Ottawa's Byward Market

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Will they be renting the space out for private events?

Yes. They have a 200-person event space and VIP lounge. That was revealed in an OBJ article last week. They'd need a good 15 events a month in there to justify full-time staff.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by 2posting2ottawa

I don't know where the idea that the market doesn't have clubs or young people aren't going out comes from other than Gen X nostalgia for spots that haven't been open or relevant for 20 years. The club scene in Ottawa has been growing year over year consistently and finally recovered from COVID killing half the spots. History Ottawa is opening in a few weeks.

The market doesn't need a new food hall or pedestrianization it just needs a larger and better equipped year round event space where the parking is on York.

Bank street actually needs significant public investment and new destination spaces but the Market plan takes up all the oxygen with endless debates about pedestrianization.

Thanks for your perspective. Welcome to the forum

[J.OT13]

Owner of Le Moulin de Provence unsure of his future in the ByWard Market

Marissa Galko, OBJ
July 22, 2026

When Claude Bonnet opened Le Moulin de Provence in the ByWard Market in 1998, it really felt like a market. As Bonnet tells it, he was looking to settle somewhere where he could cater to people getting around on foot, much like the Atwater Market in Montreal. “When I opened Le Moulin, the success was […]

https://obj.ca/owner-le-moulin-de-provence-unsure-future-in-byward-market/

[rocketphish]

ByWard Market's Vendor Village is the BMDA's latest failure
The shipping containers operating as retail businesses are almost all empty now, as shopkeepers blame poor planning for terrible sales.

By Bruce Deachman, Ottawa Citizen
Published Aug 06, 2026 | Last updated 1 hour ago | 7 minute read

When I ran into Kafui Salakor in the ByWard Market recently, she wasn’t waiting for customers. She was packing up.

Since mid-May, when she opened her Déka Trends shop in the Market’s new Vendor Village — a cluster of a dozen shipping containers converted into retail shops beside the former Hudson’s Bay building — she’d been waiting for the business she’d expected.

It just never came.

Salakor had reason to be optimistic. Last August and September, selling from a stand on William Street alongside the ByWard Market Building, her jewellery, clothing and engraving business had been good. Customers especially liked watching her laser-engrave their photographs onto stone and tile while they waited.

This summer was different. Sales didn’t come close to what she expected. Unable to move to a York Street tent because she doesn’t drive and had nowhere secure to store her inventory overnight, Salakor decided to cut her losses halfway through the season.

“Last September, I sold more than I have from May until now,” she said. “It’s become demoralizing. It’s hard to get up in the morning and want to come here.”

It might be easy to dismiss Salakor’s complaints if she were the only one making them, but she’s not. And she’s not the only one giving up on running a business in the Market.

During a recent Thursday-afternoon visit to Vendor Village — a time when every Vendor Village business should have been open — only six of the 12 containers appeared to be operating as retail businesses. A couple sat vacant. Others, although leased, were closed. One former vendor container, now manned by the ByWard Market District Authority (BMDA), offered only visitor pamphlets.

Over the next couple of weeks, I visited the village four times. It never got any better.


<more>

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/byward-market-vendor-village-failure

[J.OT13]

Who could have guessed that pop-up businesses by an abandoned department store across a wide, unpleasant busy road from a livelier, more pedestrianized area, would fail.

[Kitchissippi]

I walked by there in June and it just lacks a cool factor. Most of the stuff is trinkets which you normally impulse buy when there other things or food on offer. If they had good food trucks parked in the HBC’s old loading docks and a busker space it might have a better chance of succeeding.

[rocketphish]

ByWard Market District Authority issues lease breach notice to market vendors over posters
The poster included an image of Mayor Mark Sutcliffe next to a QR code and urged people to email the mayor with a request to repeal what it described as renoviction plans.

By Abyssinia Abebe, Ottawa Citizen
Published Aug 08, 2026 | Last updated 17 hours ago



Long-standing businesses in Ottawa’s ByWard Market Building received notice letters from their landlord after they put up posters that the ByWard Market District Authority claimed were in breach of their tenancy agreements.

The posters were put up after a group of vendors — including 16 of the 17 businesses located in the building — created a petition on July 12 asking Ottawa city council to reverse a multi-million-dollar revitalization plan for the ByWard Market Building at 55 ByWard Market Square.

Almost a month since the vendors submitted the petition, there has been no concrete action from the mayor’s office, says Maxine Hill, owner of Canada In A Basket, which is located in the building.

That was what led the vendors’ group to put up posters around the ByWard Market in an attempt to make the public aware of what Hill described as a “looming threat” to the merchants’ livelihood.

The market authority took down the posters after sending what Hill described as a “nasty” email to vendors, saying the vendors were in violation of their lease agreements.

The black-and-red poster included an image of Mayor Mark Sutcliffe next to a QR code and urged people to email the mayor with a request to repeal what the poster described as renoviction plans for the ByWard Market Building.

“Support your local food and craft merchants!” the poster read.

<more>

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/byward-market-district-authority-breach-notice-vendors-posters

[Richard Eade]

Well, this is crazy. Does their lease agreement really prevent them from making political statements? If they put up an election poster for one candidate, would that also contravene their lease agreement? Time for a good lawyer to step in and do some pro bono work.

As one of the opinions in a previous Citizen article stated: The BMDA really emphasizes the ‘A’.

[In the ‘olden days’, civil servants were expected to be completely neutral, and so they were not allowed to voice opinions (work for candidate or post signs) during elections. That has proven to be unenforceable.]

PS Personally, I like the poster. I think that it is well crafted. But then, I agree with its message.

[J.OT13]

Trump places tariffs on Canada. Canada retaliates. Trump gets mad and retaliates the retaliation.

This feels the same.

Mayor reveals a plan that does not include any of the existing tenants. Tenants understandably has some concerns and asks the public to back them. Mayor (through BMDA) retaliates.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

Well, this is crazy. Does their lease agreement really prevent them from making political statements? If they put up an election poster for one candidate, would that also contravene their lease agreement? Time for a good lawyer to step in and do some pro bono work.

As one of the opinions in a previous Citizen article stated: The BMDA really emphasizes the ‘A’.

[In the ‘olden days’, civil servants were expected to be completely neutral, and so they were not allowed to voice opinions (work for candidate or post signs) during elections. That has proven to be unenforceable.]

PS Personally, I like the poster. I think that it is well crafted. But then, I agree with its message.

I'm happy to see the building renovated. There are some good current tenants I hope can survive with the increased rents. Corazon De Maiz for example can probably pay the extra rent with the increase in evening business they can expect. The sort of warmed over food most of the rest of them offer for the captive lunch market probably less so.

[Truenorth00]

Byward. The actual market and the surrounding area is disappointing. It should be more like one of the markets in London, UK. But forget Covent Garden in London, UK. It's not even as good as Covent Garden in London, ON.

[rocketphish]

Ottawa’s new full-body VR made me fear a monster I knew wasn’t real
Sandbox VR is an immersive virtual reality adventure where groups of two to six players enter virtual worlds from physical rooms.

By Abyssinia Abebe, Ottawa Citizen
Published Aug 13, 2026 | Last updated 9 hours ago | 5 minute read

I’m wandering through a dark and misty world, past giant towers that are tearing through clouds, where an evil overlord is sending fire-spitting dragons and creepy skeletons that are three times my size. They’re all there to destroy me.

When a green, Shrek-looking monster aggressively charges at me, I can’t help but feel actual fear.

I look down at my avatar’s hands and legs. One of my hands has powers to shoot out iced blades and the other is holding a sharp weapon. I have a dark blue, full-body hero’s suit made out of steel. A monster comes vaulting towards me. I can feel the buzzing as its weapon smashes against my armour.

I felt a wide spectrum of emotions — mostly rage — as I slashed the the green monsters.

I’d almost forgotten I was wearing a sensory vest. I’m at Sandbox VR, a new immersive virtual reality experience in the the ByWard Market, where groups of two to six players enter virtual worlds from physical rooms.

Sandbox VR has over 40 locations worldwide, and just opened their first location in Ottawa in December 2025. I’ve never tried virtual reality before, and I’m not even a gamer, so when I walked through the doors on Rideau St., I felt a bit nervous.

But I wanted to see if VR is a gimmick, or something that is worth your time and money.

The staff members at Ottawa’s Sandbox Virtual Reality (VR) branch don’t describe the virtual reality adventures as games. They call them experiences. And an experience it was.

<more>

https://ottawacitizen.com/life/sandbox-virtual-reality-experience

[rocketphish]

ByWard Market authority fires executive director months after hailing her appointment
Victoria Williston was relieved of her duties on Friday after only seven months in the position.

By Abyssinia Abebe, Ottawa Citizen
Published Aug 15, 2026 | Last updated 2 hours ago

The ByWard Market District Authority says it has terminated the employment of executive director Victoria Williston.

“The Board of Directors of the ByWard Market District Authority (BMDA) has decided to move in a new direction, which will require new leadership,” Suzanne Valiquet, vice-chair of the board, wrote in an email statement on Saturday, Aug. 15.

In the email, Valiquet also said that the termination was an “internal and private matter” and that the board would not be commenting further.

Williston became executive director of the district authority in January 2026.

In a Saturday afternoon post to LinkedIn, Williston said she was proud of the work the BMDA team had done in the seven months since then.

“The BMDA team is one of the best groups of people I’ve worked with, and the ByWard Market is lucky to have them. Thanks also to our partners at the City, and to the businesses who make the district what it is,” Williston wrote.

“For now I’m taking what’s left of the summer. Enjoying long walks, late dinners, and the people who’ve seen far less of me than they should have these past few years. More on what comes next in the fall.”

During her seven months as executive director, Williston said, the BMDA opened Carré ByWard Square, relaunched the Night Ambassador Program and began building out the systems “and foundational partnerships a young organization needs to stand on its own.”

Barry Padolsky, an Ottawa-based urban architect and a supporter of the ByWard Market who has been advocating for preservation of the ByWard Market Building since the 1970s, said the heart of the issues affecting the area was structural.

“It seems that the dismissal of the appointment of the executive director seems to be a way of admitting that there is a problem,” he said.

He said the issue was “more fundamental in that the ByWard Market District Authority isn’t structurally set up to be able to be more widely consultative about its mandate.”

Padolsky said part of the reason why the BMDA had been under heavy criticism was because of a lack of consultation with vendors before decisions about the Market were taken.

“That’s the heart of the problem,” he said. “The irony of all of this current skirmish and conflict of what’s the best way to go forward is that it’s happening on the eve of the two-hundredth anniversary of the ByWard Market.”

Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stéphanie Plante said she found out about the BMDA’s decision to terminate Williston on Friday and was surprised by it.

“I actually didn’t know until yesterday, so it’s not a decision that I made,” Plante said. “It wasn’t one that would have been made in consultation with me because I’m not on the board.”

Before becoming BMDA executive director, Williston worked for a couple of years as the organization’s communications director. Before that, she worked at 1310 CityNews Ottawa radio station.

When Williston was named executive director, the BMDA board said it was confident that her leadership aligned well with the organization’s priorities.
Article content

“Victoria brings a strong understanding of the ByWard Market and the broader civic environment in which it operates,” Sandy Smallwood, chair of the board of directors, said in the release announcing the hiring.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/byward-market-authority-fires-executive-director

[AuxTown]

I have been in the market twice over the past few weeks and boy was it nice to see how busy it was. Albeit they were busy tourist nights in Ottawa (Mamma Mia, Fireworks, etc.) but the perception that downtown Ottawa has no hope is such a meme and not based in reality. Most people who spout that nonsense probably never come downtown anyway...

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by AuxTown

I have been in the market twice over the past few weeks and boy was it nice to see how busy it was. Albeit they were busy tourist nights in Ottawa (Mamma Mia, Fireworks, etc.) but the perception that downtown Ottawa has no hope is such a meme and not based in reality. Most people who spout that nonsense probably never come downtown anyway...

Yes. I was pretty pessimistic but it's certainly doing better and better every year. The sheer volume of tourists and others pushes some of the nonsense further out. The parking in front of the shelter is always full.

I hope given the firing that doesn't mean we go back to the status quo. The market itself still needs an overhaul. Current tenants don't have veto rights.

[YOWflier]

Things are improving slowly but surely but the Rideau Street side still suffers. Went to the mall for something and spent about a minute out there during which a homeless/addict was screaming at someone/people the whole time. Lots of work to do still.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by YOWflier

Things are improving slowly but surely but the Rideau Street side still suffers. Went to the mall for something and spent about a minute out there during which a homeless/addict was screaming at someone/people the whole time. Lots of work to do still.

No doubt, but my impression is that there are a lot less people hanging out on Rideau than there were a few years ago. Someone randomly screaming is kind of a city thing - happens in my neighbourhood too.

[rocketphish]

Toronto-based group opening new Asian restaurant at 99 Rideau St.

By David Sali, OBJ
August 25, 2026

A Toronto-based company that operates Asian restaurants in several Canadian cities is making its first foray into the Ottawa market at the former McDonald’s location across from the Rideau Centre.

Legend of Spice Group is opening a restaurant at 99 Rideau St. this fall that will specialize in traditional Sichuan cuisine under its Chai Men brand, company executive George Li told OBJ on Tuesday. Founded in 2017, the company currently owns 21 eating establishments representing eight brands in the Greater Toronto Area, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. Li said Legend of Spice plans to open four more restaurants in the National Capital Region under various banners once suitable locations are found.

“It’s a good market,” he said in an interview with OBJ on Tuesday. Chai Men will aim to attract families with meals at “reasonable” prices, Li added. The restaurant is expected to be open for business by the end of September, but he said it will be a couple of weeks before specifics such as its exact capacity are finalized. Kevin Houlahan, a sales representative at Colliers who helped negotiate the company’s lease, said Legend of Spice has signed a long-term deal at the property, which is managed by Colonnade BridgePort. It’s the second time in less than a year that an Asian restaurant operator has signed on to occupy the 3,900-square-foot space, which was home to a McDonald’s for four decades before the fast-food outlet closed in 2023. Last fall, a Chinese seafood restaurant opened at 99 Rideau after chef and owner Kevin Tan signed a 10-year lease in 2024. His business, 99 VIP Seafood Restaurant, offered a mix of traditional and modern Cantonese cuisine. However, Tan shut the eatery’s doors just a few months later after Colonnade BridgePort terminated the restaurant’s lease. According to a bailiff’s notice posted on the door in late March, the business owed more than $83,000 in defaults and arrears.

Houlahan said Tuesday he believes a “lack of front-house experience” contributed to VIP Seafood’s failure. The veteran real estate executive described the owners of Chai Men as seasoned restaurant operators with a strong track record.

“They bring a lot of experience and depth in the (restaurant) market,” he said. “It looks promising.”

New businesses coming to Sussex Drive

The restaurant is just one of several new businesses expected to soon take over vacant storefronts on Rideau Street and around the corner on Sussex Drive. The National Capital Commission said last week it is closing in on deals with four new tenants to lease nearly 10,000 square feet of space on Sussex Drive near the new History Ottawa live music venue. The four properties between 521 and 541 Sussex Dr. range from 1,100 to more than 3,900 square feet. They were previously occupied by a variety of users, including Joy on Sussex restaurant.

Nathalie Roy-Patenaude, the NCC’s director of real estate management, told OBJ in an interview last week the agency is in “advanced negotiations” with new occupiers that will bring “diverse” retail and food offerings. The NCC hopes to finalize the leases in the coming weeks and expects most of the new tenants to move in by next spring.

“Certainly, what’s coming will complement what’s there,” Roy-Patenaude said. “We have some other businesses coming in that will bring really new concepts and really exciting offerings … some that we’ve never seen on Sussex in a really long time, if at all. We’re going to have some really fresh ideas coming in that will bring different people to the area.” The influx of new tenants comes amid a wave of other developments that are poised to change the face of the area around Sussex Drive and Rideau Street.

Live Nation’s History Ottawa venue, which opened last week, is expected to bring thousands of visitors to the neighbourhood and generate economic spinoffs for nearby businesses. “I think we’re at a major transition point down there,” said Jamie Boyce, a senior vice-president in CBRE’s Ottawa office.

“History opening, that’s going to bring a tremendous amount of foot traffic to the Market and to that area. Businesses in and around History are going to benefit greatly from the number of people that are going to be enjoying that particular venue.” Meanwhile, other construction projects such as the new 224-room Moxy Ottawa Downtown hotel on York Street and a 288-unit residential complex being built next to the Rideau Centre are also expected to attract more residents and tourists to the core. In addition, downtown boosters say Claridge’s acquisition of the former Hudson’s Bay store on Rideau Street is another sign that things are looking up for a neighbourhood that suffered its share of blows during the pandemic and is still trying to recover. “They’re the right buyer,” said Boyce, whose firm helped broker the HBC sale to Claridge. “They’re huge champions for positive growth and positive momentum in the city of Ottawa. It’s further energy that everyone is ultimately going to benefit from. Whatever occurs there in the future is going to be impactful for the overall market just on the size and the magnitude of what it is.”

Houlahan agreed. He said that while the escalating trade war with the United States and ongoing geopolitical tensions are creating uncertainty, he believes new amenities like History Ottawa and the requirement that federal employees work in the office four days a week will accelerate the downtown retail revival. “Things are sort of progressing forward — maybe not at the pace that you would normally expect, but it’s been a busy summer for showings,” said Houlahan, who specializes in brokering retail leases.

“There's an inflection point, and I think we’ve reached it. (The ByWard Market area) will have its good days and its bad days, but it seems the climate has turned around. As one party takes on a project and another party takes on a project, then all of a sudden … there’s interest. When there’s no action going on is when everybody will look but nobody is going to act.”

https://obj.ca/new-asian-restaurant-opening-on-rideau/