WHEREAS the Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act, 2025 (RPCISA) was brought into force on June 5, 2025; and
WHEREAS the Ministry of the Solicitor General (SOLGEN) is considering regulatory amendments to the RPCISA to prescribe special constables employed by authorized public transit agencies, including OCTranspo special constables for the purpose of the Act, thereby granting them the same enforcement powers as police officers, and is seeking public input on this proposal until March 1st; and
WHEREAS the City of Ottawa has invested significant resources to improve public safety in the downtown core and the ByWard Market; and
WHEREAS OC Transpo deploys on average approximately 4 special constables in the downtown daily, and 13 deployed across the city-wide transit network, who are already present in high-traffic transit environments, including stations, platforms, and bus stops throughout the downtown core and across the city; and
WHEREAS public transit riders include workers, students, seniors, people with disabilities, youth, and low-income residents who rely on transit as their primary or only mode of transportation and require a safe environment at all times; and
WHEREAS restoring ridership is essential to the financial sustainability of Ottawa’s public transit system, to achieving the City’s climate and transportation goals, and to ensuring equitable access to employment, education, healthcare, and community services; and
WHEREAS enabling OCTranspo special constables to enforce the RPCISA would allow for timely, proportionate, and location-specific interventions focused on transit spaces, while reducing reliance on police response for matters that occur primarily within the transit system; and
WHEREAS any extension of authority under the RPCISA would be accompanied by appropriate training and would operate alongside existing public health, outreach, and harm reduction services, recognizing that enforcement alone does not address substance use but that clear rules and safe public spaces remain necessary;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Ottawa endorse the proposed regulatory amendments under the Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act, 2025; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVESED that the Mayor write to the Solicitor General of Ontario in support of the proposal before March 1st, 2026; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk share this motion with other Municipalities in Ontario, prior to March 1st, 2026; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVESED that the Mayor write the Solicitor General of Ontario to renew or extend the funding associated with the Ontario-Ottawa agreement.