Letter from the President to AGCO Regarding Dime and Dash
February 23, 2026
To: Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)
Re: File No. 3480064 - Dime & Dash, 366 Bank St. Ottawa
Dear Registrar,
I am a resident of Ottawa and President of the Centretown Community Association (CCA), whose members live, work or own property or businesses in the neighourhood of Centretown. I am writing to submit this formal objection to the proposed cannabis retail store at 366 Bank Street.
The proposed location is within Somerset Ward, one of Ottawa's downtown wards, which includes the neighbourhood of Centretown. This submission is made pursuant to the AGO's public-interest mandate, with particular concern for public safety, protection of youth, and impact on vulnerable populations.
The proposed site sits along Bank Street, a commercial corridor, that has been experiencing significant social, health, and public safety pressures (map provided). Based on cumulative conditions outlined below, the CCA believes this location is not appropriate for an additional cannabis retail outlet.
Proximity to Schools and Youth Activity
Glashan Public School (grades 7 and 8) is located approximately 600 metres from the proposed site. Elgin Street Public School (elementary school) is three blocks east (500 metres) of the proposed site. Both schools are within walking distance of the proposed location and students living to the east and west of Bank St. regularly cross the signalized Bank and Gilmour intersection, immediately adjacent to the site, as part of their daily travel between school and surrounding residential streets. Parents have raised concerns about the safety of children using that intersection due to social disorder, drug related issues including drug dealing and related violence and frequent encampments in front of the proposed site. A number of daycares also operate nearby.
Bank Street functions as a primary pedestrian corridor for residents and is a major transit and business corridor. Locating a cannabis retail store at this site would place it directly along routes routinely used by children, increasing their exposure during daily school travel and pedestrian activity.
Public Safety and Crime Concentration
Somerset Ward has the highest crime rate in Ottawa, with a crime rate that is over 3 times the Ottawa average. The proposed site is located within a well-documented high-crime corridor. The intersections between Bank/Cooper St. and Bank/Catherine St., less than 1km stretch, contains seven of the ten highest-crime intersections in Somerset Ward.
The proposed location at Bank and Gilmour is in the middle of this corridor and it is well known in the community that it is a problematic intersection. Ottawa Police Service 2024 crime data (which reports by intersection) indicates that 51crimes were reported in and around the intersection of the proposed site, including 11 assaults. The highest crime incidents occurred a block away at Bank and Maclaren, where 569 incidents were reported, including 16 assaults.
Residents, businesses and visitors along this portion of Bank Street report ongoing concerns about drug dealing, public drug use, aggressive behaviour and violence, street disorder, and other public safety challenges. The area is already under significant pressure from social and public-safety challenges.
Substance Use Activity and Vulnerable Populations
The Bank and Gilmour area has been experiencing substantial substance-use-related pressures. For 2025, Ottawa Public Health reports that over 1000 discarded needles/pipes were collected at the Bank/ Gilmour intersection. Ottawa Public Health and community partners conduct ongoing harm-reduction outreach along the Bank Street corridor, reflecting the concentration of need in this area Residents and local businesses regularly report open substance use, public intoxication, discarde paraphernalia, and related disorder conditions. The intersection is also less than 100 metres from supportive housing which houses some of the most marginalized members of our community, some of whom live with complex mental and/or physical health challenges.
The neighbourhood is already under significant social and public-health strain.
Existing Cannabis Retail Concentration
Multiple cannabis retail stores already operate within a short distance of the proposed location, including:
Hunny Pot Cannabis - 206 Bank Street (450 metres)
Cannabis Emporium - 243 Bank Street (300 metres)
OC Barrymore Emporium - 325 Bank Street (45 metres)
Bytown Budz- 373 Somerset Street (210 metres)
The presence of several existing cannabis retailers within a short stretch indicates that local demand is
already being served. Additional approvals would further concentrate cannabis retail activity in an area
already experiencing cumulative pressures.
Conclusion
The proposed cannabis retail outlet at 366 Bank Street is located within a cumulative high-risk environment as noted above. Taken together, these factors raise serious concerns regarding public safety, youth exposure, and the cumulative impact on a neighbourhood already under significant strain.
For these reasons, the Centretown Community Association strongly urges the AGO to reject this application in the public interest.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Rob Dokker, President
Centretown Community Association
CC:
Ariel Troster, Councillor, Somerset Ward
Catherine McKenney, MPP Parliament