Are These Actually Ottawa’s Worst Neighbourhoods? 

“Don’t move there.”
“That area is rough.”
“That’s one of the worst neighbourhoods in Ottawa.”

But honestly, most people never explain WHY certain areas get talked about the way they do.

Usually, people aren’t talking about an entire neighbourhood. They’re talking about one specific pocket. One stretch with shelters, nightlife, visible homelessness, open drug use, or heavy police activity.

That’s a big difference.

So instead of making another generic “worst neighbourhoods” list, I wanted to actually break down the context behind the numbers.

Using Ottawa Police reported incident data from January 1st, 2026 up until May 14 2026, I went through the neighbourhoods with the highest police-reported incidents in Ottawa and explained what’s actually driving the reports.

Sandy Hill Had The Highest Reported Incidents

This surprises a lot of people at first, but once you look at the map, it starts making sense pretty quickly.

The incidents are heavily concentrated closer to the University of Ottawa and the Rideau Street edge around Rideau, Nelson, and Besserer.

It’s a dense urban pocket with student housing, high-rise rentals, late night activity, and a lot of foot traffic. There’s also visible homelessness and nearby community support services in the area.

At the same time though, Sandy Hill also has quieter residential streets and plenty of people who genuinely love living there because they’re close to downtown without being deep in the suburbs.

Centretown Is One Of Ottawa’s Most Divisive Areas

Centretown ranked extremely high as well, especially around parts of Bank Street near areas like Centre 507.

Over the last few years, residents and businesses around Bank and Gilmour, Bank and Cooper, and Bank and Lisgar have raised concerns around public drug use, intoxication, aggressive behaviour, and not always feeling comfortable walking alone at night.

But there’s also another side to Centretown.

A lot of people absolutely love living there because they can walk almost everywhere. Restaurants, coffee shops, the canal, Elgin Street, work, events — that lifestyle is exactly why many people choose downtown living in the first place.

Why Overbrook-McArthur Has A Mixed Reputation

Overbrook-McArthur is another area that longtime Ottawa locals usually have strong opinions about.

A lot of the reputation comes from pockets near McArthur, Donald Street, and St. Paul’s Park where there’s been gang activity, shootings, older apartment clusters, and lower-income housing over the years.

But despite that, more students and younger professionals have started looking there because housing is still cheaper while being very close to downtown and the University of Ottawa.

And honestly, that’s why opinions on Overbrook vary so much depending on who you ask.

Some “High Crime” Areas Aren’t Considered Rough At All

One of the most interesting things about the data is that neighbourhoods like Westboro and Glebe-Dows Lake also ranked surprisingly high.

But this is exactly why context matters.

A lot of the reports there are likely tied to shopping areas, nightlife, restaurants, events, retail theft, parked cars, and heavy foot traffic rather than people viewing the residential streets themselves as unsafe.

South Keys Has Changed A Lot Recently

South Keys is another area that locals increasingly seem to complain about.

A lot of the concerns are centered around the shopping plaza, transit station, Walmart area, and the general feeling that the area has become more chaotic over the last few years.

There’s been more visible disorder, more stories locally about thefts and incidents, and a much stronger feeling from residents that the area has changed.

At the same time though, many of the surrounding residential streets are still fairly typical suburban Ottawa and continue to attract families because the area is practical, convenient, and generally more affordable.

Why “The Worst Neighbourhood In Ottawa” Isn’t Really That Simple

One thing I really hope people take away from this conversation is that neighbourhood reputation is extremely subjective.

Two people can look at the exact same area and feel completely differently about it depending on:
their comfort level,
their stage of life,
their budget,
and what kind of lifestyle they want.

Someone relocating from downtown Toronto or Montreal may feel perfectly comfortable somewhere that someone from a smaller town would immediately reject.

And honestly, that’s why I don’t think labeling entire neighbourhoods as simply “good” or “bad” really tells the full story.

Watch The Full Video

I break all of this down in much more detail in the full video below, including the maps, reported incident data, specific streets and corridors, and why certain neighbourhoods get talked about the way they do.