Downtown Ottawa Revitalization Initiatives

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Board of trade unveils new website to track progress on downtown action plan

Marissa Galko, OBJ
August 20, 2025

Board of trade president and CEO Sueling Ching told OBJ last month that the new online tracking system will create transparency.

According to the progress bar, we're half way there. Doubt.

[rocketphish]

Night mayor launches 'Ottawa at Night' website
The online directory includes outlines and links to the city's repertory cinemas, live music venues, bars, theatres, nightclubs and comedy clubs.

By Staff Reporter, Ottawa Citizen
Published Sep 03, 2025

The city’s nightlife commissioner has launched a flashy new Ottawa at Night website as a directory of venues offering “attractions at night” across the city.

The website features 99 nightlife spots categorized by type, location — east, west, south, central and rural — and also by “vibes” like alternative, hip-hop, karaoke, drag, standup and folk/country.

The directory includes a “safety guide” along with brief outlines and links to the city’s repertory cinemas, live music venues, bars, theatres, nightclubs and comedy clubs.

The city invited any other operators to contact the city’s nightlife office with requests to include their venue in the directory. The nightlife office said it will be offering safety workshops for venue employees with registration dates to be posted later in the fall.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/night-mayor-launches-ottawa-at-night-website

[rocketphish]

Nightlife commish Mathieu Grondin speaks with OBJ about recent wins and what comes next

Marissa Galko, OBJ
September 4, 2025

With a number of initiatives under his belt, Ottawa’s nightlife commissioner is already looking ahead to the next iteration of the nightlife economy action plan. This week, the city’s nightlife office launched a new website that enables residents and visitors to explore Ottawa’s nightlife scene and promotes local businesses. The Ottawa at Night site is “about all things nightlife in Canada’s capital city” and includes a directory of 99 nightlife businesses to raise awareness of what’s going on after dark. It also features safety tips in partnership with Ottawa Health and resources for current and emerging nightlife businesses. Mathieu Grondin, Ottawa’s nightlife commissioner, told OBJ on Wednesday that, as a first step, his office focused on the “cultural” side of nightlife businesses when developing the website.

“When I took the position last year, I wanted to focus on the cultural aspects of nightlife. So, those venues, pubs and restaurants, they're all programming culture,” he said, adding that other nightlife businesses doing similar things can ask to be added to the directory. “A recurring theme I’ve heard since I got the position last year was that people don’t know what’s going on in Ottawa, so I think this (site) partly addresses that,” Grondin said. “It just enhances the profile of our nightlife businesses and shows that there’s a lot of stuff happening in Ottawa.” The directory can be filtered by location as well as by genre of entertainment or “vibe” found at the venue, from different types of music to comedy and more.

In addition, the website has an “insiders” tab with links to apps and other websites that focus on events across the city. Among those featured are Ottawa is Not Boring, an events-focused website run by content creator Carla Salazar; Ottawa Gigs, an online directory of Ottawa’s various music shows; and the Vibes app, a locally developed app showcasing the city’s nightlife venues. Grondin said that the launch of the Ottawa at Night website, which started development this past spring, addresses the nightlife economy action plan’s recommendation on creating an online resource and the recommendation focused on improving nightlife safety and safety messaging. As part of the website launch, Grondin’s team created two safety booklets, one for nightlife consumers and the other for businesses, developed in partnership with the Social Collective, a non-profit organization that works to reduce sexual violence and promote a safer nightlife. An upcoming communications campaign on nightlife safety was developed with Mediaplus Advertising, an Ottawa-based advertising and content agency. The new campaign will be seen in the various nightlife businesses around the city as well as at post-secondary institutions.

“I think it translates quite well to what the experience of going out at night is in Ottawa. It shows you that nightlife is exciting, there’s a lot of stuff going on. This is part of the new branding that we want to bring to the city, so I am quite proud of it,” Grondin said of the website. The new site is just one of the things the commissioner has been busy with lately. Most recently, he was a part of the team that launched Metcalfe Plaza, a new pop-up social hub at the corner of Metcalfe and Gloucester streets.

“Metcalfe Plaza was a huge part of my year. This is a great example of how the nightlife office can help new cultural entrepreneurs kick off projects,” he said.

Amashowza, a local event curator, came up with the idea last November, Grondin said, after identifying a gap for outdoor pop-up venues in Ottawa.

“It’s seen elsewhere in Toronto and Montreal and they were like, ‘Why don’t we have this in Ottawa?’ I totally agreed with them. We spent a lot of time over the last nine months to find the right partners and finding the space. We were lucky enough to be able to count on Morguard, who leased us the space for free,” he said.

Grondin added that it was an important first step to address the 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. crowd.

“I think these placemaking projects are very interesting as they bring more vibrancy downtown. It’s a model that could also be implemented elsewhere around town,” he said. With the first iteration of the nightlife economy action plan coming to an end next year, Grondin said the next priorities will be to continue identifying nightlife projects and drawing up a new plan. “In terms of the nightlife office, I think what we need to do is keep developing nightlife projects and maybe other placemaking projects like Metcalfe Plaza. I think that should be our priority for the last year of the plan,” he said.

“We also have to start thinking about what our next plan is going to be, what still needs to be addressed. This plan was a first step, but there are a lot more things to do to position Ottawa as a nightlife destination for Canada,” Grondin added. Looking ahead to a new nightlife plan, Grondin said he’ll be meeting with stakeholders and businesses to identify next steps.

The new website also states that the nightlife council will be looking for 12 new at-large members starting next fall for the 2027-2028 mandate. As for Grondin, he says he isn’t going anywhere.

“The position of the nightlife commissioner doesn’t run a mandate. It’s a full-time position. I will still be there next year, in 2026 and beyond,” he said.

https://obj.ca/nightlife-commish-mathieu-grondin-recent-wins-what-next/

[J.OT13]

May or may not be the right spot for this.

Banque de défense : Jean Chrétien soutient la candidature d’Ottawa et de Gatineau

Radio-Canada
Publié le 13 février à 13 h 38 HNE

L’ancien premier ministre du Canada Jean Chrétien soutient la candidature d’Ottawa et de Gatineau pour accueillir le siège de la Banque de la défense, de la sécurité et de la résilience (BDSR).

Dans une lettre publiée vendredi, il a vanté la capitale nationale, parce qu’elle réunit l’ensemble de l’architecture fédérale de gouvernance financière, a-t-il écrit.

"Les alliés investissent là où se trouvent les institutions souveraines. Aucune autre région au Canada ne regroupe cette concentration d’expertise en gestion des risques souverains, d’autorité réglementaire, d’infrastructure financière sécurisée et de gouvernance financière internationale."

M. Chrétien a précisé qu’il appuie d’abord et avant tout la candidature du Canada, qui rivalise avec une quarantaine de pays en lice. Ce sont les pays membres de l'Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique Nord (OTAN) qui vont décider du pays hôte.

Si le Canada est choisi, c’est ensuite le premier ministre du pays, Mark Carney, qui sélectionnera la ville hôtesse.

À travers le pays, plusieurs villes ont aussi entamé leur opération de charme. C’est le cas de Montréal, de Toronto et de Vancouver.

Le premier ministre du Québec, François Legault, a d’ailleurs appuyé la candidature montréalaise, vendredi, tandis que son homologue ontarien, Doug Ford, s’est rangé résolument derrière celle de Toronto.

Des maires confiants

"Il n’y a pas de meilleur endroit qu’Ottawa et Gatineau [pour] bénéficier du meilleur des deux provinces. Notre positionnement frontalier est unique", a d’abord dit le maire d’Ottawa, Mark Sutcliffe, lors d’une conférence de presse conjointe, vendredi, à l’hôtel de ville d’Ottawa.

"On est absolument convaincus d’être la meilleure région pour accueillir la banque, notamment avec la proximité des décideurs, des ministères [et] des organisations, dont le siège social de la Défense canadienne. On a aussi l’accès à une main-d’œuvre qualifiée, des universités spécialisées dans ce domaine et plus de 300 entreprises déjà installées ici" a ajouté la mairesse de Gatineau, Maude Marquis-Bissonnette.

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2228820/nouvelle-banque-defense-ottawa-gatineau

[J.OT13]

Hopefully Chrétien has more sway than idiots like Doug Ford and Legault. Of course it's far from guaranteed Canada will get it, but Carney has made quite an impression on the World so far, and you'd think after laying off thousands in his own city, he'd want to make it up to us.

[J.OT13]

• Video Link

[lrt's friend]

Downtown revitalization when Line 1 is hobbled and bus service particularly downtown is unreliable. Who is going downtown if they don't have to? Our plans are destined to failure until we solve transportation AND safety issues. I am not holding my breath

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Downtown revitalization when Line 1 is hobbled and bus service particularly downtown is unreliable. Who is going downtown if they don't have to? Our plans are destined to failure until we solve transportation AND safety issues. I am not holding my breath

Sure, but you know people also LIVE downtown, right?

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Sure, but you know people also LIVE downtown, right?

We don't count. Majority rules.

[lrt's friend]

For downtown to be successful, it needs to be a city hub. If only for downtown residents, there is no reason to go there. Is that really revitalization? To me, it becomes a shadow of its former self. That is already apparent.

[Richard Eade]

An example of this is the Rideau Centre. It strives to have unique stores so that it is a destination. If it was just a copy of what was available at St. Laurent or Bayshore malls, then many would simply go to those other malls – which provide ample FREE parking, and are adjacent to the city’s main highway. There needs to be some reason that people will decide to overcome any difficulties and go downtown.

The Rideau Centre is very well connected to transit, but still, the developer knew that there needed to be easy access for the other 80% of the population. The developer added an expensive, multi-level, underground parkade which holds 1,890 vehicles. The developer knew that they had to provide two things to make the mall a success; stores that made the mall unique; and easy access for everyone, regardless of their chosen transportation mode.

Yes, more people live downtown now. But it is no where near enough to sustain just that mall. The same is true for Bayshore, for instance. The Bayshore area has a good number of local residents, but the mall still built a huge (over 4,000 spots!) parkade to provide FREE parking spots to attract customers from across the region.

[rocketphish]

Ottawa Tourism launching nightlife activity fund

Ted Raymond, CTV News
Published: March 03, 2026 at 6:00AM EST

Ottawa Tourism is launching a new fund to help grow the city’s nightlife.

Applications for the Destination Development Fund open Tuesday. The fund will provide cash assistance to groups and organizations that need help getting an event or project off the ground.

“There are people who want to create activities in Ottawa for the nightlife. What sometimes is missing for some of them is the money,” Ottawa Tourism director of public affairs, Jérôme Miousse, told CTV Your Morning Ottawa on Monday. “So, at Ottawa Tourism, we decided to allocate some of our destination development funding to help these organizations and these people who have ideas for nightlife to help them bolster their activities with activities that will be high quality and visitor driven in Ottawa.”

Ottawa Tourism says the program is designed to support tourism initiatives that are innovated, sustainable, and permanent or recurring, or that “make a momentous impact on conversations about Ottawa.”

“Of course, we have some priority areas. We want some arts and culture, we’d like to have some Indigenous experiences, experiences that touch official languages, there’s a variety. But anyone can apply as long as it’s visitor driven,” said Miousse.

Ottawa nightlife commissioner Mathieu Grondin told CTV Your Morning Ottawa the city has been moving in the right direction, and now is the time to invest in what works.

“There’s never really any purely tourism products. They’re all like really good local products that people want to come to your city to attend,” he said. “Let’s just think about Bluesfest, for instance, or Escapade. These all started as local activities that turned into something that brings visitors to Ottawa. So, that’s what we want to see in the future.

Grondin said Ottawa’s nightlife is unique, diverse, and accessible.

“You walk around here in the ByWard Market, and you can have a punk bar in front of a country bar and then you have a techno bar, and they’re all localized in the same area. You can walk from one to another and this is great. You compare to other cities and sometimes you need a taxi ride to go across town just to go to another place. I think this is a very valuable asset we have, this diversity, and I think this is what we should keep growing,” he said.

But it’s not just bars, restaurants, and clubs, he added.

“I’m talking about the NCC last year. I’m talking about what they did the night bike ride. This is all part of nightlife too,” Grondin said. “Just stargazing at night can be part of nightlife.”

The Ottawa Tourism Destination Development Fund is open to Ottawa Tourism members, Indigenous businesses, registered and incorporated non-profits, and municipal, national or provincial industry sector groups.

“It’s for projects starting May 2026 until Dec. 31, 2026. Everyone can apply and everyone is welcome to apply,” said Miousse. “We will be evaluating applications based on the criteria we have and based on the priorities we have also that will all be public in the application guide.”

More information can be found on Ottawa Tourism’s website.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/ottawa-tourism-launching-nightlife-activity-fund/

[skyscraperaccount]

Night mayor talking about Byward, again. Just put him on the Byward BIA so the rest of the city can move on without the night mayor who is doing zip for anything but a 5 block radius downtown.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by urbanforest

Happy to have sparked some discussion and appreciate the insights—I hadn't even noticed the giant pit at WEP at first look. Here's a bonus shot facing toward the Market.

I have lived in Ottawa my entire life, and the removal of surface parking lots downtown has been a big plus. They were truly ugly, like missing teeth in the urban design.

I expect those surface lots, which were everywhere back in the 60s, were the result of the removal of old housing and commercial buildings in the post war years. Some of those old buildings were major losses to the city, but I recall a lot of them were really crappy structures.

Unfortunately, a lot of the buildings from the 60s to the 80s did not have a street presence that was a major loss. it was a time of indoor malls that have often backfired. Poor connectivity to sidewalks and pedestrians did not work out so well. Many of those indoor malls are dead or at least underutilized. Like 240 Sparks Street, poor sidewalk connectivity to that block of Sparks Street has produced a dead zone.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Unfortunately, a lot of the buildings from the 60s to the 80s did not have a street presence that was a major loss. it was a time of indoor malls that have often backfired. Poor connectivity to sidewalks and pedestrians did not work out so well. Many of those indoor malls are dead or at least underutilized. Like 240 Sparks Street, poor sidewalk connectivity to that block of Sparks Street has produced a dead zone.

For 240 Sparks, it could have good sidewalk connectivity, but it has incrementally closed up the sidewalk entrances and put controlled access uses on the ground level. The atrium itself is great and could easily be turned into a public space if there was a will. And just look at the 3 Brasseurs for an example of how it could have a great street presence. I have hope that Public Works sells to a private entity at some point who wants to invest. With a mix of retail and restaurants, and maybe a food hall, it could be the centrepoint of downtown.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by phil235

For 240 Sparks, it could have good sidewalk connectivity, but it has incrementally closed up the sidewalk entrances and put controlled access uses on the ground level. The atrium itself is great and could easily be turned into a public space if there was a will. And just look at the 3 Brasseurs for an example of how it could have a great street presence. I have hope that Public Works sells to a private entity at some point who wants to invest. With a mix of retail and restaurants, and maybe a food hall, it could be the centrepoint of downtown.

The Bank Street "ground" entrance actually used to take you to the sub-surface level. Sidewalk connectivity is better than it used to be.

[J.OT13]

CD Howe used to have retail all along Queen Street; Holt Renfrew, LCBO, Fairweather and Elisa G. That's all been replaced offices (and a bike cage, which is good), nothing, nothing, and a DND recruitment office.

Sparks frontage has 3 Brasseurs and, I think it's still there, a clothing store.

It's definitely lost a lot of its street interaction, especially on Queen, but it's far from the worst offender.

Where was the passport office within CD Howe?

[phil235]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

CD Howe used to have retail all along Queen Street; Holt Renfrew, LCBO, Fairweather and Elisa G. That's all been replaced offices (and a bike cage, which is good), nothing, nothing, and a DND recruitment office.

Sparks frontage has 3 Brasseurs and, I think it's still there, a clothing store.

It's definitely lost a lot of its street interaction, especially on Queen, but it's far from the worst offender.

Where was the passport office within CD Howe?

Passport office was on the second floor I believe, on the Bank St. side. That office drove a lot of traffic to the building and likely supported the additional retail and services. It was so shortsighted to move it to a far less accessible suburban mall to save a few bucks. I bet the retail they lost would probably have covered a good portion of the difference in rent.

The clothing store is still Elisa G, on the Sparks St. side. They don't use their door to the outside, so there is only one entrance from Sparks. Rexall is subterranean and accessed from Kent. Most of the other retail is now storage, other than the Canadian Forces recruiting centre which adds more blank walls to one of the most prominent corners in the city.

[ponyboycurtis]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

I have lived in Ottawa my entire life, and the removal of surface parking lots downtown has been a big plus. They were truly ugly, like missing teeth in the urban design.

I expect those surface lots, which were everywhere back in the 60s, were the result of the removal of old housing and commercial buildings in the post war years. Some of those old buildings were major losses to the city, but I recall a lot of them were really crappy structures.

Unfortunately, a lot of the buildings from the 60s to the 80s did not have a street presence that was a major loss. it was a time of indoor malls that have often backfired. Poor connectivity to sidewalks and pedestrians did not work out so well. Many of those indoor malls are dead or at least underutilized. Like 240 Sparks Street, poor sidewalk connectivity to that block of Sparks Street has produced a dead zone.

Loving the camera angle being perfectly aligned with the Overbrook street grid.

[rocketphish]

Here are five downtown revitalization plans that city staff will propose to council next week

By Marissa Galko, OBJ
April 15, 2026

City staff have put forward a series of measures designed to advance downtown revitalization goals.

The Downtown Revitalization Framework and Action Plan was approved by the finance and corporate services committee last week and will go to council next week. Measures include the redevelopment of municipal properties such as Bayview Yards and implementing incentive programs for office-to-residential conversion projects.

The measures, which are short-, medium- and long-term, fall into four categories: rebalance uses; diversify and strengthen Ottawa’s downtown economy; improve community safety and well-being; and transform places and spaces.

According to Sheilagh Doherty, director of economic development at the city, the framework builds on priorities established by council and is complementary to the Ottawa Board of Trade’s Downtown Ottawa Action Agenda, which was released in 2024 with the goal to revitalize the core by 2034. “It’s really building on work that was already underway, but it does identify some gaps in some areas where we can go in the future … Some of the catalytic anchors in the board of trade’s plan … are ones that are under the city’s control,” Doherty told OBJ Tuesday. “For example, the revitalization of the ByWard Market is one of our projects and that was approved at council in March.” Short-term measures will be funded by “existing funding and resources,” while funding for medium- to long-term projects would have to be considered by the next term of council, said Will McDonald, director of the city’s strategic projects office, in an email to OBJ.

“Short‑term actions in the framework aim to deliver visible improvements while preparing for longer‑term changes. These include early coordination on the redevelopment of underutilized public properties, accelerating office‑to‑residential conversion projects, expanding support for small businesses, and targeted public space and safety measures,” wrote McDonald. The framework will help the city and its partners, including local BIAs, take a coordinated approach to revitalizing downtown Ottawa, he added.

“It’s about making downtown work better for the people who live there now, attracting new residents, employers and visitors. Rather than focusing on a single project, the framework brings together City-led initiatives which focus on improving day to day livability.” If approved by council on April 22, the next step is implementing the short-term plans, Doherty said.

Here are five of the short-term plans that will be considered by council next week:

Advance the redesign of Sparks Street and seek partner government funding for implementation
The redesign of Sparks Street will include upgrades to beautify the area and enhance the pedestrian environment. These improvements will add new amenities that encourage public lounging, social interaction, and a more vibrant, welcoming streetscape. The city will also seek funding partnerships with other levels of government to support implementation of these improvements.

Launch a downtown-focused investment attraction program
This program will proactively attract private investment, businesses and new industries to downtown Ottawa by promoting development opportunities, supporting redevelopment projects and strengthening partnerships with investors and economic development agencies. The initiative will help diversify the downtown economy and increase long-term economic activity.

Advance expedited conversion and approval processes to accelerate adaptive reuse
Advance streamlined approval processes for office-to-residential and other conversion projects to reduce timelines, improve certainty and lower barriers to adaptive reuse. Simplifying review processes and prioritizing eligible projects will help accelerate the repurposing of underutilized buildings, support increased housing supply and contribute to a more diverse and resilient downtown.

Propose a Bayview Yards redevelopment concept for consideration in the next term of council
Develop a redevelopment concept for Bayview Yards for council’s consideration that explores the potential to transform city-owned lands into a mixed-use, transit-oriented district, including opportunities for future infrastructure investment, public realm enhancements, and a balanced mix of uses to support long-term growth and economic activity. “Looking at Bayview Yards, we have Invest Ottawa there, but it’s a piece of city-owned land that’s quite close to transit and central (in the city). We’ll be looking at a plan for that land going forward,” Doherty said.

Federal-city partnership table on redevelopment of federal assets
The city and the federal government will work collaboratively to identify priority sites, align planning and investment decisions to accelerate redevelopment opportunities that support housing, economic growth and revitalization objectives.

https://obj.ca/five-downtown-revitalization-plans-city-propose-next-week/