Death of baby at Ottawa motel exposes gaps in city's response to homelessness
Ottawa police are currently investigating the death, which happened in March
The death of an infant earlier this year at an Ottawa motel used as an emergency shelter has prompted questions and criticism about how the city supports its homeless population.
Paramedics responded to a call "for an infant with vital signs absent" at the Ottawa Inn on the morning of March 22. The infant was later pronounced dead in hospital, according to a statement from Ottawa police.
Their sexual assault and child abuse unit is investigating. Police would not provide any further details.
The motel, located on Montreal Road in Vanier, just east of the city's downtown, is one of 23 hotels, motels and post-secondary institutions that have agreements with the municipality to house some of the city's people without homes.
The city-run program is meant to provide temporary, stop-gap solutions for those in need of emergency shelter when its family shelters are at capacity.
However, nearly 21,000 people in Ottawa have been placed in such off-site shelters since 2014, many staying for months, if not years at a time.
While there are still several unanswered questions surrounding the circumstances of the baby's death, the incident has raised concerns about how safe off-site shelters are for those placed there and about the quality of support provided by the city.
"There's been a number of incidents at motels and hotels, particularly where families are living for too long," said Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury, who represents the ward where the Ottawa Inn is located.
He said clients are typically people who simply require financial assistance on the way to more permanent housing, but there are also those who have complex needs and would benefit from robust supportive services, whether that be for mental health or addiction.
In those cases there should always be staff on-site, Fleury said, so that clients have access to consistent and reliable help. Whatever services are available now are not enough, he said.
"I don't think it's fair for motel and hotel staff, but also for those families who have complex needs and need adequate supports," said Fleury.
"In this case, it's a tragedy."
City is 'shirking' responsibility
Nathalie Carrier, the executive director of the Quartier Vanier Business Improvement Area, said she was contacted by the owner of the Ottawa Inn following the incident. It was "quite traumatic" for staff working that day, she said, and they were in need of mental health support.
Carrier said Ottawa's homeless population and its local businesses need the city to step up.
"What we're seeing is an increasing level of responsibility being placed on private business owners to provide services that should be provided by the city," she said.
The local Tim Hortons is often used as a public washroom or injection site, she said. In the case of the Ottawa Inn, it's now partially serving as a family shelter.
None of this should fall on local businesses, she said, "nor are they and their staff equipped to provide the services required in some of these most traumatic cases."
"These are responsibilities that the city should be taking in hand and yet [it] seems to be shirking a certain level of responsibility to the clients that they serve and the people that are most vulnerable on our streets."
City staff see more people with 'complex needs'
Mathieu Mault, the president of the company that owns the Ottawa Inn, declined to do an interview citing client confidentiality, but sent an emailed statement to CBC saying "any incident at the Ottawa Inn is treated seriously and evaluated through an internal review."
"As we host clients that have complex needs, we continuously review our security protocols to ensure that the health and safety of all clients and staff is paramount."
In response to a question from Fleury about support available to people in off-site shelters, the city said anyone who enters Ottawa's shelter system is assigned a caseworker that provides social support.
Those workers "make reasonable attempts to meet households biweekly," the city said, adding that the pandemic temporarily limited those in-person check-ins and accessing them is voluntary.
"Households are presenting with more complex needs and would benefit from additional case management resources," the city said. As a result, it's working with community partners to deliver more intensive supports and create more social service positions.
Mault said the Ottawa Inn is exploring ways to further support clients , including a space for socializing, meal preparation and skill development.
"Unfortunately, the City of Ottawa has no funding for such on-site support initiatives. We are turning towards community partners and seeking grants to fund the development of this new space," his statement read.
In a response to questions from CBC, the city said Ottawa police and the Children's Aid Society are investigating the incident.
"As such, it is not within the city's purview to investigate or make findings on this particular incident," the written statement said.
"The city is, however, reviewing its internal processes and services to ensure households are well supported when in need of shelter services."
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