Hollaback! Ottawa is hoping to make the streets a little safer by putting the issue of gender-based violence on the agenda for the Oct. 27 municipal election.
The Ottawa chapter of the global movement has set out five priorities it hopes to have candidates address in meaningful ways.
Hollaback! says it wants to see city council fund public service advertisements to raise awareness about harassment in public spaces, hire more OC Transpo special constables, do more to prevent sexual assault at mass gatherings, promote comprehensive sexual health, and show greater commitment to making public transit safer for women and members of the LGTBQ community.
Hollaback! Ottawa is the local chapter of a global movement that strives to end street harassment. The movement operates in 26 countries around the world.
“I experienced more street harassment in Ottawa than in any other city I’ve lived in, including Toronto,” says Emma Paling, a former Centretown resident.
Somerset Ward has a particularly acute problem with gender-based violence, the organization says.
The organization receives more of their reports from the downtown area than almost anywhere else in the city, according to Lalonde. The only ward with more reports is Rideau-Vanier, she says.
The five priorities pushed by Hollaback! have received an encouraging level of support from several candidates
While only six of the 11 candidates in Somerset Ward have responded, four of them agreed with all of the priorities highlighted by Hollaback!.
Conor Meade and Thomas McVeigh agreed with most of the priorities, but they were unsure about the idea of hiring more special constables.
“This is about public safety, not fare inspection,” McVeigh said in his response to Hollaback! Ottawa, which is posted on his website.
The OC Transpo website states that, in addition to fare inspection, special constables are responsible for preventing crime, promoting public safety and helping persons in need of assistance.
In June, there were only 47 special constables working for OC Transpo. A peer-review by the American Public Transportation Association around that time said that the special constables were “understaffed.”
In an online survey conducted by Hollaback! Ottawa, 97 per cent of the 350 participants reported being harassed in the last year. Forty-four per cent reported being harassed on transit.
For Ottawa resident Megan McClean the fear of harassment on public transit is real enough that she invented a strategy to avoid potential incidents.
“I sit in a seat I (can) easily get out of, with my music on and look out the window to try to fend off any harassment or offensive conversation,” says McClean.
OC Transpo has put measures in place to address safety including a safe stop initiative allowing customers to get off the bus closer to their destination after 7 p.m.. They also hold monthly meetings with women’s safety groups such as Hollaback! Ottawa and the Ottawa Coalition to end Violence Against Women.
“OC Transpo’s top priority is to ensure the safety of our customers and staff,” said Jim Babe, acting assistant general manager of transit operations.“Any incident is one too many.”
While Lalonde says she is encouraged by the response from the Somerset candidates, she hopes that the support carries through after the election.
“If you’re just saying that to get elected,” said Lalonde, “we’re not going to let that fly.”