Ottawa 2017 Wants to Allow Camping and RVs Outside City Facilities

As hotels fill up for Canada Day 2017, the city is considering allowing people to book sites for “urban camping” in front of city facilities like recreation complexes and arenas.

“We’re getting close to reaching full capacity in hotels, so that’s we asked to table this motion before council,” said Guy Laflamme, executive director of Ottawa 2017.

Sites chosen by city staff for consideration include the Bob Macquarrie Recreation Complex, Ray Friel Recreation Complex, Richelieu-Vanier Community Centre, St-Laurent Recreation Complex, Nepean Sportsplex, Earl Armstrong Arena, Kanata Leisure Centre, Jim Durrell Recreation Centre, Tom Brown Arena and Cumberland Village Heritage Museum.

All 10 sites include green space for tents, exterior parking and shower and bathroom facilities for the campers.

Setting up a tent on a city lawn is normally against by-law, so council would need to approve a temporary exception. That will be discussed Nov. 9.

Ottawa 2017 wants the temporary by-law exception to come into effect around Canada Day, spanning six days, from June 29 until July 4.

Fees for tent sites would be around $100 a night.

For RVs, the costs ranges from $150 to $210 per night, depending on the size of the lot needed. All lots would accommodate up to six people, but additional people up to a limit of 10 could be added for another $25 a night per person.