The intersection of Rideau and Nelson streets was the site of a record number of reported thefts under $5,000 in August and September, surpassing all previous monthly totals for the area since 2018, a Capital Current analysis of Ottawa Police Force data has found.
The crime data shows 119 thefts reported at the downtown intersection in August and 123 were reported in September. In 2018, the two months recorded 42 and 27.
“I think once every other time outside here, I see something going on,” said Purple Meadows Cannabis store manager, Peter McNaulty, who’s worked at the store since 2020. “People are definitely feeling less safe every time they come here.”
Theft under $5,000 includes “the act of stealing money or property valued under $5,000 (excluding motor vehicle theft),” police say. This includes thefts from a motor vehicle, bike thefts and shoplifting.
McNaulty said that he would enjoy having his products open-air displayed for his customers, but is not willing to risk them being stolen.
“We are extremely lucky to have our inventory of products locked away and inaccessible to the general public without authorized assistance,” McNaulty said. “Without safeguards like this, I imagine a lot of businesses [in the downtown area] are losing a good chunk of revenue from stolen merchandise.”
Capital Current’s analysis shows 4,300 thefts under $5,000 have been reported in area of the intersection since 2018, accounting for nearly 93 per cent of all reported offences in the area.
“All retail stores in this section of Rideau Street (and the ByWard Market) have had challenges with loss prevention. Whether it be with petty theft or larger items being stolen,” McNaulty said in an email statement.
Petro-Canada clerk, Natasha Levesque, says she believes the majority of incidents that occur at where she works are caused by unhoused individuals.
“We have homeless regulars so we try not to profile, but it’s a difficult process,” said Levesque.
Levesque said that two thefts under $5,000 within a single week recently led the gas station to install a safety lock on a door behind the counter that was accessible to the public.
“We have had to lock it on some people so it’s definitely helped,” said Levesque.
Capital Current’s analysis of data shows thefts under $5,000 continue at a rapid pace. With less than a quarter of the year remaining, the 2025 total is projected to approach last year’s numbers.
In 2024, there were more than 1,000 thefts under $5,000 reported at the Rideau and Nelson intersection, nearly doubling the yearly total from 2022.
The area ranks second across the city in such thefts, closely behind the intersection outside the Rideau Centre. The intersection has a dozen stores, compared to the Rideau Centre’s 180.
“When your society has less economic stability … things are more likely to be stolen,” said uOttawa Criminology Professor Jeffery Bradley.
“Those with mental or physical disabilities are more vulnerable when it comes to homelessness and they’re put on the Ontario Disability Support Program but it doesn’t give them enough to survive… what do we expect them to do?” Bradley added.
The three intersections with the most thefts $5,000 and under are in Rideau-Vanier Ward, which has the highest rate of such crimes in the city, with 63 thefts per 1,000 people through the first nine months of 2025.
“We don’t have a great social safety net or welfare state for these kinds of people in need,” Bradley said. “It’s a failure by the [municipal] government to respond to a crisis, these folks are very vulnerable and hyper-policed and funneled into the criminal legal system.”
Ottawa Mayor, Mark Sutcliffe says additional aid in the form of more paramedics, firefighters and police officers is coming to combat crime in the ByWard Market area. These will be “record investments in public safety,” said Sutcliffe.
Ottawa police have increased officers’ visibility in the area, however, they say this may not always be the answer.
“The OPS recognizes that many low-level, non-violent crimes are linked to complex issues such as substance use disorders, homelessness and mental health challenges, where traditional law enforcement and criminal justice solutions are not effective.”
“The downtown core is a very complex area,” Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs told a recent meeting of the Ottawa Police Service board. “It requires many agencies and the public to manage the various issues.”
