Ottawa Citizen · Toronto Star
Sam Hersh
Last published March 2026 · On our record since 2020
Where this writer stands
Public safety1 piece
Prevention and restraintEnforcement and sentencing
“Rather than spending more on policing, we need to expand community-led, non-police crisis services and continue the long-term prevention work.” Read the piece
Only opinion columns and editorials are scored. Each piece is read twice by a language model, which records the author's own stance on a policy topic only where the piece argues one, with a quote that must appear in the piece. An author's position on a topic is the average of their pieces, weighted by the model's confidence. News reporting is listed but never scored.
Recent work
- It's time to pedestrianize the ByWard Market | OpinionOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Mar 18, 2026
- Ottawa police shouldn't get more money for mental health calls | OpinionOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Nov 26, 2025
- Hersh: The mayor has made our public transit mess even worseOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Sep 9, 2025
- Hersh: Free Transit isn’t just possible, it’s popularOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Jul 22, 2025
- Hersh: Ottawa Council must take a risk and ban fossil fuel adsOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Jun 17, 2025
- Hersh: New security measures at Ottawa City Hall are excessiveOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · May 21, 2025
- Hersh: On public transit, Toronto got it right. Why can't Ottawa?Opinion · Ottawa Citizen · Jan 19, 2025
- We are progressive Jews who have been let down by our community leadersOpinion · Toronto Star · Oct 21, 2024
- Opinion: New private long-term care deal hurts workers and residentsOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Jul 2, 2024
- Prier and Hersh: Lack of vision, not office workers, is Ottawa's real problemOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · May 9, 2024
- Hersh: Bylaw must stop targeting pro-Palestinian demonstratorsOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Feb 1, 2024
- Opinion: As Jews, we call for a ceasefire and a just peaceOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Nov 7, 2023
- Hersh: Mental-health crises — we need someone to call other than Ottawa policeOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · May 29, 2023
- Hersh: Since the convoy, the veneer of police accountability has shatteredOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Jan 27, 2023
- Hersh: Ideological differences can strengthen Ottawa council — if we let themOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Dec 6, 2022
- Hersh: It’s cities that need more power — not mayors, Premier FordOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Aug 2, 2022
- Hersh: Ottawa Public Health has the power to keep COVID protections such as masks. It should use itOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Mar 15, 2022
- Hersh: A moratorium on evictions must be part of Ottawa's plan to fight COVIDOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Jan 28, 2022
- Hersh: City of Ottawa lacks vision and leadership on budgetOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Jul 19, 2021
- Linton and Hersh: Ottawa Public Health needs to do its job and disclose workplace outbreaksOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Jun 16, 2021
- Attar and Hersh: Dr. Etches must take stronger action to fight COVID-19 in OttawaOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Apr 27, 2021
- Hersh: Ottawa needs to put an end to cruel winter evictionsOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Jan 5, 2021
- Hersh: Harassment discussion shows why city hall political staff need a unionOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Jul 9, 2020
- Hersh: We’re choosing to keep our rent, and we’re asking you to join usOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Apr 1, 2020
- Hersh: We’re choosing to keep our rent, and we’re asking you to join usOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Apr 1, 2020