We all know what it’s like to be out in public and be unable to find a toilet.
I remember how the pandemic put lack of washroom access into extreme focus, when restaurants and coffee shops were forced to close their doors. My daughter was still young at the time, and it made even a trip to the park seem impossible.
I have been advocating for public toilets since I was elected in 2022. It’s frankly shocking that the capital city of a major G7 country currently has no stand-alone city washroom facilities. And what’s worse? We keep toilets in city parks and fieldhouses locked up, because we don’t budget enough money to keep them staffed. This has created a profound public health crisis, especially in downtown Ottawa, where it is not uncommon to find human waste on sidewalks and in parks.
That’s why I brought a motion forward to the Finance and Corporate Services Committee to ensure that the city’s downtown revitalization strategy includes a comprehensive public washroom strategy. It passed unanimously. The plan will include four elements:
A preliminary design showing what a public washroom in Centretown could look like
You may have also heard in the news that the Centretown public toilet project was recently put on hold, due to cost overruns. This is largely because city staff have done their homework – learning from the mistakes made by OC Transpo when they built public bathrooms in LRT stations. Those toilets have all been closed to the public, with no confirmed re-opening date. That’s what happens when we don’t build robust public infrastructure and fund proper staffing, to ensure that washrooms remain safe and clean for everyone to use.
I am working with city staff and the mayor’s office to get the Centretown washroom project back on track. We can’t revitalize downtown Ottawa without access to public toilets. It’s our city’s responsibility to address this essential human need – for the health of our downtown and for the dignity of everyone who lives in or visits our community.
Because when you gotta go, you gotta go …
Warmly,
Ariel
Ariel with Ala'a Shadid (Multifaith Housing Initiative), Darren Graham (Youth Services Bureau) and Sarah Button (CCOC Housing).
Tomorrow: Earth Day Festival in Dundonald Park
The Earth Day Festival is back this year in Dundonald Park on Saturday, April 18 from 10am to 2pm! There will be activities for kids, live entertainment, free popcorn and over 20 booths and exhibits. Drop by to discuss sustainable cities, clothes and food, meet your local representatives and much more!
Free trees in Centretown
This spring, Centretown NeighbourWoods will offer, at no charge, 50 tree saplings to Centretown residents. There will be 15 different native species to choose from on a first-come, first-served basis. All saplings will come in 2-gallon pots and will range in size from 3 to 5 feet in height.
Trees can be ordered online at http:/tiny.cc/ccafreetree. Applicants will be able to indicate their first, second and third choices on the application form since numbers of each species are limited.
There are only two requirements: applicants must be residents of Centretown and the trees must be planted on private property in Centretown. Those with questions about which species are suitable for their available space will be able to seek advice at [email protected].
The pick up date for the tree saplings is Saturday, May 9 from 1-4pm in the laneway behind the McNabb Community Centre. Centretown NeighbourWoods volunteers will be on site to offer advice on planting and care for the saplings.
Minto Park Sale
Somerset Ward’s Minto Park Sale is returning on June 6th this year! Join your neighbours for this no-yard yard sale and browse dozens of tables of household items, crafts, clothing, plants, and artwork! Catch some free local music from the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition’s City Sounds Live series, connect with local elected officials, and learn more about resources in your community!
WHERE: Minto Park (Elgin & Lewis)
WHEN: Saturday, June 6th, between 9am and 3pm
Do you have items you want to sell at a yard sale? Sign up here for a table at the sale.
Enhanced street cleaning coming to Centretown
Starting next week, you might notice some new teams out in Somerset Ward on Bank Street, Somerset, Preston and Elgin helping keep our streets clean. These crews will be cleaning up waste, removing discarded needles, reporting graffiti and much more. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to our office about the need for a spring clean-up. You can also gather some neighbours and participate in Cleaning the Capital. Keeping our community clean takes all of us.
Plant Your Place 2026
The Plant Your Place! program is starting up again this spring, which means more free trees in the ward! Households located in the ward's two priority planting areas (Dalhousie-Rochester
Heights and Bank Street Centretown) can receive a site visit from an urban forestry professional who can assess the property and arrange tree planting at no cost. Residents in the Dalhousie-Rochester area will be able to register for a site visit starting April 8, while residents in the Centretown Bank area will be able to register starting May 4. Read more here to see if you are eligible.
Trees will also be available for pickup at 300 Coventry Road. Priority area residents are now able to register on a first-come-first-serve basis, while all other residents can register starting March 9th.
Find out more and register at plantyourplace.ca!
OC Transpo Customer Satisfaction Survey on Engage Ottawa
OC Transpo is participating in two international customer satisfaction surveys provided by the Group of North American Light Rail Operators (GOAL) and the International Bus Benchmarking Group (IBBG).
These surveys are conducted every year by transit agencies around the world. The results provide information that helps transit agencies improve their services.
The surveys include questions about reliability, security, ease of use and other service factors. Each will take approximately five minutes to complete. All responses remain anonymous.
Learn more and take the survey online here.
Partnership with Build Canada Homes promises 3,000 new homes, with focus on affordable and supportive housing
The city recently entered into a partnership with Build Canada Homes, a new federal agency that launched in September 2025 to help grow the supply of mixed-income housing in Canada. This first-of-its-kind agreement for Ottawa represents a significant federal-municipal partnership that supports the accelerated delivery of affordable homes in Ottawa.
The 2,000 units on surplus federal lands would include a mix of market, affordable and deeply affordable homes. Up to 40 per cent of the homes on federal lands are targeted to be affordable. Mixed-income housing like this brings people of different incomes together, helps residents do better in life, and supports the economy by making sure workers can afford to live where they work.
Learn more online here.
Day of Mourning events and ceremonies for 2026
Every year, thousands of workers, friends and families of fallen workers gather at ceremonies across Canada to recognize the National Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured on the job.
Join the Ottawa & District Labour Council and members from the labour movement for a ceremony on April 28.
Location: CLC Monument in Vincent Massey Park Time: 12:30 p.m.
Report spring potholes to 3-1-1
ServiceOttawa continues to promote online service requests, making it faster and easier to report routine issues without waiting on hold.
Submitting a request online is quick, accessible, and receives the same priority and response time as calling 3-1-1. By choosing the online option, residents help reduce call volumes, lower wait times, and keep phone lines available for urgent or complex concerns.
As we head into the busy spring season, online reporting is especially helpful for common issues such as:
If you need help submitting a request or following up, send an email to my office ([email protected]) and our caseworkers would be happy to help.
There’s a new park opening at the corner of Lyon and Albert this summer, and when city staff asked me who we should name it after, I didn’t hesitate when I said: Diane Holmes.
Some days at City Hall are about the little things like potholes, garbage pick-up and noise complaints.
Citizens voices matter, and they drive the positive change that we need in our city. That’s the message I got from a very long Public Works and Infrastructure meeting this week that included delegations from more than 70 residents and business owners. The two contentious items on the agenda included infrastructure that many of us would regard as very basic: sidewalks and bus lanes.