Katasha Groulx says she still gets nightmares about her car being broken into whenever she parks in Sandy Hill.
On Jan. 19, the uOttawa student parked her car for the evening near the intersection of Nelson Street and Daly Avenue and woke up to find the rear window smashed and her belongings stolen.
“I was shocked,” she said. “I know a lot of people who it has happened to in Sandy Hill … but I never thought it would happen to me.”
She lost a $650 jacket, a $70 dash camera, a $50 car registration slip and paid $400 to repair her window. In total, the theft cost Groulx more than $1,000.
To top that off, Groulx says she wasn’t able to report the incident to the Ottawa Police Service because of problems with the force’s online reporting system.
The theft from her vehicle reflects a growing problem in Sandy Hill.
According to an analysis by Capital Current of police service data, in the first nine months of 2025, Sandy Hill had the highest rate of reported thefts under $5,000 in Ottawa at a rate of about 85 thefts per 1,000 people.
Theft under $5,000 includes shoplifting, bike thefts and thefts from a motor vehicle, among other incidents.
Ian Kinloch is a third-year uOttawa student who lives near the corner of Nelson Street and Osgoode Street. He says he was feeling afraid after his car was ransacked in August 2024.
Kinloch had left his car unlocked — a habit he had adopted while growing up in the countryside.
He returned to find sun visors on both the driver’s and passenger’s side lowered and the glove box and centre console left open.
While Kinloch was grateful that nothing “too valuable” was left in his car, about $30 was missing. Kinloch also refrained from reporting the theft.
“It’s definitely scary,” he said. “I know of people to whom it’s happened to also.”
Jeffrey Bradley, a criminology professor at the University of Ottawa, says he is not surprised by the thefts in Sandy Hill. He says the affordability crisis could be turning low income residents of the area into victims and potential offenders.
It becomes very necessary for me to be very proactive about making sure my car is always locked, my gate is always locked and my door is locked.
Betsy Schuurman, chair of Action Sandy Hill and a victim of theft
Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stephanie Plante, whose ward includes Sandy Hill, says financial insecurity is widespread across the city. “I think people are feeling insecure,” she said.
Plante told Capital Current her residents are concerned about feeling unsafe in the neighbourhood. She neglected to answer specific questions about reducing thefts in her ward, and when she spoke about the actions and accountability she might take to help her ward with rising theft rates, she said, “Yeah, ask me that in a year, the election is in a year.”
In Nov. 26, 2024 press release, Ottawa police said that, as part of their Community Outreach Response and Engagement (CORE) strategy, they have recorded a decrease in calls to police within hotspots in the north of Sandy Hill and the Rideau and ByWard Market.
However, when reviewing theft data from the Ottawa Police crime map, Capital Current observed theft in the Sandy Hill area has risen since last year.
Since 2018, thefts under $5,000 have soared almost 76 per cent in the Sandy Hill area, Capital Current found.
When asked about whether theft as part of “overall crime” decreased across hot spots, the Ottawa Police Service did not respond by publication.
Being prepared for crime is “a part of life,” for residents of the neighbourhood, said Betsy Schuurman, the chair of Action Sandy Hill community organization. Action Sandy Hill hosts events for the community, coordinates with police and bylaw services, with the aim of making Sandy Hill a safer place to live.
“It becomes very necessary for me to be very proactive about making sure my car is always locked, my gate is always locked and my door is locked,” said Schuurman, who has been the victim of theft in the neighbourhood.
To combat theft, uOttawa’s Bradley advocates for less policing and more community involvement.
“We need to build communities, not jails and cop shops…” he said. “These are structural issues that are deep-rooted historically; these are ongoing issues of institutional injustice. We really need to come together as a community.”
Plante agreed, saying there is a lack of social services in the ward, “simply because there are a lot of low-income people that live here.”
We need to build communities, not jails and cop shops. … These are structural issues that are deep-rooted historically; these are ongoing issues of institutional injustice. We really need to come together as a community.”
Jeffrey Bradley, criminology professor at uOttawa
Bradley said the city also needs to integrate violence prevention measures by implementing changes in the living environment. Adding lighting and cameras, or funding social services, such as building housing for the unhoused, are all key strategies, Bradley said.
He said research has shown these changes can reduce crime by 40 to 50 per cent in three to five years.
“We’re tired of being in this perpetual planning cycle,” Bradley said. “We need implementation and proper governance that incorporates community perspective and culturally relevant approaches.”
Until thefts decrease in Sandy Hill, Groulx says she will lock her car doors and remain vigilant when in the area.
“I’m still scared of it happening again.”
I can confirm, the OPS reporting tool is terrible.