Beginning Saturday, April 15, children and youth of Ottawa can participate in “Play Free” – a lineup of free drop-in activities that includes gym sports, swimming, museums and skating.
Earlier this year, Ottawa City Council approved an initiative to offer a selection free drop-in programming for children and youth, aged 17 and under, in order to make recreation and cultural programming more affordable and accessible for everyone. With the introduction of these free programs, more children and youth can participate in City programs and realize the associated health and social benefits of these activities.
Gym sports
From April 15 to June 25, there will be free sport drop-in sessions for children and youth. Drop-in sports will vary by location and include basketball, soccer, volleyball, badminton, pickleball, skateboarding, roller skating and Kindergym. View the schedule of drop-in sports at your local recreation facility on ottawa.ca.
Swim Saturdays
From June 3 to December 30, there will be free drop-in swimming sessions on Saturdays for children and youth. Fees still apply for wave swims. View a list of recreation and community centres with pools on ottawa.ca.
Museums
From June 24 to September 3, there will be free daily admission for children and youth to the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum and Billings Estate National Historic Site. There will also be free drop-in activities for children at Billings Estate from Friday, July 7 to Friday, September 1. View more information about museums and historic sites on ottawa.ca.
Skate
From September 16 to December 23, public and family skating sessions will be free for children and youth. View a list of facilities that offer skating on ottawa.ca.
Youth weight and cardio memberships
From July 1 to August 31, as part of a new partnership, Tony Graham Automotive Group and the City will launch a free weight and cardio summer membership for youth at select City facilities.
Every child should have the opportunity to participate in recreation and cultural activities. Play Free is an initiative to reduce financial barriers to participation. The City of Ottawa also offers financial support through the Ottawa Hand in Hand participant subsidy program. Visit ottawa.ca for more information.
For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service. You can also connect with us through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For Pride 2024, I want to acknowledge two very important people who inspire me every day. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ As many of you know I was a gestational surrogate. Watching her amazing dads raise her is the most heartwarming experience!❤️ Second, Lowertown’s own Paul Fournier, aka...
Pipe Repairs Duford Street, between Lavergne and Grandmaître streets This notice is to advise that construction in Vanier will be undertaken between September and November 2024. This work is being conducted to complete the replacement of approximately 90 metres of...
Thank you for your email about renovictions. I recently spoke to CTV on this matter. I was one of several Councillors who worked with Councillor Troster on her motion that was approved by the Housing and Planning Committee on April 10, and I supported it at Council...
OC Transpo’s New Ways to Bus Travel Planner is now available on octranspo.com/NewWaysToBus. As discussed at Transit Commission on June 13, this exciting new resource allows residents to create travel plans for future trips in the new network, using typical weekday and...
The City held an unadvertised “pop-up” at Riverain Park on July 9, 2024, from 11:30-2:00pm to gather park users' feedback. City staff members were on-site, along with a booth to inform people of the Parks and Facilities By-law Review and to discuss their experience...
On Thursday May 2nd, 2024, Councillor Plante hosted a hybrid Lunch and Learn Event on Soft Conversions. Soft Conversion is defined as an intermediate step in the transformation of older buildings into affordable housing, that focuses on the urgent need to provide...
May 22nd, 2024. This post is to alert you that tree removals in MacDonald Garden’s Park are scheduled for this week. I am very sad to report that among the trees that will be taken down is the large Norway Maple at the base of the sledding hill. This is arguably the...
Do you have a Free Little Library in your neighborhood? We are trying to map all the Free Little Libraries in Ward 12! If you have one near your home, please take a picture and submit the address to the new, interactive map on my website. On my website, click on:...
By disposing of batteries correctly, we help reduce the risk of fires in our waste facilities and trucks, keeping our collection operators and first responders safe. Fortunately, there are numerous retailers and organizations that will take back batteries for safe...
English