Capital Ward Bulletin: Summer Events in Capital Ward and the City

It was great to see so many people out for the official opening of the new multi-use bridge connecting Carleton University and Vincent Massey Park. This is a great addition for the city, and I’m glad we got it open in time for summer.

Canada Day Events in Ottawa

On July 1, enjoy the shows and activities taking place at LeBreton Flats Park in the heart of Ottawa-Gatineau. The Government of Canada has a full list of programing for Canada Day celebrations between 9:00 am and 10:30 pm at LeBreton Flats Park and activities elsewhere in Ottawa-Gatineau.

Many roads and pathways in the downtown core will be closed to regular traffic. Plan your route ahead of time and expect delays. OC Transpo is the best way to travel to Canada Day events across the city, with free service all day on O-Train Line 1, buses and Para Transpo. OC Transpo will have extra service running throughout the day and into the evening. Para Transpo service will run until 3:00 am, with last trips booked for 2:00 am.

With the main event taking place at LeBreton Flats again this year, OC Transpo wants to make sure you know how to get to and from the event site with ease. Use OC Transpo’s Travel Planner or download Transit, the recommended app for OC Transpo customers to plan your trip.

For the most current road conditions, visit the City’s interactive traffic map and select both the ‘Events’ and ‘Incidents’ fields. For more information click here.

For more information on access to the Canada Day events site, visit Canada.ca/CanadaDay.

To find out what city services are affected by Canada Day, click here.

Usually, the wading pool at Sylvia Holden Park would be closed on Monday, but working with staff, we were able to get it staffed, so that it will be open on Canada Day.

I hope everyone is able to enjoy the day!

Wading Pools and Splash Pads

Speaking of wading pools…

With the weather heating up, wading pools are opening across the ward and the city. Pool hours are 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Saturday; and noon to 5:00 pm on Sunday.

Here’s a list of the hours for the pools in Capital Ward:

There are also a number of splash pads in our ward:

• Brewer Park, 100 Brewer Way
• Glebe Memorial Park, 75 Glendale Avenue
• Kaladar Park, 2554 Kaladar Avenue
• Lansdowne Park (water feature), 1525 Princess Patricia Way
• Montgomery Memorial Park/Old Town Hall Community Centre, 61 Main Street

Splash pads are in operation from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm until September 15.

For a full list of city-wide wading pools and splash pads, click here.

Community Events at Lansdowne in July

There’s a lot going at Lansdowne Park these days. The RedBlacks, Atlético, Blackjacks and Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team all have games throughout the summer. In addition, there are also a number of special events in the coming month:

Special Events

• July 6 & 20: 613Flea
• July 7: Thai Street Food Festival
• July 20 & 21: Ottawa Asian Night Market
• July 21: Full Moon Yoga

Lansdowne Movie Nights

• July 4: Shazam!
• July 18: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Lansdowne Summer Arts Showcase

• July 11: UNO Band
• July 18: A Company of Fools—Macbeth
• July 25: JW Jones

And, of course, the Ottawa Farmers’ Market is back every Sunday.

For the full schedule, visit the city’s website.

Your Capital Ward

Photo by Marc André Boivin

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.

City Releases Refreshed Wildlife Strategy 

In mid-June, the city discussed updates to the Wildlife Strategy which I had the pleasure of co-chairing. The strategy hadn’t been updated since 2013, and back then dealt primarily with human-wildlife conflict in rural areas. The updated report, with a series of ten recommendations, takes into account the accelerating effects of climate change, wildlife transmitted disease, increasing pressures of development on natural areas and more ambitious municipal environmental policies. One important change is the new role of a Wildlife Resource Specialist, who will help with public education and outreach, an area where the city has historically been under resourced.  

There were many well-versed public delegations at the joint Environment and Climate Change Committee and the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee meeting. One contentious issue was the management of beavers and municipal storm drains. There were some meaningful interventions to the strategy passed, including a motion from Councillor Kelly to explore and expand alternative methods for beaver management, like the use of flow devices. Another motion from Councillor Devine looked into pro-actively compensating the Humane Society for their work rehabilitating sick and injured wild animals, in conjunction with Bylaw Services. I was happy to see this motion after meeting with the Humane Society on their important work. You can see the full YouTube link to the meeting here.  

While we would ultimately like to see a broader strategy which encompasses actions on biodiversity and habitat management, this refresh is moving in the right direction. You can find out more about the public engagement process, context, and topic on Engage Ottawa.  

Solid Waste Master Plan Approved by Council  

At the Environment Committee in June, the city discussed the Solid Waste Master Plan (SWMP) and Solid Waste Services Long Range Financial Plan (LRFP), which were then approved at council. The SWMP provides the framework for how the city will manage and divert waste over the next 30 years, while the LRFP proposes a funding plan to support the operating and capital requirements. There are 50 actions included in the SWMP, each of which has a corresponding performance measure and associated timeframe. There has been extensive outreach and engagement on the plan, including the establishment of a Stakeholder Sounding Board, Council Sponsors Group, and public meetings and surveys. You can review the information and get a sense of the process on Engage Ottawa, and watch the YouTube link to the meeting here.  

Based on discussions with community groups—including Waste Watch Ottawa, Ecology Ottawa, and Community Associations for Environmental Sustainability—our office brought forward two directions to staff. The first directed them to consider accessible, pedestrian-friendly hazardous waste collection events in the core of Ottawa, and report back in spring of 2025. The second recommended sustained funding for a community grant program to incentivize waste avoidance, reduction and re-use. The LRFP estimates $350,000 annually for this purpose, to support organizations like the Ottawa Tool Library, Eco-Equitable, and events like repair cafés.  

Moving Toward a Pro-Active, Equity-Focused Approach on Tree Planting  

We understand that tree retention and planting are important issues for Capital Ward residents, and as Chair of the Environment Committee, I’ve been pushing for more to be done. There is some good news on this front: the forestry department recently recommended pro-active tree planting in the right of way, which is the strip of publicly-owned green space between residential properties and the street which often houses underground utilities. Currently, when a tree falls or is removed, a resident has to request a replacement tree and commit to watering it for three years. Under the new program, the tree would be automatically replaced with consultation with the resident and watered by the city.  

There were also other changes recommended to the Commemorative Tree Program, including full cost recovery for donated trees with or without plaques, and a new private land tree planting program. In addition, forestry staff are recommending using a Tree Equity Analysis under the American Forests Methodology to guide their approach, taking into consideration canopy cover, as well as socio-economic and health measures of inequality to guide their priority plantings.  

You can read more about the changes coming in this CBC article, and review the agenda and all associated reports from the Environment Committee meeting where it was discussed here.  We have been pushing for these changes for a long time, and we were heartened to see council approve the recommendations.  

OC Transpo Updates

Heading into summer, we have a handful of OC Transpo updates to help make sure you can get to where you’re going.

Free Transit

Not only is transit free on Canada Day, but if you’re heading to Bluesfest or special events at Lansdowne, transit is free with your event ticket.

Construction

• Route 7 eastbound will remain on detour between Seneca Street and Bank Street with alternative service on Sunnyside Avenue due to construction related to the Grove Avenue Integrated Renewal Project.
• Routes 55 will be detoured from the CHEO access roadway to Ring Road to accommodate construction activity within the hospital campus. Temporary stops have been constructed on Ring Road to maintain customer access during the detour.
• Route 55 westbound will remain on detour via Highway 417 from Greenfield Avenue to Catherine Street to accommodate construction activity related to the Main-Hawthorne-Greenfield Reconstruction Project.
• Route 56 eastbound will remain on detour between Bank Street and Isabella Street with alternative service to existing bus stops on Bank Street and Isabella Street due to construction activity as part of the Glebe Avenue Integrated Renewal Project.

Summer Service Changes

Line 2 bus service and Route 25 will have minor frequency reductions during certain time periods on weekdays to reflect reduced ridership levels normally seen on these routes during the summer.

Route Review

As many of you know, OC Transpo is currently in middle of its Route Review. You can learn about the work done so far on their website. We expect another set of consultations to occur soon, and we will make sure to notify residents when we learn more.

Lansdowne 2.0 Site Plan

The city is currently accepting feedback on the proposed event centre at Lansdowne Park, that would take over part of the Great Lawn. You can learn more about the proposal at engage.ottawa.ca/lansdowne-2-0 and you can send feedback to [email protected]. 

There will also be a pop-up booth at the Farmers’ Market on Sunday August 11, from 9:00 and 3:00 pm.

Trees in Trust program  

The city’s Trees in Trust program needs residents’ help to find suitable locations for street trees. Street trees are available by request on a first come, first served basis. If your city-owned street frontage lacks a tree and you have the time and commitment to help care for one, please contact the city. The deadline to get a tree planted this fall is July 1.