After an 18-year run, Dunn’s Famous Deli is joining the growing list of businesses that have closed in the ByWard Market.
After surviving the COVID-19 pandemic and an ever-changing business landscape, Russell Garland, Dunn’s owner, says rising safety concerns and a lack of tourists as the main reasons for the restaurant’s closure in late March.
“Homelessness, drugs, shootings and stabbings. People don’t want to come downtown if they’re worried about their safety,” he said. “We just don’t have enough clientele.”
The last time we had to call the police it took them 25 minutes to get there — and that was in January. It makes my employees feel unsafe.
— Russell Garland, owner, Dunn’s Famous Deli
In December, the province announced plans to invest $20 million to revitalize downtown to “support safety and economic growth.” About $11.8 million of this initiative will go to to transforming William Street into a pedestrian-only street and to enhancing the Market, including Market Square into a seasonal street open to traffic and parking most of the year and pedestrian-only in the summer. The work is part of a lead up to the Market’s 200th birthday in 2027.
And in June 2024, the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Police Service implemented the Neighbourhood Operations Centre to beef up police presence.
Despite the efforts, Garland said he hasn’t noticed a difference in tourism levels or safety in the Market.
“The last time we had to call the police it took them 25 minutes to get there — and that was in January,” he said. “It makes my employees feel unsafe.”
He added: “I used to have 60 employees and I’m down to about 20 now.”
Another pressure on the Market is the city’s growing homelessness crisis. In October 2024, 2,952 people reported experiencing homelessness, according to the City of Ottawa’s Point in Time Count.
This is an increase of 340 people from the 2,612 reported in October 2021. The Market and nearby areas of downtown are where many unhoused individuals spend their days.
The result has been business closures. The Market has lost several in the past year, including Blue Cactus Bar and Grill, Oz Kafe, the Courtyard Restaurant and Saslove’s Meat Market. The latter closed after seven decades in business.
Garland said almost every business in the Market is experiencing similar struggles and is reaching a breaking point. “If we’re hurting, everybody’s hurting.” he said.
Garland said the decision to close Dunn’s took more than two years to finalize.
“We kind of just realized that you can’t just keep throwing money at a bad situation,” he said.
Rebecca Ulrich has lived in Ottawa her whole life. She said the ByWard Market’s decline has been “steady and disappointing.”
“For somewhere that’s supposed to be such a tourist destination, the state of it is just disappointing,” she said.
Ulrich said she doesn’t know where to start to repair the state of the historic commercial district.
When these types of closures occur — whether it’s a national retailer or a smaller business — it’s always disappointing. We want to see businesses succeed.
— Zachary Dayler, executive director, ByWard Market District Authority
“It just feels like the city is letting it slip away,” she said. “I mean, it’s hard for everyone. Nobody asks to be homeless, but nobody wants to run a business in an unsafe area.”
As Ottawa warms in spring, the ByWard Market is approaching its “high season,” which typically sees some 50,000 visitors on the weekend, according to the ByWard Market District Authority (BMDA).
Zachary Dayler, executive director of the BMDA, said business closures reflect a “broader shift in the retail landscape.”
“When these types of closures occur — whether it’s a national retailer or a smaller business — it’s always disappointing,” he said. “We want to see businesses succeed.”
Dayler said there is hope in that development is still happening in and around the ByWard Market, with new businesses opening, hotels setting up shop and residential growth.
“This moment presents an opportunity for investment, and I hope the city and property owners will leverage it to reinforce and reshape our retail landscape in a way that aligns with the ByWard Market’s future,” he said.
