The future of Mooney’s Bay Beach

Beach revitalization: The City of Ottawa is planning to build a new pavilion at Mooney’s Bay Beach to replace the existing one built in 1964. The current building houses change rooms, a canteen, washrooms, staff offices, and storage spaces, but it’s nearing the end of its lifecycle. 

In 2018, public consultations showed the desire for a new building rather than renovating the existing one. 

What’s being considered: Two options have been unveiled as possibilities. The first is a one-storey building which would include a beach promenade, water play area, a beach patio, a multi-purpose room, a lifeguard office looking towards the beach, and a food service pavilion. If this design is chosen, it would mean the removal of 36 trees and would include a realigned pathway and new light poles. 

Option two is for a two-storey building, which would include all of the same amenities. Unlike the first option, only 18 trees would need to be cut down. It also includes a new pathway network. 

A year-round destination: When Mooney’s Bay Beach is not being used as a destination in the summer, it’s also used in the winter for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. It also used to be a popular spot for tobogganers who would sled down the big hill, though that was stopped in 2017 when an 11-year-old girl died in a sledding mishap. 

• A $150,000 study was launched in May 2024 to see if the hill could reopen for such use again, but it is believed no fixable option exists. 

Either design for the new building includes year-round options, unlike the current facility that’s there. 

Next steps: At this point, it’s unclear when shovels could be in the ground or when further design work could be completed because it’s all contingent on funding. 

Water testing: If you want to swim at Mooney’s Bay Beach this summer, you might be taking a greater risk than before. Ottawa Public Health is switching from daily water testing over the summer to once a week, which will still meet provincial standards. 

• “Because water samples take 18-24 hours to process at the laboratory, they only indicate the quality of the water at the time of sampling, the day before. This results in limited accuracy for determining the real-time level of E. coli bacteria in the water,” said Dan Chenier, the Recreation, Cultural and Facility Services general manager, in a memo to council. 

Last summer, no swimming advisories were issued due to high E. coli counts and heavy rainfall for 22 days at Mooney’s Bay beach, reported CTV. 

Fun facts: Mooney's Bay is an artificial bay on the Rideau River that was created during the construction of the Rideau Canal. A dam and set of locks were constructed to bypass the rapids in the location of the Hog's Back Falls. This created a widened area of the river, suitable for boating.

• Mooney's Bay was named after three generations of Mooneys who held the position of Lockmaster at Narrows Lock, covering 87 of the first 112 years of the lock's history.

Mooney’s Bay’s changing landscape 

A number of development projects are currently in the works in the Mooney’s Bay Area, which will drastically change the landscape of the neighbourhood. 

The Docks at Mooney’s Bay is a six-unit townhouse project at 3071 Riverside Dr., which offers up to 1,757 sq. ft. of living space above grade, and up to 716 below. 

Planned next to it are the Northside and Southside Flats. 

• “The architecture is inspired by its local context, using light, earthy materials, with large windows and balconies reminiscent of contemporary lakefront accommodations,” the developer’s website reads. 

Building up: While the site has been left vacant for a few years, Brigil has plans to construct a mixed-use development at 729 Ridgewood Ave. The site used to be home to a strip mall that included Country Grocer, a Persian restaurant, a pharmacy, a barbershop, and an insurance broker. It was one of the only shopping areas in the neighbourhood where locals could go. 

Plans for the project changed many times. In 2020, Brigil was considering building up to 25 storeys with a total of 728 units on the site. But after public pushback, new drawings showed four buildings ranging from four to 15 storeys. The number of units was also dramatically reduced to 387. 

Now updated plans on the City of Ottawa website from 2023 show a slightly different vision with five buildings ranging from four to 15 storeys tall. Commercial space would be located on the ground floor with space for 567 cars, and 198 bicycle parking spaces.