Ottawa has to shed its image as a town that doesn't like fun
We have too many rules, too many controls, too much consultation and too complex a process. We’ve engineered the spontaneity out of our city.
Toon Dreessen
Publishing date: May 26, 2021 • 9 hours ago • 3 minute read
Ottawa has long held a reputation as a place that fun forgot. People who live here know that there is a lot to love about the city: its history, the Rideau Canal, proximity to parks and rivers, excellent clubs, museums and galleries all make Ottawa a great place.
More spontaneous fun things are harder to come by. We’ve created a process that makes it hard for small businesses to thrive and where the process is more important than the outcome.
In 2016, a local artist planned to give away free T-shirts celebrating Ottawa 2017 on Sparks Street, until the local Business Improvement Association (BIA) asked him to move, squashing a fun event to bring people together.
In 2017, business proposals to the NCC executive committee made a business case to open cafés at Remic Rapids, Confederation Park and Patterson Creek. In the summer of 2020, two opened; the Patterson Creek location, opposed by neighbours, has yet to see the light of day, though the NCC website indicates it may happen in 2021.
In each case, the cafés are only open for a few brief summer months. Despite the fact that Ottawa celebrates itself as a winter city, we can’t, somehow, imagine how people might want to enjoy a café in the spring or fall, or during winter months while skiing along the river or skating along the canal. Keeping public washrooms open, serving takeout and, yes, using patio heaters, could make these cafés fun additions to our city for most of the year.
More recently, Jerk on Wheels, a food truck with excellent Caribbean chicken and two locations, has run intro trouble. The one on Merivale Road continues, but the Bank Street location in Old Ottawa South has to close. According to social media posts from the owners, despite the business having all permissions in place, local restaurant franchises of Dairy Queen and Tim Hortons have objected to its presence.
Then there is the sad plight of Banana’s Beach Grill and Rum Shack, located on Petrie Island.
Its owners have spent 10 years investing in their space, building patios, creating a reputation (that earned them a Community Builder Award) and annually resubmitting applications to operate their business. This year, according to their Facebook post, they have learned that a single person in procurement at the City of Ottawa decided they did not meet some technical criteria and, therefore, they have to pack up their things and leave.
While this is being referred for review, which could take weeks, it leaves this Black-owned business in the lurch. Precious good weather, not to mention a long weekend, go by, making their business less viable by the day.
We need a reset.
We have too many rules, too many controls, too much consultation and too complex a process. We’ve engineered the fun out of our city.
Yes, we should have some consultation on new cafés or food trucks. But we need some limits. Communities should not have veto rights on where and how a business operates any more than they should have veto rights on a new development. We need more Yes In My Back Yard (YIMBY). More food trucks create a lively food culture, drawing people to businesses, shops and other cafés. A nearby fast-food place should no more have a veto on a food truck than I should have on whether another architect can open their business near my office.
We need to embrace our goals of being “world class” and allow the Banana Shack to reopen, and only re-apply after 10 or 15 years, like a normal business lease. We need more cafés, with public washrooms, at NCC and city parks.
They should be open year-round, or, at least, eight months of the year. Let’s let those businesses decide how to run their affairs in a way that they can manage. If we build the infrastructure, let them figure out how to make it work. And instead of punitive (“market rate”) rents, charge them modest rents based on their success.
Because if they succeed, drawing in people, creating a positive tourist image, supporting under-represented business owners, offering creative fare,and building community, shouldn’t that be something we support? If we want the city we aspire to, we need to rethink our approach.
Reform procurement to support local businesses. Engage in meaningful consultation within limits that respect the broader public interest. We need to take some risks that make our city dynamic, exciting and world-class.
Bring spontaneity and fun to our city. Be the city we aspire to be.
Toon Dreessen is an architect and president of Ottawa-based Architects DCA and is past president of the Ontario Association of Architects.
https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/dr...oesnt-like-fun
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), the 200th anniversary of the founding of Bytown and start of construction of the Rideau Canal.
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