NCC Sir George-Étienne Cartier Park Plan | In Progress

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by urbanforest

I somewhat agree. This is a great idea, and I'm glad they're doing this, but part of me wishes they'd do it somewhere else. The Riverhouse is a great thing, but it's already a destination in and of itself—and a difficult one to get to for most people. Why not spread out the investment/waterfront animation and put this at Dow's Lake, or Lebreton, or further along the river to the west?

On the contrary, clustering uses like this creates greater "animation" and cross-uses and cross-users. The new iteration of Westboro is hopping because the snack bar and bar-bar and swimming and paddlesports and dry-land activities are all squeezed together.

What needs to be more "spread out" is the existence of such clusters, not the individual uses, activities, or facilities within them. But if you compare what we have for a waterfront now, compared to 25, 10, or even 5 years ago, it's come a looooooong way.

And I know the NCC and cities are constantly planning more than doing, but now that we've opened our eyes to some of the possibilities, it would be worth having an absolutely Lets Go Nuts exercise where people come up with their most insane ideas for river-oriented facilities and activities that aren't already on someone's planning books. Throw it all at the wall and see what sticks.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by urbanforest

I somewhat agree. This is a great idea, and I'm glad they're doing this, but part of me wishes they'd do it somewhere else. The Riverhouse is a great thing, but it's already a destination in and of itself—and a difficult one to get to for most people. Why not spread out the investment/waterfront animation and put this at Dow's Lake, or Lebreton, or further along the river to the west?

I suppose the good thing about it being on a barge is that they'll be able to move it easily if/when that makes sense to do.

Yeah, would be great to have this in Nepean Bay or Dow's Lake. Current location seems oversaturated with activity (limiting accessibility). Maybe they could move it to Nepean Bay once the park land is completed in 10+ years.

Originally Posted by zzptichka

I don't get it. Private company will park their exclusive party boat near the River House and NCC will be paying for it?

Kind of hard to gauge how this will work. Private spa-ish renting the space? Or NCC building the space and renting it our to a private spa-ish?

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

On the contrary, clustering uses like this creates greater "animation" and cross-uses and cross-users. The new iteration of Westboro is hopping because the snack bar and bar-bar and swimming and paddlesports and dry-land activities are all squeezed together.

What needs to be more "spread out" is the existence of such clusters, not the individual uses, activities, or facilities within them. But if you compare what we have for a waterfront now, compared to 25, 10, or even 5 years ago, it's come a looooooong way.

And I know the NCC and cities are constantly planning more than doing, but now that we've opened our eyes to some of the possibilities, it would be worth having an absolutely Lets Go Nuts exercise where people come up with their most insane ideas for river-oriented facilities and activities that aren't already on someone's planning books. Throw it all at the wall and see what sticks.

I agree having multiple activities in one location is best, and that's the Riverhouse. It already has just about everything Westboro Beach has.

[Ottawacurious]

I hadn't realized the River House was open in the winter.

From the NCC website
"In winter, you can ski, snowshoe, bike and walk on a multi-use winter trail that leads to the NCC River House. Winter trail users can stop in for a snack at the Café & Bistro and warm up during business hours."

Having a spa of sorts should increase the use throughout the winter. If the bistro wasn't open, I too would have rather seen this put in Dow's lake during the winter and have it as part of the Canal / Winterlude season. Maybe Riverhouse can create an ice rink in the cordoned off area and have a mini ice rink too all winter? It'd be a similar size to the one at Rideau Hall/GGs which would be nice. Dunno.

[zzptichka]

Looks like $95 per visit

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Yeah, would be great to have this in Nepean Bay or Dow's Lake. Current location seems oversaturated with activity (limiting accessibility). Maybe they could move it to Nepean Bay once the park land is completed in 10+ years.

Why move? Just buy more floating docks?

[J.OT13]

Rehabilitation of The Rockcliffe Pavilion

Rockcliffe Pavilion is a century-old heritage structure that serves as a popular lookout and destination for weddings and ceremonies.

The NCC is performing general rehabilitation work to restore this significant landmark and will add a food and beverage offering.



About the project

This project involves a comprehensive rehabilitation of the pavilion, while preserving the heritage of the building. The scope of work includes civil and infrastructure improvements, structural repairs, and waterproofing.

Scope

Specifically, this project includes:

• rehabilitation of the pavilion and infrastructure improvements;
• structural repairs of the basement walls and terrace floor;
• upgrades in roof structure;
• waterproofing the structure to ensure the building’s integrity;
• foundation and precast concrete repairs;
• mechanical and electrical repairs;
• window replacement;
• infrastructure work to accommodate a food and beverage service;
• removal and replacement of water and sewer infrastructure for the existing washroom facilities.

Project impacts

To facilitate construction, and for public safety, fencing will be erected around the pavilion. The entire structure will be closed, including its access stairs, as well as paths and the adjacent parking area.

https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/projects/rehabilitation-of-the-rockcliffe-pavilion

[J.OT13]

NCC rolling yet another waterfront improvement; they've added a bistro at the Blair Boat Launch. They posted about it on Instagram.

Only other reference (sort of) that I found was this Rothwell Heights post from a few months ago:

NCC to Animate Blair Boat Launch

Tue, 05/12/2026 - 12:49

The National Capital Commission (NCC) is currently engaged in site preparation and landscaping work aimed at animating the Blair Boat Launch.

Work will continue on-site during the coming weeks. While finalizing the infrastructure, the NCC is planning a temporary food service on a newly constructed terrace area, allowing a test of the site before considering future options.

Some minor disruptions may be experienced during this work. Pathways for pedestrians and cyclists will remain accessible.

[rocketphish]

From pirate ships to floating saunas, it’s all part of entrepreneur Mat Slaman’s vision

By Mia Jensen, OBJ
September 29, 2026

Earlier this summer, entrepreneur Mat Slaman hung up his pirate hat after 17 years sailing around Mooney’s Bay with his company, Pirate Life Adventures. Now, he’s helping Ottawans brave the colder months with a more relaxing, year-round venture.

Last August, the National Capital Commission put out an RFP to find a partner willing to design, build and operate a floating sauna near the NCC River House. Earlier this week, Slaman’s company, Saunoa, was announced as the winner.

“Waterfront spaces, much like the NCC River House, are highly used in the summertime but in the winter they become vacant, empty spaces as folks retreat indoors,” Slaman told OBJ. “Creating a floating sauna gives people a whole new way to access waterfronts in the winter months.” As an entrepreneur, Slaman made a splash when he took over Ottawa company Pirate Life Adventures, a tourism brand that sailed guests along the Rideau River every year between May and October. Under his leadership, the business expanded to Toronto in 2014, and between 2023 and 2024 added two more boats to its fleet with new locations in Hamilton and Barrie. But in May, Slaman decided to “pass the pirate hat” and sell the business and its four vessels.

While the company and ships are still for sale, Slaman has found success with Saunoa.

“I’m always looking for unique and novel ways for people to get together, things that don’t already exist and places where we can connect,” Slaman said. “I look for things that are just so unique and create something that people will be able to talk about.” The business launched in Toronto with its first floating sauna on the harbourfront last year, inspired by Finnish sauna traditions. “Sauna culture has existed in Finland for thousands of years,” he said. “In Nordic countries and others in Europe, it’s part of everyday life. Canadians have equally harsh winters and yet we haven’t really engaged in sauna culture the way the Finns have. Having experienced some of the sauna life in Europe, I thought it was time to bring the concept to the Canadian waterfront.” While Slaman is currently based in Toronto, he said the call for proposals from the NCC caught his attention as someone who had operated a business in Ottawa for years.

“I love Ottawa,” he said. “I went to university here and stayed until 2013 because I moved to Toronto. I still love this place. Ottawa is so connected to the world and to nature and it has beautiful greenery and waterfronts that some might say are underutilized. And here we are, working with the NCC to leverage the beautiful River House and create winter activation.” Though the sauna will be active year-round, Slaman encourages people to visit during the colder months to enjoy an icy dip in the river.

“They can soak, sweat, stay warm, relax by the water, then go for a splash or, in this case, a polar dip in the Ottawa River itself,” he said. “It’s one of the few places today where you can disconnect from your devices. Sauna is a space for gathering. It’s a space for community. It’s a space that we need more than ever today and I thought this was a really good way to bring that to Ottawa.”

https://obj.ca/ottawa-barefoot-shoe-company-next-step-outside-investment/