Article content continued

“The noise isn’t the problem. It’s the disrespect of the property,” she said of living near the festival grounds.

The offenders don’t discriminate: the side of a house, the inside of a garage, on children’s toys, directly in front of a bedroom window, even defecating in the middle of the street, according to Clement.

Catherine McKenney, Somerset Ward councillor, said she hasn’t received any complaints from residents this year.

“They are not seeing the level of disruption and vandalism that we have seen in the past few years,” she said, citing changes this year that she believes are working.

jpg

The changes include a larger police presence, with officers now monitoring the area by bike. More garbage bins have been placed along Booth Street, and extra portable toilets have been set up in the area.

“The increased police presence, both on foot and bike, is a result of the planning with our partners at Bluesfest. The increased presence is to hopefully deter criminal behavior and thus increase public’s safety,” said Ottawa Police Service spokeswoman Const. Amy Gagnon, in an email.

However, despite the increased presence and the extra toilets, Clement said, public urination is still a regular occurrence — she says she witnessed more 20 such incidents in the first weekend.

Clement said that because she doesn’t believe the city or police are doing enough, she has taken matters into her own hands. She attempts to combat the behaviour by monitoring the street during and after the shows and sometimes catches public urinators on camera as a way to deter them in the future.