Cricket barrhaven

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Good morning! 

Alas, it’s the end of the season for the Rideau Canal, which will close for skating at 10 p.m. tonight. You’ve regularly heard me complain about how much I despise winter, so the fact that temperatures are expected to climb above zero for much of next week is welcome news. Despite the staggering amount of snow we received this year, spring is almost here.

As the weather warms up, people will start flocking back to sports fields across the city to play soccer, rugby, baseball and basketball. But there’s also another sport gaining popularity in Ottawa: cricket.

The bat-and-ball game is played between two teams of 11 players on a large oval field with a 22-yard pitch in the centre. One team bats to score runs, while the other bowls and fields to try and dismiss the batters.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe is expected to have a cricket-related announcement later today as part of the city’s effort to expand facilities for the sport. But one proposed pitch at Beryl Gaffney Park in Barrhaven is already raising concerns, with nearby residents questioning whether the popular greenspace is the right place for it — and warning it could worsen parking pressures in the area.

Let’s get to it.

— Charlie Senack, Ottawa Lookout managing editor

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WEATHER

Wednesday: -7 🌡️ 6 | 🌤️

Thursday: 0 🌡️ -6 | ☁️

Friday: -7 🌡️ 2 | 🌧️

By Charlie Senack. Read the story online here.

A proposal to build a cricket pitch at Barrhaven’s Beryl Gaffney Park is sparking debate among residents who say the popular greenspace should remain in its current state.

The City of Ottawa is considering installing a cricket pitch at the park as part of a broader effort to expand facilities for the rapidly growing sport. But some community members worry the change could alter the character of a park they say has long been valued for its natural setting and open space.

Former Gloucester-South Nepean city councillor Carol Anne Meehan says the park was always intended to be a natural area focused on trails and passive recreation.

Meehan said during her time on council she worked with the city to make small improvements that helped people access the park while maintaining its natural character. That included convincing the city to plow the parking lot in winter so people could continue using the trails.

“I convinced the city to get that parking lot plowed out so that people could park in there and use the trails,” she said.

She also pushed to have the tall grass in the field near the parking area cut back so people with mobility challenges and dog owners could use the open space.

“The field in front of the parking lot was just crazy. It was all grass overgrown,” Meehan said. “I convinced the city to have that cut down because a lot of people who use… who have their dogs weren’t able to use the paths.”

Meehan says the park has faced development proposals before, including ideas to add an amphitheatre, playground structures and other built features. Each time, she says, residents pushed back.

Over the years, she said, the community repeatedly made it clear they wanted the park to remain largely untouched.

Because of those past debates, Meehan said she was surprised when the cricket pitch proposal appeared.

“I thought that maybe the city would recognize that the area is already heavily used, people don’t want it to change, and would back off,” she said.

“So I’m quite surprised when this plan suddenly appeared without any public consultation.”

Barrhaven resident Debbie Prescott has launched a petition opposing the proposed pitch, saying many residents only learned about the plan recently. In eight days, it has grown to over 800 signatures. 

“It’s not just a dog park. It’s a park with unleashed dog access, and it’s heavily used by people from all over the city,” she told the Ottawa Lookout. “Families see how beautiful it is, and they’re just blown away by how gorgeous the whole place is.”

She also raised concerns about the potential impacts of a sports facility in the middle of a heavily used greenspace, including parking pressure and long games that could draw large crowds. 

Current plans suggest building 22 parking spaces, but Prescott worries that won’t be enough when you account for spectators. 

“Cricket, when it’s played, lasts several hours,” Prescott said.“If you talk to the people in Stonebridge, there’s a cricket pitch there. It invites a lot of people — not just the players. It’s the players’ families and the wider community that come.”

“There’s overflow parking on the weekends already,” she said.

“So you bring this cricket community in, and it’s going to be craziness, absolute craziness.”

Cricket is one of the world’s most widely played sports and has deep historical roots in Canada. In fact, during the 1800s, it was considered the country’s national sport before lacrosse was officially recognized.

Today, the sport is experiencing renewed growth, particularly in large and diverse cities.

Rideau Jock Coun. David Brown says the city has received hundreds of requests to expand cricket facilities.

Brown said providing dedicated facilities could help reduce conflicts where players currently use other sports fields.

“Right now they’re playing in green spaces and parks. They’re playing on soccer fields. They’re playing on football fields and in ball diamonds, which obviously adds some conflict issues with existing park users,” he said.

“That is why I think it’s a good idea for the City of Ottawa to identify several locations across the city to facilitate this particular sport.”

Brown emphasized the project is still in the consultation stage, but he noted it would take up only about three per cent of the park space. Critics pointed out that while this is true, it’s almost the entire mowed field where people regularly play with their dogs. 

“Once we have that feedback… the planner assigned to the file will compile the information and come back to Coun. Hill and myself for a discussion on what the city has heard,” he said.

“Then we’ll see if there are things that we can do to improve the proposal.”

Brown said the proposal would improve the existing grassy field rather than remove greenspace.

“What we’re doing is ensuring that the existing grass field is maintained to a higher standard so it can be used by a particular user group when that user group is there,” he said.

Prescott hopes the city will reconsider the location.

“Go back to the drawing board,” she said. “Don’t pit communities against each other. We have to leave some kind of nature for generations to come. We can’t use up all the green space.”

Mayor Sutcliffe will be making a certified-related announcement at 3:00 p.m. today. The Lookout has learned it will include a broader strategy to build multiple cricket pitches in various parts of the city.

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Youth homelessness has reached a crisis point. Each year, between 1,200 and 1,400 young people experience homelessness in Ottawa, often due to family conflict, unsafe environments, or lack of mental health supports.

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56

That’s how many days the Rideau Canal Skateway was open for skating this season. The skateway will close for the spring on the night of Wednesday, March 4, the NCC has announced, after a season that topped the 2024-2025 winter. [Ottawa Citizen]

📚 Algonquin College’s board of governors has voted to cut 30 programs starting next September to address its deficit and a lack of funding from other levels of government. The programs affected include music industry studies, paralegal, journalism, museum studies and sustainable architectural design. Read more. [Ottawa Citizen]

❗ As conflict spreads in the Middle East, Global Affairs Canada is urging Canadians to avoid travel to Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. According to the GAC, more than 85,000 Canadians and permanent residents are currently registered in the area. Retaliatory strikes have widened in the region following the United States and Israel’s attack on Iran on Saturday. Read more. [CTV]

🚏 Para Transpo users say the system is not meeting their needs, as wait times and service gaps pile up. Without 24-hour or on-demand service and a 30-minute arrival window, using Para Transpo is becoming increasingly inconvenient, users say. Read more. [CTV]

⛽ Ottawa gas prices are expected to spike this week following the widening conflict in the Middle East after military strikes by the U.S. and Israel on Iran. Gas prices that were around $1.37 per litre could spike to $1.50 by the end of the week, experts say. Read more. [CityNews]

💼 The Public Service Alliance of Canada has filed a policy grievance over the federal government’s offer of early retirement packages to thousands of public servants. Approximately 68,000 federal public servants received early retirement notices in December following the release of the Canada Strong Budget 2025 and its plan to cut 28,000 positions. Read more. [CTV]

⚖️ The murder trial for the death of an Ottawa infant in October 2021 has begun. Boravy Buth and Patrick O’Connor have pleaded not guilty to all charges in the death of seven-week-old Colton. Read more. [Ottawa Citizen]

🚨 The Ontario Provincial Police is warning of a rising scam spreading across eastern Ontario, in which suspects pose as police officers to obtain money. Victims are often contacted via phone and instructed to withdraw money by fraudsters claiming to be members of the OPP, and it has resulted in “significant financial losses” for victims. Read more. [CTV]

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is projecting a $11.5 million deficit, in part due to declining enrolment in elementary schools, the school board said. This will be the fifth straight year the board will be in the red, and in June, trustees approved a 2025-2026 budget with $18 million in cuts. Read more. [CTV]

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The Ottawa Little Theatre is presenting The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie and adapted by Mark Shanahan, until March 14. 

Famed rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, which first took the stage in 1971, comes to Centrepointe Theatre March 6-15, portraying the last week of Jesus’ life and changing the face of musical theatre.’’

Governor General’s Award-winning show Blood Relations, A Bear & Co and Three Sister Theatre Company co-production, is on stage at the Gladstone Theatre. The production is based on the true story of Lizzie Borden, who is alleged to have killed her family in Massachusetts in 1892. Opening night is March 5. 

This week, the National Art Gallery is inviting guests to visit for March Break and create art at the gallery studio, join a family tour, explore interactive spaces and visit the exhibitions.

Until March 15, catch Spring Fling at the Kanata Civic Art Gallery, featuring artworks by the West Carleton Arts Society to welcome in the season. 

The Ottawa West Arts Gallery is exhibiting Where The Light Gets In, featuring local artists, in an exploration of light in various mediums. 

At the Art House Cafe this month, experience Downside Up, an exhibit by True to Life, a vibrant collective of young photographers with Down syndrome who are passionate about sharing their unique perspectives with the world. Meet-the-Artist event on March 12.

Join a photo critique session with Michael Tardioli, co-founder of The School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa, at SPAO on Saturday, March 7. Share your work, get feedback from the experts, and continue developing your photography skills.

The Jim Durrell Recreation Centre is hosting an art lending show and sale featuring original art from Ottawa-area artists, with free admission. March 7th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This week, the Mayfair Theatre is screening Oscar-tipped Hamnet, Pillion, Big Trouble in Little China (1986), A Better Tomorrow (1986), All That’s Left of You, The Room (2003), Stagecoach (1939), Housewife of the Year (2024), Serbian and Croatian film Svadba, and House (1977).

At the Bytowne Cinema, catch Oscar-nominated Kokuho, A Poet, Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie, The Zone: Dark City – The Director’s Cut (1998), L’Etranger, award-winning The Testament of Ann Lee, The President’s Cake, Donnie Darko on 35 mm, Spectacle: Days of Heaven (1978), and best-picture nominee Marty Supreme. On Saturday, the cinema is presenting a live burlesque performance by Frisque Femme Productions inspired by the 2018 musical Bohemian Rhapsody. You can also catch the collections of Oscar-nominated short films in both documentary and live action categories this week.

Sloan rock Bronson Centre on 5 March. The Halifax legends bring their "A Tour de Force" with three decades of Canadian alt-rock excellence. Tickets $48.

Bearings play Club SAW on 6 March. The pop-punk quartet launch their "Comfort Company" album tour with explosive energy alongside Toronto's Rarity and Second Harbour. Tickets $25.

Ndidi O comes to the National Arts Centre on 6 March. The Vancouver powerhouse and two-time JUNO nominee delivers blues-folk storytelling magic fresh from recording sessions for a new album. Tickets $22.

Jack Pine brings Friday Night Folk to Art House Cafe on 6 March. The JUNO-nominated songwriter delivers dynamic acoustic alt-folk with his signature gritty style alongside Lefty McRighty.  Tickets $15.

Rise Against play Hard Rock Ottawa on 8 March. The Chicago melodic hardcore veterans bring their latest album "Ricochet" with explosive support from Destroy Boys and Koyo. Tickets $100+.

Listings for music shows are provided by Ottawa Gigs, the best place to discover live music in Ottawa. Check out Ottawagigs.ca for full listings across the city.

Want to see your event here? Submit them to our event calendar.

It’s hard too imagine we’re nearing the end of the Ottawa winter, but if the mild temps and later sunsets are to be believed, warmer days could be ahead!