on my way home um taking uh the Rita River. I saw them also um in an apartment kind of complex area in that um in that part of town. And so um I'm convinced stuff like this will help us make better decisions and help us better point out that this is not a a downtown issue. This is a citywide in fact a countrywide issue. And um it would be great too, this is just you know something to think about for the future if we could have some sort of even national database about this kind of thing because I think once Canadians know what a problem this is there there will be more uh political will to find solutions. So thank you councelor King. >> Thank you very much councelor uh councelor Kavanagh. >> Thank you chair and uh thank you to my colleague for bringing this forward. Um it's true it's not a downtown problem whatsoever. It's very much in existence in Bay Ward as well and the overall uh desire to just sweep it under the carpet is just not possible and we have to truly understand what's going on and what we can do about it. Um collecting data is a very big first step and u very important. I'm quite aware of the of the uh the struggles that people have when they when they they go into these situations and um we there just nothing there for them. There is nothing in our system that allows them to have a safe place. So we need to work together. We need the other levels of government to work with us and that's an important part of it. And um I want to thank uh councelor King and also for uh city staff who I know worked with him on this and uh um it's it's very important uh we want to house people as quickly as we can. One of the biggest problems is that we do not have supportive housing that um would be the ideal situation for for many for many of these uh residents. Thank you very much and um I look forward to passing this. Thank you. >> Thank you councelor Kavanaaugh. Councelor Brackington. >> Thanks, Madam Chair. I just wanted to give an opportunity to senior staff to just comment on the motion if the general manager wouldn't mind. >> Thank you, chair. So, staff are supportive of the motion. It is does reflect work that we have committed to doing as part of our encampment strategy. Um in the last couple of years we've been uh incrementally improving the access to information on both shelter statistics and then last year introduced a dashboard for reporting encampments. So this is part of an evolution of work that we're committed to. It is also very much tied to the council approved unsheltered homelessness outreach model that we'll be launching in the next quarter um and the integrated data collection commitment under that model as well. So staff are supportive and we've conferred with our IT colleagues who also feel that in working with us uh this can be accomplished within existing resources. >> Great. Thanks very much. I just want to thank councelor King for bringing this forward and um certainly more data that can help us make better decisions is certainly something I will always support. Thank you. >> Thank you, councelor Councelor Charles. >> Thank you so much. So, this is the first community services committee meeting since um staff cleaned up the remnants of what was left near Bab Station where there had been massive encampments over the years. And I thought I'd just share some statistics with you because they made my jaw drop. Um, more than uh 200, sorry, 2,000 pieces of discarded drug paraphernalia were found there. Several I I apologize, was it? 9 cubic tons of garbage was taken out of there and 26 propane tanks. And this was in is in a wooded area. It's actually largely in councelor Leaper's ward, but I was hearing about it cuz of course people walk from the O train and they were seeing, you know, and the snow melted and all the stuff came up. And so something that I just want to say is as we push people more and more to the margins, you know, as things like supervised consumption sites are closed and then people don't want public drug use on the street near them, it's a natural inclination that people are just going to move farther and farther away, deeper into wooden areas. Um, it that we know that the profile of people who tend to choose an encampment over shelter. Uh we know what that looks like. It's typically people who have significant trauma who have experienced trauma in the shelter system. Um it's often couples. It's often people with a pet. Um as I speak right now, my staff are meeting with case managers from several organizations to find housing for a woman who's been sleeping in a bus shelter on Elgen going on a year. And it it the herculan effort it's taking to get to get a senior woman who is actively sleeping rough housing. You would be it's unbelievable. So um I just have a question for staff. I know there was a recent ruling another court ruling on encampments um in certain communities that don't have enough housing and shelter space. Um, there's a human rights argument that was upheld suggesting that they cannot be dismantled. I'm just wondering staff's interpretation of how that ruling might apply in Ottawa because I know technically speaking we might have the shelter space, but we also know that the solution for folks who won't go to shelter and who choose to an encampment as an alternative is housing and not shelter. And so, do you think we'll ever hit the point where we're legally prevented from dismantling Thank you, chair. It's hard to speculate Yeah. on uh potential uh legislation or policy changes. The the good news is that in Ottawa, our encampment um unsheltered outreach and encampment approach is highly successful and takes a human rights approach first. So since 2023, the first court ruling coming out of Waterlue, um we have been uh with legal guidance applying a more of a human rights approach, ensuring that there's adequate shelter space because that was part of the ruling initially in 23 around not being able to take away someone's right to housing if there was no other opportunity or another no other option for them. That was the basis of it. We ensured in this community with council support that we now have enough shelter space for anyone who wants to come in and our unsheltered task force takes a human rights approach with 84% of encampments resolved with that approach before a uh enforced um dismantle is required. So I mean we'll work with legal on the la on the most recent court ruling coming out of water and that that pertains to a very large encampment in the city center in water. So we'll work with legal services on on a formal legal interpretation of the most recent one. But I I would just like to reassure committee that our approach is highly successful is human rights based. Yes, there are improvements and I think the motion from councelor King represents an improvement around data collection and you uh standardized reporting. Um but I did want to reassure that we're highly successful within the resources that we have. >> Yeah, I appreciate that and that's something I try to explain to residents all the time that sometimes it takes a little more time to do it properly within a human rights perspective, but then you get a better outcome if somebody finds a home. But um I just want to thank you for all your work. Um, but I can just tell you from this one case that I've been knocking my head against the wall for weeks to try to get this woman housing. It's not easy. Even with five or six different agencies trying to help city staff engaged, it's taken a really long time to find housing for a senior woman who's been on the street for a long time and who's willing to be housed. So, um, it I I still think we can do better and obviously we need more resources from the province and the feds to do that. So, thank you very much. >> Thank you, councelor. I I'm not seeing any further questions or comments. Thank you, Councelor King, for for bringing this forward. I think more data, more information is definitely good and thank you for moving the needle on this. Um, is this item carried? >> Carried. All right. So, we have uh did I didn't uh I wasn't made aware of any notices of motion. I'm not seeing anybody hands. Okay, we're good to go. Uh we do have inquiries. So, councelor Low uh Greenbank Park. Thank you, chair. Um I guess I'll uh wait for it to come on screen there. There we go. Uh Greenbank Park. Greenbank Park located at 895 Greenbank Road is a small community park with play structures, a swing set, and a splash pad. Popular among local families, the park has chainlink fencing along its Greenbank Road frontage. Most park users enter the neighborhood via fieldgate and Nolles Brook drives, but the wintermaintained pathways are important connectors for the neighborhood east of Greenbank Road with shops, clinics, recreation, schools, and other neighborhood other neighborhoods west of Greenbank Road. As such, the park includes an important access point from Greenbank Road via an opening in the fence. However, that access means the swing set is just about 30 meters from the edge of Greenbank Road via the pathway, while one of the play structures is just 50 meters away. While parents and caregivers are reasonably expected to watch over their children, circumstances may divert their attention for just the wrong amount of time. One, how many parks with wintermained pathways are there in the city of Ottawa located on an arterial road? Two, how many of those parks are like Greenbank Park where there is a play structure located less than 100 meters from an arterial road via an access point? Three, at other locations, if any, does a city employ any measures such as gates, fencing, chicanees, or otherwise as a means of slowing down or preventing a child who may run towards the access point and arterial road? Four, what options exist to implement such measures? And what are the considerations of those options? Five. In a situation where a child runs from the play area to the park's access point and towards the arterial road and gets injured or killed as a result of reaching the arterial arterial road, is the city at risk of any liability, especially with past requests for measures to prevent such an incident? And six, what can be implemented at a park like Greenbank Park to improve safety where the swing set is only 30 mters and the play structure is only 50 meters from Greenbank Road? Thank you. >> Thank you very much, Councelor Low. And councelor Hill, you have an inquiry as well. Uh yes, thank you very much, Madam Chair. Ottawa is currently in the process of doubling the number of city-owned uh and operated cricket pitches. However, there is still a gap in park capacity for recreational cricket players who do not require a highquality pitch and field to play and must compete with organized leagues to rent limited number of fields with pitches installed. to accommodate recreational players. Would it be feasible for the city to purchase two to five artificial mats or pitches that allow recreational clubs to rent those at the same time that they rent a sports field for play such as soccer or ultimate frisbee field? What would be the benefits of such a program? What would be the limitations and liabilities? And how much would such a program cost? Thank you. >> Thank you very much, Councelor Hill. Uh we have no other business. All right, we're going to uh I'm going to call for a German because our next meeting is September 22nd. Before I do though, I am going to note being that this committee overseas parks and recreation, I am going to mention go Canada, go tomorrow, 300 p.m. our time, you know, Canada's taking on Switzerland. We're going to kick their butts. Just saying. And I'm going to mention too that there's many, many watch parties across city. So, go support local if you can. and I'm gonna throw it to councelor Plant because she has a particular watch party that she wants to just quickly mention. >> Thank you so much, chair. Um, if you saw my email this morning or follow my socials, I'm sure you all follow my socials very closely. Um, we are having a watch party at the Venet Hub, 276 Marie. It's on the corner of Montreal Road in Marier uh, Avenue and it's in collaboration with the Swiss embassy. So, you are allowed to only cheer for the red and white, whatever that means to you. Um, we will have Swiss chocolates, some Swiss swag. We're also going to have a a mountainous looking sort of selfie station. Um, and we are right now looking to feed you as well. So, we're just finalizing all of that and we look forward to welcoming everyone to the Vanet area. It is a beautiful part of our city and with wonderful community support and uh it would be great to see a lot of elected officials share their enthusiasm for the blue and I'm sorry, the red and white again, whatever that means to you and also for the Vana area. Mercu, I appreciate the opportunity to plug our watch party. Merci. Absolutely. Go Canada. Go. All right. Do we Are we adjourned, my friends? >> Ajourned. Have a great day, everyone.