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<\/p>\nDedicated facility needed to help most vulnerable community members says group co-founder Nick Illauq<\/p>\n
For many in Ottawa, the Rideau-Sussex pedestrian underpass is a sidewalk. For a group of Inuit without homes, it\u2019s the Circle \u2014 a place where they have gathered, supported each other and slept for more than 30 years.<\/p>\n
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Ottawa Inuit Circle co-founder Nick Illauq says Inuit are no longer welcome at the Rideau-Sussex pedestrian underpass, known to many Inuit as the Circle. (Photo by Jorge Antunes)<\/p>\n
\u201cThis place has history with us,\u201d said Nick Illauq, co-founder of Ottawa Inuit Circle, in an interview. \u201cIt\u2019s a mausoleum.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group met at the Circle June 30 to remember and share stories about their past members over plates of bannock and Arctic char.<\/p>\n
In a way, the gathering was also a protest because, Illauq says, Inuit are no longer welcome in the area. During the last two months, police have increased patrols, issued tickets, erected a \u201cno loitering\u201d sign and removed unhoused Inuit from the underpass, he said.<\/p>\n
The effect: Illauq says Inuit are less safe, as those who would typically be together at the underpass are scattered across the city. They now frequent locations such as Dundonald Park, a bus stop near the Odawa Native Friendship Centre and Rideau Street.<\/p>\n
For example, Illauq recalls a recent incident outside the friendship centre where one man in a group of six yelled \u201cdrunk native\u201d before punching an Inuk in the face.<\/p>\n
The Ottawa Police Service says that it is not asking people to leave simply for gathering: they are enforcing laws regarding open alcohol consumption, drug use, threatening behaviour, public urination and other public safety concerns.<\/p>\n \u201cOfficers have been conducting proactive patrols in the area, with a focus on education, outreach, and public safety,\u201d OPS spokesperson Julie Kavanagh wrote in an email, adding that the increase in policing is due to the \u201ccity\u2019s broader revitalization and beautification work\u201d under its Downtown Core Safety Strategy.<\/p>\n She also said that while sleeping in parks is prohibited, OPS recognizes there is a safety concern that comes with displacement and that police work to connect people with social services.<\/p>\n When asked if people are removed from the underpass for sleeping there, she did not clarify.<\/p>\n \u201cOur focus is on working with municipal and community partners to offer safer alternatives where possible, while recognizing that the broader issues of homelessness, housing instability, and access to culturally appropriate supports cannot be solved by police enforcement,\u201d Kavanagh wrote.<\/p>\n Illauq said that police have begun issuing tickets for public drinking. Some Inuit can\u2019t pay them, and fear their inability to pay could result in jail time.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/A-14734-PSAC.png\" "\\"\\"")
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