Heron Park Community Building—Grand Opening Celebration & Barbecue
The new Heron Park Community Building is now open! My office has been pushing for the construction of this new facility in Heron Park since I was first elected in 2018 and have since helped secure the funding to complete it. The building was designed in collaboration with the community, and has lots of natural light, a kitchen, and a flexible community space.
Community members are invited to a BBQ celebration for the grand opening on Sunday May 31 from 12:00 to 2:00 pm. Building rentals can be booked by emailing [email protected].
Join us for free food and fun! All are welcome.
Sunday May 31, 12:00 to 2:00 pm
Heron Park Community Building
1650 Clover Street
People’s Park Celebration & Barbecue
Join us for free food and fun at our People's Park Celebration & BBQ on Saturday May 9 from 12:00 to 2:00 pm! RSVP here: https://www.shawnmenard.ca/bbq
Our hard work paid off and together, we saved People’s Park. Now it's time to celebrate!
Join us at Lees Field (aka People's Park) for free food and fun!
People's Park Celebration & BBQ
Saturday May 9 from 12-2pm
Lees Field, 160 Lees Avenue, beside Springhurst Park
All are welcome. RSVP here: https://www.shawnmenard.ca/bbq
Public Works and Infrastructure Committee Updates
Working with city staff and fellow councillors, we brought two motions to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee yesterday, a motion on bringing back a bike share program to Ottawa and a motion to extend parking time limits on Fourth Avenue, west of Bank Street.
Bike Share Program
We miss having a bike share program in the city. Other cities throughout Canada and North America have successful programs, and there’s no reason we can’t get one up and running in Ottawa. The previous program failed because it relied entirely on the private sector and was geared towards tourists, rather than residents of Ottawa and connectivity to events and transit.
This month, the city released a report on the feasibility of bringing a bike share program back to Ottawa. This stems from a motion we brought to council last term of council, and it serves as an important step towards realizing a new bike share program.
Working with city staff and Councillor Sean Devine, as well as Envirocentre and Ottawa Climate Action Fund, we brought a motion directing staff to develop recommendations for implementing and funding a bike share system in Ottawa.
The motion will now go to council for approval.
Fourth Avenue Parking Limits
Over the years, residents and visitors have expressed concern about one-hour parking limits in the Glebe. Most recently, the issue arose on Fourth Avenue, affecting parishioners at Blessed Sacrament Church.
After speaking with the Glebe Community Association and knocking doors on Fourth Avenue, we brought a motion to change the parking limit along Fourth Avenue Between Bank Street and Chrysler Street from one hour to two hours.
We are making this change as a pilot project, and we will be monitoring the results.
We are also looking at what other changes should be made to parking limits in the Glebe, potentially harmonizing parking time limits. However, further changes will only be made after broader public consultations.
We want to make sure that the parking regulations make sense for residents, guests and visitors to the Glebe.
The motion will now have to be approved by council to be implemented this year.
Red Dress Day
The Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition invites all community members to their annual Red Dress Day Gathering. This event honours the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit+ (MMIWG2S+), and brings the community together in remembrance and advocacy.
This year, they will be hosting a two-day event. On May 4, they will be centering their events at City Hall, and will include workshops, displays, a sacred fire and an official program from 12:00 to 1:30 pm. On May 5, they have organized a sunrise ceremony and a sacred fire on Parliament Hill and are offering workshops at the Ottawa Public Library and Knox Presbyterian Church.
Red Dress Day, also known as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous women and girls and Two Spirit People, is observed on May 5th. The day honours and brings awareness to the thousands of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people who have been subject to disproportionate violence in Canada. The day offers education on Indigenous women and girls and invites community to confront the systemic conditions that allow this violence to persist. Most importantly, the two days will hold space for indigenous women to be seen and heard.
Earth Day
Wednesday was Earth Day, a time to reflect on our pale blue dot and only home. This week, a new solar project is beginning on City Hall’s rooftop, and even more solar panels are coming to rooftops this year: Charles Sim Municipal Garage and Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Complex—Orléans. The three projects average a 14-year payback (saving approximately $163k annually after that), and are estimated to save 172 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually.
Staff are also advancing nine design studies in 2026 to identify additional projects for implementation. This is being achieved with funding from the Ottawa Retrofit Accelerator program delivered by Hydro Ottawa.
This week, the city also launched a new public‑facing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Dashboard—an important step forward in how Ottawa’s emissions data is shared, understood, and used. This launch marks an important milestone in the city’s climate journey, making it easier for residents, partners, and decision‑makers to see how both the community and the city are tracking against emissions targets.
The dashboard builds on the 2025 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Open Data release, transforming detailed emissions data into a clear and interactive online tool. It showcases data on corporate emissions (from city operations such as fleet, facilities, solid waste and wastewater treatment) and community emissions (including transportation, buildings, waste and agriculture across Ottawa). By making emissions data publicly available, the city is supporting community awareness and encouraging collective action toward a net-zero future. Take a few minutes to explore the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Dashboard here and see how Ottawa is measuring progress on climate action. It’s a great resource to reference, share, and explore.
Noise By-Law Review
At the end of March, Councillor Sean Devine submitted notice for a motion on my behalf to the Emergency Prepared and Protective Services Committee regarding the city’s noise by-law. Currently, there is a gap in city enforcement of noise regulations. Developments in our city are supposed to adhere to both the city noise by-law, as well as the province’s Environmental Noise Guideline (NPC 300). However, the Ottawa’s By-Law Services has only been given an enforcement framework for the city by-law, and not the provincial guideline.
This enforcement gap has led to issues with new developments in Capital Ward, River Ward and elsewhere in the city potentially violating NPC 300 without any method of recourse for the city and residents.
We feel this enforcement gap needs to be addressed, and the city should investigate harmonizing our noise by-law with the provincial Environmental Noise Guideline. Our motion directs city staff to include a review of the noise by-law for consideration as part of the next term of council’s By-Law Review Workplan.
The motion passed the committee and was approved by council this week.
New Pilot: Walk-Up Household Hazardous Waste Event, April 26, Brewer Park
A walk-up Hazardous Waste Event is happening on Sunday, April 26 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at Brewer Park parking lot, 100 Brewer Way. Safely dispose of small amounts of hazardous waste without a vehicle.
Example of acceptable items include:
- Cleaning products
- Caulking
- Hazardous aerosols
- Light bulbs
- Small gas canisters
- Small household batteries
- Paint
Up to 20 litres per person.
This event is walk-up only. Please arrive on foot, by bike or mobility device. Vehicles will be redirected to the next large Household Hazardous Waste event. For a list of accepted items visit ottawa.ca/hhw.
Your Capital Ward
Photo by Jamie Brougham
If you have a photo you’d like to share in an upcoming bulletin, please send it to [email protected], with the subject line Your Capital Ward. Please give us your name for attribution…or tell us if you’d rather not have your name shared.
Old Ottawa South Parents Support Group
On Saturday May 2 at 1:00 pm, IDEA Committee of Ottawa South Community Association (OSCA) will be hosting a meeting for parents of children and youth with visible or invisible disabilities and/or exceptionalities to brainstorm what a community support group could look like in Old Ottawa South.
If you have ideas to share or simply want to connect with others in the community who may be experiencing similar challenges, please join us. Childcare is available. Please register by April 29.
For more information please reach out to [email protected].
Drop and Swap
Turn “too much stuff” into “just what someone needed”! Bring your gently used household goods and swap them for something new-to-you on Saturday, April 25 from 10 am to 2 pm at the RA Centre. Items can be dropped off at the RA Centre in advance on April 24 from 5 pm to 8 pm or on the day of the event from 9 am to 12 pm.
Learn more: ottawa.ca/WasteReduction
Ecological School Presentations
Ecology Ottawa's EcoYouth Council is offering presentations on ecological topics to classes across Ottawa. Council members have prepared presentations on a number of topics, but teachers may also submit a request. For more information, please click here.
Corpus Christi School 100th Anniversary Celebration
Join Corpus Christi as they celebrate 100 years of community, faith and learning. They warmly welcome students, families, alumni, staff and friends to mark this special milestone together at any or all of the events.
Thursday May 7—Corpus Christi, 798 Lyon Street South
2:15 pm: School Assembly
4:00 pm: Special Guest Remarks
4:00 – 6:00 pm: Open House
Friday May 8—Blessed Sacrament Church, 194 Fourth Avenue
1:15 pm: 100th Anniversary Mass
Drag the Archive: Photographs of Queer Gender Performance
April 9 to December 12, 2026
Hours of Operation:
Tuesday to Friday: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday and Monday: Closed
Gallery 112 (Central Archives - James K. Bartleman Centre)
100 Tallwood Drive
Drag the Archive is a collaborative practicum project by Carleton University students in partnership with the City of Ottawa Equity Team and the City of Ottawa Archives. Through photography, the exhibition showcases the life and work of drag performer Paul "Peaches Latour" Fournier and queer rights activist, editor, news reporter and diplomat Philip Hannan. The project celebrates drag performance and queer gender expression in Ottawa and beyond. Through carefully curated selections of archival records, students bring forward a powerful visual narrative that highlights local histories while connecting them to broader traditions of queer gender expression.
Free
City Nature Challenge 2026
Spotted a turtle or neat mushroom? Snap a photo of it and upload it to the iNaturalist app! This year’s City Nature Challenge is running from April 24 to 27 and your photos can help make a difference.
Simply go outside, snap a photo of a wild animal, animal tracks, or even non-cultivated flowers or trees and upload them to the iNaturalist app. You can also upload your photos to Instagram and tag the city (@cityofottawa) and use the hashtag #CityNatureCanada for a chance to be featured on the City’s Instagram stories!
