A report naming Sandy Hill one of Canada’s most liveable neighbourhoods was met with surprise and even ridicule online, as some wondered how it could ignore the safety issues, public drug use and social disorder that plague parts of the area.
In Sandy Hill itself, the view was mixed, as residents celebrated the area’s green space, diversity and community spirit while acknowledging its challenges.
Real estate firm RE/MAX released its 2024 Liveability Report last week. It relied in part on a Leger survey that put affordability, community safety and walkability at the top of a list of factors Canadians value.
The best place in Canada? I’d hate to see the other ones.– Paul Ranger, Sandy Hill resident
It then listed 10 neighbourhoods it ranked as “some of the top in the country” on liveability, though it stated it did not consider neighbourhood safety in the rankings since it was “too subjective.”
The report prompted incredulity on social media as posts pointed to Sandy Hill’s struggles with homelessness, crime, drug addiction and raucous partying, notably on Panda Game weekends. The top comment on social media site Reddit asked whether the report was a joke.
Calla Barnett, acting president of Action Sandy Hill, said the report seemed disconnected from reality. She noted it considered access to health and medical services among its criteria, but she wondered exactly which services were included.
“They actually listed proximity to health-care services as a good thing, but all the health-care services are safe injection sites and safe supply,” she said.
“Anyway, It’s wild… Sandy Hill is one of the best places to live? Somebody’s going to come here, buy a house and be like, ‘Why did they lie to me?'”
She said she loves Sandy Hill and considers it a “beautiful neighbourhood,” but she warned that parts of it are no longer safe.
Ward 12, which includes Sandy Hill, Lowertown, the ByWard Market and Vanier, had the second highest crime rate in the city, according to 2023 Ottawa Police Service statistics. It has the highest rate of violent crime.
‘The report is getting hammered’
Jason Pilon, who leads a RE/MAX team in Ottawa, is well aware of the pushback.
“If you look at the comments online, it’s getting hammered,” he said. “The report is getting hammered.”
But he said residents might not be aware of the factors that earned Sandy Hill such a high score. It has a variety of homes at different price points, including condos available in the $300,000 to $400,000 range.
He’s also aware of the drawbacks that help keep those prices so low.
“We’ve got a homeless situation downtown that has obviously crept in there. We’ve got university housing as well in Sandy Hill,” he said. “So I think some of those factors, although they’re a little bit negative, they also contribute to lower price points.”
But Pilon noted that Sandy Hill also has clear advantages including walkability, green space and nearby shopping options.
Even so, he acknowledged it might not have been appropriate to frame it as one of the country’s “best” neighbourhoods, as some media headlines did following the report’s release.
He stood by the term “liveability,” however, which RE/MAX defined as “the external qualities that make a place feel like home.”
‘A wonderful community’ that needs help
Ward 12 Coun. Stéphanie Plante, who lives in Sandy Hill, said the neighbourhood has good schools and great people, but suffers from an overconcentration of social services.
Within just a few blocks of the neighbourhood’s northwest corner near Rideau Street and King Edward Avenue, there’s a homeless shelter, a safe supply clinic, a supervised consumption site and a drop-in centre for street-involved people.
“It really is a wonderful community,” Plante said. “It’s just absolutely we need to address some of the realities we’re facing.”
Residents walking in Sandy Hill on Monday shared that same ambivalence about their neighbourhood.
Anna Efthimiou said she was surprised to hear Sandy Hill placed so well in the rankings, and would have expected a suburban neighbourhood to top the list. Still, she loves Sandy Hill. She recently graduated from university, and has no plans to leave.
“I’m looking to stay in the area,” she said, standing on Laurier Street. “It’s just really close to all the amenities and everything that I need. It’s a pretty nice place to be.”
Skepticism, appreciation
But skepticism about the RE/MAX report increased the closer residents lived to Rideau Street. Paul Ranger questioned whether the people behind the report have ever witnessed what he sees every day.
“The best place in Canada?” he said. “I’d hate to see the other ones.”
He said his friends from Orléans are “flabbergasted” when they come to visit him and see people injecting drugs on the street.
Robert Porter can’t understand how Sandy Hill got onto the RE/MAX list, either. He said his Besserer Street building faces theft, break-ins and vandalism, as well as a steady stream of drug use, dealing and aggressive behaviour right out front.
“This is not a sell point for real estate,” he said
His neighbour, Denis LaRose, agreed that there are problems with drug addiction, dealing and overdoses in the neighbourhood. But in his view, there’s still something special about Sandy Hill.
“I find it pleasant to live here. I wouldn’t move,” he said. “It’s for people who like to be in the community, and this place is very bilingual, and even trilingual. There’s people from … all over the world who live here. So I like it, I really like it here.”
He named all the attractions — ByTowne Cinema, Ottawa Little Theatre, a swimming pool, restaurants — all within walking distance of his home.
“Sandy Hill has been chosen as one of the best neighbourhoods in Canada, and I totally agree,” he said.