Ottawa

Bluesfest patrons treating lawns like toilets, Centretowners say

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Woman says she's asked about 100 people to leave her property, found human feces in driveway

A man urinates along the fence near 190 Booth St. Some Centretown residents living near the festival grounds say they've been dealing with hundreds of public urinators during this year's Bluesfest. (Sarah Taylor)

Some residents living near Booth and Albert streets say they've been dealing with hundreds of Bluesfest concertgoers urinating in their yards.

When the concerts near the Canadian War Museum end each night, thousands of people spill into the streets around LeBreton Flats.

Dozens of them have ended up in Sarah Taylor's backyard at 190 Booth St., she says.

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"We've had a lot of trespassing in order to pee. I've had to clean up human feces from my carport," she says.

Residents of a 36-unit housing complex on Booth Street erected this makeshift barricade to deter Bluesfest patrons from peeing on the property. (Sarah Taylor)

The 36-unit housing co-operative she lives in has had to build makeshift barricades, and neighbours are taking shifts acting as guards to catch the wandering whizzers, but it's not enough to stop it.

"I've personally thrown out more than 100 people. They're lined up along the fence peeing." Taylor says.

"I've had people tell me I need to expect this behaviour if I choose to live downtown," she adds, calling the intruders "shameless."

The issue was bad enough that on Friday a Bluesfest spokesperson said they were installing four portable toilets at the corner of Booth and Albert streets.

Trespassers peeing on children's toys

Taylor and her neighbours have called Ottawa police, bylaw officers and their local councillor. While all expressed sympathy, Taylor says no one was able to help because Bluesfest would be over before anything official could be done.

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A spokesperson for the City of Ottawa says it's a police matter, and police say they're only aware of two reports.

"There have been an increased number of calls for Bluesfest in general," says police spokesperson Const. Chuck Benoit.

"Bluesfest has been around long enough to have the experience to know to add more outhouses."

Written in chalk, this 'no peeing' sign has done little to stop trespassers from urinating on the fence. (Sarah Taylor)

'We want Bluesfest to take responsibility'

The popular music festival has brought trespassers in previous years, Taylor says, but never this many, and she's never found human excrement before.

"They're going into our gardens and peeing on our kids' sand toys. It's horrifying," she laments.

Residents of the housing co-operative say they want to work with the city and Bluesfest to prevent next year's festivities from bringing the same stench. They're suggesting more portable washrooms and better security measures along nearby streets.

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"We want Bluesfest to take responsibility for the behaviour of their patrons."

Bluesfest regrets behaviour

In an emailed statement, Bluesfest spokesperson Joe Reilly wrote that Bluesfest regrets the behaviour.

"We certainly regret if Bluesfest patrons are not being respectful of the surrounding neighbourhood when they are leaving the site. We encourage patrons to drink and act responsibly, both on and off our site," he wrote.

"If residents are encountering difficulties with people on their property we hope they will contact Ottawa bylaw officers or the Ottawa police."