Proposed New Regulation under the Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act

The recitals

• the Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act, 2025 (RPCISA) was brought into force on June 5, 2025
• the Ministry of the Solicitor General (SOLGEN) is considering regulatory amendments to the RPCISA to prescribe special constables employed by authorized public transit agencies, including OCTranspo special constables for the purpose of the Act, thereby granting them the same enforcement powers as police officers, and is seeking public input on this proposal until March 1st
• the City of Ottawa has invested significant resources to improve public safety in the downtown core and the ByWard Market
• OC Transpo deploys on average approximately 4 special constables in the downtown daily, and 13 deployed across the city-wide transit network, who are already present in high-traffic transit environments, including stations, platforms, and bus stops throughout the downtown core and across the city
• public transit riders include workers, students, seniors, people with disabilities, youth, and low-income residents who rely on transit as their primary or only mode of transportation and require a safe environment at all times
• restoring ridership is essential to the financial sustainability of Ottawa’s public transit system, to achieving the City’s climate and transportation goals, and to ensuring equitable access to employment, education, healthcare, and community services
• enabling OCTranspo special constables to enforce the RPCISA would allow for timely, proportionate, and location-specific interventions focused on transit spaces, while reducing reliance on police response for matters that occur primarily within the transit system
• any extension of authority under the RPCISA would be accompanied by appropriate training and would operate alongside existing public health, outreach, and harm reduction services, recognizing that enforcement alone does not address substance use but that clear rules and safe public spaces remain necessary