Weekly newsletter: May 19, 2026
Hi everyone!
I hope you enjoyed your weekend! This week’s photo is my son meeting the pug recently adopted by one of my friends.
A friendly reminder that waste collection (garbage, blue bin, green bin, yard waste) is delayed by a day this week, as Monday was Victoria Day.
Did you know Victoria Day was declared a holiday in Canada (then the Province of Canada) in 1845? It became a legal holiday in 1901 and was celebrated annually on May 24, until it was changed to the second last Monday of May in 1952.
Disc golf update
Basket locations at Calaveras and Oldfield parks revised.
Disc golf baskets were first proposed for Calaveras, Chapman Mills, and Oldfield parks back in March based on requests from the community.
Following a period of public feedback, discussions with disc golf experts, and site visits with City staff, the proposed basket locations at Calaveras and Oldfield parks have been revised.
At Calaveras Park, the proposed basket locations were moved to the east away from the busy cut-through pathway to an area with more trees to catch errant discs.
At Oldfield Park, the proposed locations were moved to the north to provide extra distance from the playground. The baskets will be located at the top of the berm as to not interfere with the sledding path of travel.
The proposed sites are meant for practice, learning, and light back-and-forth play. Full games can be played at the disc golf courses in and around Ottawa, such as at Beaverbrook Park in Kanata, Centrepointe Park in Nepean, and others listed by the Ottawa Disc Golf Club↗.
Maps of each park are shown below. Each proposed location includes two baskets about 30 metres apart, located about 15 metres from the nearest pathway or sidewalk. The baskets will be funded by fees for local parks paid through development applications.
Although the basket locations are practically finalised, funding will not be approved until they are actually finalised. Feedback is welcome at Wilson.Lo@ottawa.ca!
Bite-sized updates
Sorted alphabetically. New/updated items marked with asterisk (*).
Beatrice/Queensbury (bus stop 3345) shelter – Staff anticipate this shelter’s installation in July.
*Census scam – Residents have reported receiving text messages stating their census is incomplete or not received. Statistics Canada may send text reminders, but they are always sent from 782-782 or 236-732 in both English and French. Be cautious of phone calls, emails, or texts claiming to be census follow-ups or similar, especially if they request personal or financial information.
Development application, 3400 Woodroffe↗ – Thank you to the residents who attended last month’s public information meeting. Minutes and supplementary information were shared in last week’s newsletter.
*Earl Mulligan Drive – Traffic calming construction is anticipated to be complete by mid-June (previously mid-July). See Ottawa.ca/EarlMulliganDrive↗ for more information, including a project overview.
Fallowfield Via Rail Station – Construction will happen 10:00 pm to 10:00 am nightly until June 30 (excluding Fridays and weekends, unless delayed by weather during the week) to partially rebuild the train station’s island platform. No impacts to the OC Transpo station are expected.
Household hazardous waste – This year’s drop-off depots near Barrhaven are noted below. See Ottawa.ca/HHW↗ for instructions and depots scheduled for other dates and further away from Barrhaven. Many items, like light bulbs, spent batteries, old tires, paint, electronics, and more, can also be dropped off at retailers and other locations↗ throughout the year.
June 28, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm – Trail Road Landfill, 4475 Trail Road↗
October 17, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm – Strandherd snow dump, 4061 Strandherd Drive↗ (enter via Dealership Drive)
Longfields/Via Verona sidewalk – Construction will begin in the coming weeks to fill in a missing link in the sidewalk on the west side of Longfields between Via Verona and Via Chianti. Originally, this was to be done with the adjacent parcel’s development, but with a horizon of seven to 10 years, an arrangement was made with the developer to install an interim sidewalk made of asphalt, which will be winter maintained. Thank you to the resident and their daughter who raised this at my town hall last autumn!
NCC Bike Days – The National Capital Commission’s weekend and holiday closures↗ of the Queen Elizabeth Driveway have resumed. Like previous years, the driveway will be closed to motorised traffic between Fifth avenue and Somerset street weekends and holidays from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm until Thanksgiving. Similar closures also affect the Kichi Zībī Mīkan and the Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway.
*Police office hours – South District officers are hosting drop-in office hours as part of their community outreach. Their next day is May 28, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, upstairs by the food court at the Walter Baker Sports Centre. No registration needed.
Potholes – Please report potholes to Ottawa.ca/311↗. The requirement to provide contact information for pothole reporting has been made optional starting this year.
*Race Weekend – Several roads downtown, along the Ottawa River, and along the Rideau Canal down to Mooney’s Bay will be closed at various times next weekend (May 23 to 24) for the 2026 Ottawa Race Weekend. See RunOttawa.ca↗ for a list of closures and an interactive map. O-Train service will also start earlier at 5:00 am on Sunday (overnight buses into downtown will continue operating as scheduled until 8:00 am).
Riverside/Bank – Ongoing Bank Street construction will affect residents whose commute includes the Riverside/Bank intersection, including lane closures and roadway shifts now until August 31. See Ottawa.ca↗ for more information.
School transportation opt-out – Parents with children in the two English school boards who are eligible for school transportation but wish to opt out for next school year must do so by June 1 at OttawaSchoolBus.ca↗. No information was provided about the French school boards.
Strandherd bus lanes resurfacing – The bus lanes on Strandherd between Prince of Wales and west of Cresthaven will be resurfaced from May 20 to 26. Overnight work, 10:00 pm to 7:00 am, will be required for three days within that stretch. Notices will be delivered to nearby homes, while the property manager at the Prince of Wales Manor and Stonefield condominiums have been notified.
Summer jobs with the City – Summer job postings in parks and recreation are now live at Ottawa.ca/jobs↗. Please note some positions are restricted to post-secondary students, while others are open to all students.
Walter Baker Sports Centre – The swimming pools are closed for structural and deck repair works until June 28. Annual maintenance will also be completed during the closure.
Lastly, happy 115th birthday to Parks Canada! On this day in 1911, the world’s first national park service was established. Initially the Dominion Parks Branch, it took on various names before becoming Parks Canada in 1998. As part of an unrelated federal government initiative, admission to all national parks is free from June 19 to September 7. Details at Parks.Canada.ca↗.
Have a great week ahead!
-Wilson