Canada’s biggest playground will be built in Ottawa just in time for Canada’s 150th birthday.
Mooney's Bay will be the location of the massive structure.
But frustration is growing among residents who are upset the playground will replace prime green real estate. Liz Elton uses the park and canoes on the river almost daily. She is not upset about the idea of a playground- but says Mooney’s Bay is not the place to put it.
“My main concern is that this is a spot that is better used for other things, It's also environmental sensitive,” Elton says. “We are sitting here, and there are birds and a gentle breeze. You can hear the city, but you can see the river and you can see the trees.”
Elton says if all the green space is replaced with a concrete structure, the serenity and the accessibility of the park will be lost.
Ten year old Noah Hewie learned to cross country ski in this park. “I love it for all its space. I am sad that there might be a building here, because it will mess up the flow of the green,” he says,
The park will be 46-hundred square meters, roughly half the size of a football field. Its design will be inspired by Canada and will be divided into different sections, each representing Canada’s provinces and territories.
The City is investing $1 million- half of the cost of the project.
Residents say last Friday, River Coun. Riley Brockington sent a bulletin to residents, letting them know the city would remove 16 trees. David Armstrong is upset there was no public consultation. Armstrong says, “These people seem to not care about the relationships they are having with the people that are in the ward and in the city.”
The Sue Holloway Park, an outdoor fitness centre, will also be torn down.
Sue Holloway says her fitness park has been at Mooney’s Bay for 20 years. She says her outdoor fitness park will be moved somewhere else in the city- a location that has yet to be determined. She calls the river by Mooney’s Bay her playground, and says that the view from the river should not be cluttered with a large playground. “It's just a waste of what this space should be used for, as it is used for now, a place to picnic, ski, and play- but just in green space.”
Mooney's Bay is also the location of many festivals like the Hope Beach Volleyball and Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival. It is still uncertain if the construction in the park will affect the park’s capability of hosting the celebration.
Construction could start as early as June.
The park’s official opening ceremony will be held on Canada Day in 2017.
