A Lowertown recreation centre is blocking a local food bank from moving in to a neighbouring building
In the heart of Lowertown, a food bank faces the uphill battle of meeting soaring demand while grappling with space constraints. Despite the promise of a new facility, access hurdles stand in the way.
Catherine Dubois has dedicated a year to volunteering at the Lowertown Food Bank on Beausoleil Street. She's worried about the cramped conditions.
"It's clearly too small, it's clearly overwhelmed by all of the food that has come here," said Dubois.
The Lowertown Food Bank is unable to expand services due to space limitations.
"The services that we would like to see in our community can't be offered because the food bank, at the present time, it takes over the whole space," says Dubois. "So we can't offer homework clubs, for example. We can't offer groups for early years for the little ones in our community."
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Originally never intended as a food bank location, the Lowertown Community Centre had no choice but to address the overwhelming demand for food.
The City has tried to respond to the great need and a motion was adopted by City Council in October and November 2023, advocating moving the food bank to the municipal building at 40 Cobourg St.
Patro d'Ottawa Rec Centre. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)
"It's been really disheartening to see the great increase in demand for the services in the food bank. But it's also meant that unfortunately, the space here, which was inappropriate for a food bank at the beginning, is now bursting at the seams," says Matt Beutel, Executive Director of the Lowertown Community Resource Centre. "Unfortunately, we haven't been able to access that (Coburg Street) space because a mobility access ramp has been denied to us."
The reluctance to share access to the ramp, owned by the adjacent recreation center, is a mystery for many.
Patro d'Ottawa Rec Centre ramp. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)
The councillor for the area is hoping an agreement can be made after years of being denied access.
"You know, something like a food bank is not really, let's just say, a place to kind of play these games where you're saying this side is mine, that side is yours. We really need to come together as a community and I'm really hoping that we can broker some sort of arrangement so people can have food in their bellies. At the end of the day, that's all that matters," said Rideau-Vanier Ward Coun. Stéphanie Plante.
The community centre says the new facilities would make it easier to serve thousands more families every year. But many of their clients have mobility issues. Without the ramp, there is no way to operate here.
"It's hard to understand why access to a ramp is the only stumbling block for this high-needs community to have what it deserves," said Beutel.
Right now, the Lowertown Food Bank is forced to turn down food donations because they have nowhere to store it and that means turning away families in need.
"We'd just like an adequate space for all of these folks that are coming because I think, at the very least, they deserve to have this service which is so essential to their well-being," said Dubois.
CTV News reached out to the recreation centre but did not hear back.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
Teen dies after being hit by train in N.W. Calgary
A teenager has died after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary on Tuesday afternoon.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.