Safety That Residents Actually Feel
Coordination between police, outreach, and services. Transparency. Accountability. First 100 days.
What Ward 5 Residents Are Telling Me
When I knock on doors in Ward 5, residents mention safety—not as abstract policy, but as real life. A serious stabbing near Lakeview Park in July. Amazon packages stolen from porches. Visible homelessness and addiction issues on downtown streets. Parents worried about speeders in school zones. These are facts of daily life in parts of Ward 5.
Residents are telling me the response often feels fragmented. Police, outreach services, City staff and health services all have roles, but residents should be able to see how those pieces connect.
That's what I'll work to change. Here's where I'll start.
Convene Ward 5 Safety Coordination
Safety requires coordination. Police need to talk to outreach workers. Outreach workers need to connect people to housing and mental health services. Parks staff need to report safety concerns. Within my first 100 days, I will convene City staff, Durham Regional Police, Regional health services and community organizations to identify gaps in Ward 5 safety coordination and bring a clear coordination proposal forward publicly.
- Meet with police, health services, Parks, and outreach organizations to map current protocols
- Document resident concerns about fragmentation
- Present a Ward 5 Safety Coordination proposal to Council within 100 days
"Report a Safety Concern" Form — Online & Direct
Right now, residents report infrastructure issues through Service Oshawa Online. If they see something unsafe—a dangerous intersection, a pattern of theft, excessive speeding—there's no clear channel to their councillor.
By March 2027, there will be a dedicated Ward 5 form on this website where residents can report safety concerns directly. Residents will have a clear way to raise neighbourhood safety concerns with my office, and I will help route issues to the appropriate agency while tracking broader patterns.
Important: Emergencies and crimes should still go to police (911) or the non-emergency line. This form is for reporting patterns and neighbourhood concerns, not active incidents.
- Your report is logged and tracked by my office
- Patterns are identified and flagged for follow-up
- Residents receive updates on what action was taken
- Quarterly reports on trends and responses published online
School Zone Speed Enforcement Review
Residents mentioned speeding in school zones and cars not stopping. This isn't about more police—it's about targeting enforcement where it matters most.
By March 2027, I will request a review of school zone traffic speeds and stop-sign compliance in Ward 5, starting with locations residents identify as concerns. Once data shows where the problems are, I'll push for targeted enforcement and any engineering improvements needed.
- Collect resident concerns about specific school-zone locations
- Request police and City engineering review of those locations
- Publish data and advocate for targeted enforcement
- Regular updates on what action was requested and what response was received
Downtown Safety Coordination & Business Support
Downtown Oshawa is struggling. Businesses mention harassment. Streets have visible addiction issues. Enforcement alone doesn't solve this.
By March 2027, I will propose a Ward 5 downtown safety plan that coordinates: increased visible outreach presence, connection to housing and mental health services, and direct business engagement.
- Coordination between police, outreach, and mental health services with visible presence in specific downtown locations
- Published hours and locations where residents know they'll find support
- Direct business engagement: briefing sessions, follow-up on incidents, communication channel
- Regular public reporting on outreach activity and service connections where data can be responsibly shared
Why This Is Different
I'm not promising that one councillor can solve every safety issue. I'm promising to make sure residents can see what is being raised, who is responsible, what action is being pursued and what happens next.
My commitment is simple:
- Bring the right people together
- Make responsibilities clear
- Track the issues
- Report back publicly
If something isn't working, residents shouldn't have to guess who is responsible or whether anything is being done. That's the standard I'll bring to the job.
What's Your Safety Concern?
Speeding on your street? Pattern of theft? Concerns at a specific location? Tell me. I'm collecting these.
Report ItCome October 26, you'll see it documented. By January, you'll see us working on it with a clear plan.