Small businesses in Centretown are calling for a community safety strategy on a stretch of Bank Street between McLeod and McLaren streets that has become a hotspot for theft.
Suzanne Quintal, owner of Honey Hi Boutique, a women’s consignment boutique on Bank Street, said shoplifters have frequently targeted her business.
“The most significant change I’ve observed in the last year is that shoplifters no longer attempt to conceal their actions,” she said. “Items often go out the door openly, often with witnesses. The thieves show no concern because they know there are no repercussions.”
Between Jan. 1, 2022 and Sept. 16, 2025, 44 per cent of reported thefts under $5,000 in Somerset Ward took place along Bank Street strip between McLeod and McLaren, according to a Capital Current analysis of Ottawa Police Service data.
In March 2025, Honey Hi Boutique was burglarized after perpetrators smashed through the doors, causing what Quintal described as “extensive damage.”
“It was a horrible and expensive experience that left me afraid to go to the shop for weeks,” she said.
Two other small businesses located near the area, Arlington Five and The Red Apron, have also reported break-ins this spring.
Quintal said the repeated incidents have forced her to increase security measures at her location.
“We have installed more security cameras and a new security gate to protect our storefront during closing hours,” she said. “We also keep a bat under the desk for emergencies.”
The rate of reported theft under $5,000 in Somerset Ward has increased each year since 2022, Capital Current’s analysis of Ottawa Police Services data found.
Somerset Ward Coun. Ariel Troster said she believes increased police presence in the ByWard Market may have pushed offenders into Centretown.
The patrol increase in the Market is part of the Ottawa Police Service’s Community Outreach Response and Engagement Strategy, or CORE, which began targeting eight crime hotspots in Byward Market in June 2024.
The strategy if focussed on low-level, non-violent crimes in hot spots.
“After much advocacy from me and from the community, the CORE hotspot policing program will be extended into Chinatown and Centretown,” Troster said. “This will bring more patrols and more focused attention to our neighbourhood.”
Ottawa Police are waiting for more personnel before expanding the CORE program in Centretown.
Troster said she believes broader economic pressures are contributing to hardship in the area.
“Theft and general disorder have increased in the last few years, not just in Ottawa but in the downtowns of every major city and town in the province,” she said. “The reasons are systemic, and the solutions need to be too.”
The Ottawa Police Service is also working with community organizations to improve “understanding of vulnerable community members’ needs” around homelessness, addiction and mental health concerns, according to a 2024 OPS report.
The need for support services has also grown since the province closed the Somerset West Community Health Centre’s safe consumption site, said Troster.
Quintal says small businesses are particularly vulnerable to theft because many owners hesitate to report incidents over concerns about insurance costs.
“People assume insurance covers these costs,” she said. “The reality is that most business owners absorb the cost of theft to avoid increased premiums.”
“Almost every business I know between Gladstone and Somerset has experienced increasing incidents of theft and erratic behavior,” she added. “Residents, businesses, and customers do not feel safe.”
