Park Seating Survey – by April 17

A big sign of progress in our quest to get more benches for the park has popped up! The city has a survey out for public feedback on a couple of choices, see https://engage.ottawa.ca/champlain-park-seating et en français, c’est https://participons.ottawa.ca/parc-champlain-sieges. Send in your comments by April 17th. Thanks to our councillor Jeff Leiper and the city staff for helping with this project.

I’ll reproduce the designs here, so you can see it at a glance now, and for future reference once the city’s web site has moved on.

Briefly, concept A has the sitting down spot closer to the field / rink, with a curvy bench and one lounge chair, concept B has it close to the field house and with three lounge chairs and a fourth wider lounge chair. Both have a gravel path to the field house. Both avoid interfering with the rink or the ski trail loop.

The other part is a picnic area, just east of the swings. Concept A has it slightly closer (moved south a couple of metres) to the wading pool, removing a pool corner fence and bike rack but being closer to the street light. Concept B keeps the fence and bike rack.

Things to contemplate: the fence kind of separates the pool kids from the rest of the park (is that important?), that bike rack is never used, seats closer to the pool let you keep an eye on the kids, but there are plenty of other benches around the pool.

20260327 Champlain Park New Seating and Picnic Area – Concept A.pdf

20260327 Champlain Park New Seating and Picnic Area – Concept B.pdf

So, what’s the next Big Idea? We (your neighbours running the community association) can assist with the funding and bureaucratic processes, but need your help in coming up with ideas. We’re having an info meeting and brainstorming session at our Bright Ideas event on Tuesday evening April 28 at the field house.

Blind Spot Experience – October 2

Pedestrians and cyclists – how to avoid blind spots and be seen in low light

Come and experience firsthand the dangers of a large vehicle’s blind spots and learn how to make sure you can be seen. The City of Ottawa is holding an interactive demonstration to help pedestrians and cyclists learn how to stay safe.

Continue reading “Blind Spot Experience – October 2” →

City Zoning By-Law Open Houses – September 25, 29

Following up on City Zoning By-Law Draft 2 Survey there are a couple of open houses remaining to discuss the zoning changes. See https://engage.ottawa.ca/zoning for details and background material.

Virtual Zoom city-wide Open House on September 25, 6:00 to 8:00 PM:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/9aJzC-BpRKu05GWA2yl4JQ#/
In person September 29, Ottawa Conference and Convention Centre, 200 Coventry Rd, 6:00 to 8:30 PM.

Tunney’s Pasture Draft Plan of Subdivision

The next step in bringing the Tunney’s Pasture Master Plan from vision to reality is now underway. The Draft Plan of Subdivision (DPS) application for the site has been submitted to the City of Ottawa and documents are available for the public’s review and input on the City’s DevApps site.

The Draft Plan of Subdivision is an important step in bringing to life our vision for transforming Tunney’s Pasture from a single-use employment centre into a vibrant transit-oriented and sustainable mixed-use community that is integrated with surrounding neighbourhood.

It shows things like:

Where roads, parks, and pathways will go.
How the land will be divided into blocks or lots for future housing, offices, community amenities, or public spaces.
How services like water, sewer, and electricity will be laid out.

The DPS sets the groundwork before any detailed building designs are made. Once the plan of subdivision is approved, future development can move forward in a way that is consistent with the overall Master Plan, helping us deliver much-needed housing to the community!

Share Your Thoughts

Councillor Jeff Leiper will be hosting a public meeting on September 22 between 6:30 – 8:30 pm to hear feedback and answer questions from residents.

6:30 to 7:30 pm – Residents can drop-in and view project boards
7:30 to 8:30 pm – Residents can partake in a Town Hall question and answer period

Location: Wellington Room
Hintonburg Community Centre
1064 Wellington St. W, Ottawa, ON K1Y 2Y3

Stay Involved

We encourage you to review the application summary and reports and use the button on the page to send your feedback to the City by Friday, October 3rd.

City Zoning By-Law Draft 2 Survey – July 11

The deadline of the survey asking what you think about zoning has been extended to July 11. Heather says that this is an opportunity to tell the City what you think. Your input is important, even if you don’t answer every question. There also are options to leave comments.

From: New Zoning By-law / Noveau reglement de zonage <newzoning@ottawa.ca>
Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2025 at 11:36
Subject: Help Shape Ottawa’s Future: Zoning By-law Survey Extended to July 11 | Façonnez l’avenir d’Ottawa : le sondage sur le Règlement de zonage est prolongé jusqu’au 11 juillet

The City of Ottawa’s new Zoning By-law Review Project is inviting residents, businesses, and community stakeholders to participate in the Draft 2 Survey for the new Zoning By-law.

The survey deadline has now been extended to July 11, 2025 and the findings will be released in September along side the release of Draft 3 of the Zoning By-law Provisions.

What the Survey Covers

The Draft 2 Survey focuses on several key topics, including:

Building heights and transition areas in neighbourhood zones
High-rise development along Mainstreets
Permissions for communal parking lots
Zoning considerations in rural areas

Feedback from this survey will help refine the next version of the By-law, Draft 3, which is scheduled for release on September 8, 2025.

Take the Survey now and feel free to share the link:
https://engage.ottawa.ca/embeds/projects/28126/survey-tools/52803

[…]

Drinking Location in Champlain Park

Posted on the City of Ottawa website as of July 4, 2025: Personal Consumption of alcohol is now permitted in Champlain Park but only in the authorized zones marked with green stripes (SouthWest corner near Clearview/Cowley) as shown in the map below.

Alcohol is not allowed in any other area, except by permit.

Restrictions

Alcohol may not be:

consumed within five meters of specified park amenities
amenities listed on the signage that are applicable to Champlain Park: playgrounds, playground equipment, wading pools, sports fields, ball diamonds, rink boards
consumed in rented parks and facilities during events, except by permission
sold, supplied or served without a permit

Individuals consuming alcohol must:

be 19 years of age or older
be consumed between 11 am and 9 pm
take all empty alcoholic beverage containers home
not drink, drive, be intoxicated in public or cause a disturbance

Councillor in the Park – July 15

City councillor Jeff Leiper’s newsletter #443 informs us that…

Pop-up office hours in Champlain Park July 15

I’ll be doing my last pop-up before putting those on their usual summer hiatus on July 15 from 1-4 pm at Champlain Park (140 Carleton Avenue). If it’s raining, look for us in the field house. Pop-ups are an opportunity to come by any time during those hours without appointment to chat with me one-on-one about whatever is on your mind.

Alcohol in Champlain Park: Have Your Say

Ottawa City Council unanimously approved a pilot project to allow personal consumption of alcohol in public parks at its meeting of June 11, 2025. Drinking in parks – with some restrictions – has been allowed for a number of years in some other cities, such as Vancouver and Toronto, and Council has agreed to try it in Ottawa for a few months this summer and fall.

It’s up to councillors to nominate parks in their wards to participate in this pilot project. In his most recent newsletter, Kitchissippi ward Councillor Jeff Leiper wrote that, while he’s “not invested in making this happen,” he would like to choose at least one park in the ward to participate in the pilot project. One of his suggestions was Champlain Park.

The Champlain Park Community Association is not taking an official position on this issue — nor was it asked to by the City — but Coun. Leiper has asked for feedback on this idea. You can send him your thoughts at jeff.leiper@ottawa.ca

Here are the details of the pilot project:

Duration: July 1 to October 31, 2025

Permitted hours: Between 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Prohibited areas: Within 5 metres of a playground, wading pool, baseball diamond and sports field (Note that the greenspace at Champlain Park is not considered an official sports field by the City)

Other information to note:

The pilot only allows for personal consumption of alcohol (i.e. a beverage you bring for yourself). It does not allow serving or selling alcohol at the park, which continues to be prohibited without a permit issued by the city and the approval of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs says the Ottawa Police Service does not support this initiative. You can read his letter to the city’s general manager of recreation, cultural and facility services here: OPS Chief Letter
Ottawa Public Health cautioned against the risks of “normalizing drinking in public spaces”, particularly for youth and young adults. You can read the OPH submission here: OPH Submission
The City of Toronto held its own pilot project in 27 parks in 2023. The program was made permanent last year in 45 parks, and another nine were added this year, for a total of 54. Toronto’s city staff reports few issues with its program so far. You can read a recent Toronto staff report on its program here: Monitoring Update: Alcohol in Parks

Ward Forum – June 4

From our city councillor Jeff Leiper’s office…

Ward Forum June 4!

The Kitchissippi Ward Forum is returning for a spring edition on Wednesday June 4, again at Bayview Yards. We are delighted to announce that the keynote speaker will be the City’s General Manager of Transit Services, Renée Amilcar.

Doors will open at 6:30 pm, followed by a presentation and Q and A with Ms. Amilcar beginning at 7pm.

Local community association leaders will be invited to provide updates from their respective neighbourhoods. Other community organizations and City staff – and Councillor Leiper – will also be on hand to answer any questions you might have.

City Zoning By-Law Draft 2 Feedback Sessions

via Heather, via city councillor Jeff Leiper’s Kitchissippi newsletter…

The City of Ottawa is inviting residents to review and provide feedback on the Draft 2 of the new Zoning By-law. Residents are encouraged to review and comment on Draft 2 of Ottawa’s new Zoning By-law by visiting the project’s EngageOttawa page and to attend online and at virtual and in-person open-house events.

How to Participate
Residents can explore Draft 2 online and attend one of the upcoming open houses:
Continue reading “City Zoning By-Law Draft 2 Feedback Sessions” →