Ottawa may be inland but over the course of the next week, the city will be receiving dozens of sea containers. It's all part of an event called Inspiration Village. The containers are being set up on York Street, between Sussex and Byward Market Square. That street will be closed to parking for the next five months. It's an impressive sight: forty-one shipping containers are being plunked down in the middle of the Byward Market for this 2017 celebration. It promises to be an exciting event but for some business owners and drivers, they want to see these shipping containers set afloat.
On the back of a flatbed trailer, there goes Manitoba, followed by Québec. Dozens of shipping containers, some of them bearing the names of provinces, are being delivered to the Market.
“Inspiration Village is one of 2017 Ottawa signature events,” says Jasna Jennings, the head of the Byward Market BIA, “This is going to be the festival site for 2017.”
The BIA is predicting a huge boost in tourism as the containers turn into mini-stages with entertainment and interactive displays.
Some stores, like the Urban Barn directly across from the sea containers, are hoping to cash in on it all.
Kim Lopez is the store manager, “I think it's exciting, a great way to promote tourism and Ottawa downtown.”
The whole area inside the gate will be paved over so that the shipping containers have something flat to rest on. The plan is that at the end of this event, to rip it all up and return it to its natural state with parking.
It all begins the May long weekend and wraps up Labor Day. Until then, the 92 parking spots are off limits. In fact, a few people found that out the hard way yesterday when their cars were towed so this site could be prepared.
“I think it's going to be terrible for these places right here,” says one driver, “It's going to be more tragfic and reduce people coming downtown.”
The folks at the York Street Spa agree and worry about a loss of business.
“I think it's an odd location,” says stylist Amitya Bourgeois, “It's known for being a good parking lot for downtown (along York Street) so Major's Hill would have been a good area or Confederation Park.”
“Parking's always an issue,” says Peter Elmarji, the owner of Oh So Good, “So we're going deal with it anyways. At least they are trying to bring people in to attract more business for our fellow neighbors and ourselves.”
The councillor for the area says these spots represent just a fraction of what parking is still available in the market. Mathieu Fleury says it's a small price to pay for this huge opportunity.
“I think 92 spots, we take it seriously, but when you look at 3000 spaces in the Market and at least 8,000 if you walk a bit further. It's a small amount for a huge opportunity as part of 2017.”
