Transcript
Tobi Nussbaum: Hi there, I’m Tobi Nussbaum, the CEO of the National Capital Commission, and in today’s episode of Capital Stories, we’re going to explore shorelines and waterways. For years, the NCC has been working to turn the Capital towards its incredible waterways to give residents and visitors great recreation and fun destination experiences. And through projects big and small over the last number of years, we’ve been doing exactly that, by activating our shoreline infrastructure and creating great new public spaces, such as here, [at] the NCC River House, as well as the new Westboro Beach Pavilion, more than a dozen bistros and terraces, brand new Dow’s Lake dock this year, Kìwekì Point opened earlier this year, and Summer Zone and many other activities to really bring people to the water, not to mention the swinging chairs on the Rideau Canal. So, what we’re really aiming to do is restore the shoreline infrastructure, improve it, enhance it, and improve long-term public access. So, in this episode, we’re going to unravel how these on-the-ground transformations are reconnecting people with the water’s edge, fostering urban life in our Capital Region, and setting a blueprint for future shoreline animation. And, so, to help me navigate this conversation, I’m joined by Nathalie Roy-Patenaude, our Director of Real Estate Management. Hey, Nathalie.
Nathalie Roy-Patenaude: Hi, Tobi.
Tobi Nussbaum: Thanks. Thanks for joining us in this episode of Capital Stories. And yeah, we’re at probably what was one of the most important big projects for the NCC in terms of what I have been talking about in terms of activating the shoreline. And we opened in August of 2023. I’m curious: How has this been different from what you imagined when we were in the planning stage and now two years later, the differences between what you thought it was going to be and what it is?
Nathalie Roy-Patenaude: Yeah, it’s good. I mean, part of it has been giving access to bringing people to the water and water to the people, recognizing that not everybody has access to a backyard. People live in apartments and condominiums, some with or without balconies, but they don’t necessarily have a backyard that they can enjoy. So, by animating the waterways and the parks, we’re creating that opportunity for people to come and enjoy our beautiful lands in the city. And today, that includes the River House. But we also have NCC bistros, cafes, patios. There’s opportunities for the public to rent recreational equipment like paddle boards, kayaks, pedal boats and so on. And of course, the opportunity to swim, like here at River House, at Dow’s Lake, Lake Leamy, Lac Philippe, to name a few within the portfolio. So, what’s really been outstanding is the interest and the use of our sites by the public. Since May alone, or in the last two months, with the opening of Dow’s Lake, the dock and the Westboro site, we’ve already welcomed over 100,000 visitors. And last year, the River House received or welcomed 80,000 visitors to the site. So, it’s an overwhelming response by… the demand by the public. So it’s phenomenal.
Tobi Nussbaum: Yeah, and you raise an important point, which is we didn’t start from nowhere, we started from a place where the NCC had public beaches. You mentioned a few in Gatineau Park, at Lac Leamy, our work with the City of Ottawa at Westboro Beach. But I guess it’s a combination of building on that legacy of beaches and adding more, probably slightly more urban spots. And the concept of being in a river and having a swim dock in the river was unique, I believe, in Canada. And so that was a first. And did it sort of pan out the way you thought it would? Or again, two years later, are you surprised by its success? Or did you think, no, this is going to be a home run?
Nathalie Roy-Patenaude: Oh, definitely, this is a home run. This is… a lot of people are coming from all corners of the city and they feel like they’re in a cottage. They feel like they’re in a rural setting. They feel like they’re on vacation or in a resort. So, we’re really creating opportunities for adventure and access to places that most people wouldn’t otherwise be able to access.
Tobi Nussbaum: Yeah. So one of the things that surprised me when I imagined River House and then now watching it, is that we’re really attracting people from throughout the Capital and I think visitors to the Capital as well. And I don’t know that I expected that. And it’s very heartwarming to see people who are new to Canada, who have been here for a short time, who quickly found it and are taking advantage of it. And I think you raise an important point about—it’s a beautiful spot. And if you don't have a cottage, you don’t have a backyard, you don’t have access to these sites, to be able to offer that to people for free has been something that I think for me was a bit of a surprise. I knew it would be popular. I knew it would be a great spot to hang out. But I don’t know that I quite understood that from an equity perspective, it would be so important in terms of that public access. Were there surprises for you between planning and execution?
Nathalie Roy-Patenaude: Absolutely. I mean, when you see the site, we really see the diversity of the population that the site brings and not just this site, but all of our sites. People from different backgrounds, different cultures, ages. We’ve seen from infants of a year old to 100 years old. And so, it’s really an opportunity for everyone to come and enjoy the site. And as you mentioned, it is free and it is fully accessible. So people with limited mobility, people with strollers, or so on, can really come and enjoy the site, and the accessibility starts from the parking lot all the way down to the swim area.
Tobi Nussbaum: That’s amazing. So in terms of numbers, do you see there being a cap on the demand, or do you think there is a “build it and they will come” aspect to our shoreline activation in general and swimming in particular?
Nathalie Roy-Patenaude: Definitely a “build it they will come.” We launched 10 new nodes last year, where we have a total of 30 different nodes across the region in total. And everybody, every site, brings a unique feature and a unique flair to it. And people are curious and they want to try them out. And I think the big part is that a lot of our sites are also connected to our pathways and parkways. So they’re very accessible. And yeah, people are site hopping and they’re looking for the next thing and next experience. And so, we’re creating experiences and destinations for people to look at.
Tobi Nussbaum: Fantastic. Yeah, I’m always interested to see sort of the feedback we’re getting, whether it’s through surveys and or on websites like Reddit and feedback that we’re getting in terms of our contact centre. And there seems to be an overwhelming sense that this is what people want. And I’ve often wondered, I have this line that I sometimes use, which is, wouldn’t it be great for the Capital in the summer… for swimming in the Capital in the summer… to be what skating in the Capital in the winter is? And I do think that we have the opportunity to really create leadership across the country and hopefully around the world to say, this is how urban areas can really turn towards their water. And you know, we talk about the climate crisis more in the form of challenges, which there are many and we’re working on those, but in some ways, what’s interesting about swimming is it’s an opportunity. It’s saying if we’re going to have longer and hotter summers, to give people a chance to cool down, to be outside in a safe way, to be able to jump in with their kids or with their friends is actually kind of responding. It’s a form of climate adaptation. So I think that’s exciting, too. Do you see there being other opportunities, other things that you think we as an organization should pursue?
Nathalie Roy-Patenaude: Well, I think that with the intensification of housing and the conversation of housing that is on the table, I mean, we’re going to see increased density in the core and… which means that more people will be looking for parks and shorelines and places to go to. So I think that that conversation is going to continue to evolve. And we have a real opportunity to continue to cater to that demand. And we’re working on a couple of other sites. Lady Grey Drive is one of them, where we’re exploring the feasibility and different animation options. East Wharf is another, where there’s a recreational platform that we can offer. So, we’re not out of options just yet, I think there’s more to come.
Tobi Nussbaum: Yeah. And I think it’s important to acknowledge something when it comes to these various projects. And I’m very quick to talk about the fact that we’re learning from other cities. And certainly, when we were talking about some of these projects early on, we were pulling out pictures and books and ideas that other… many capital cities across the world, particularly in Europe, have gone down this path. And I think what I like is we’ve taken some of the best examples and used those. And I think you’re right. I think there are more opportunities to do that. And similarly, it’s been heartwarming to see other cities in Canada now talk about the NCC River House. I’ve seen a few different references to cities looking at how they can put swim docks in their natural waterways. And they’re talking about the NCC River House as an example. So, to me, that’s the kind of national leadership that we talk about. And I’m certainly proud that we as a team are able to offer that to other jurisdictions.
Nathalie Roy-Patenaude: And a lot of people don’t realize… I was having conversations with peers and people in the industry not too long ago. And everybody thinks that everything is expensive or is a big project. Not everything is a big project. You talked about big and small. Some can be docks. Some can be a full river house. But one of the things that I say that when I talk to people in the industry is Canada is a country of land and parks and waters. And so, everybody in the community has a park or a river or something. They don’t… might not have as many as we do, but everybody’s got a little something that maybe they can look to bring to their community. And, you know, so I think there is just… I think we're setting the baseline for ideas and for people to be the innovator and the leader with shorelines.
Tobi Nussbaum: Now, there aren’t any people behind us right now, and that’s because there is a distant thunderstorm coming our way. But normally on a warm afternoon in the summer, this place would be packed. And, you know, we’ve talked a lot about the place. But I think it’s important to mention, too, that we've increased the options for people to get here. So I know we’ve got a water taxi.
Nathalie Roy-Patenaude: Yep.
Tobi Nussbaum: I think we’ve partnered with the hop-on, hop-off bus.
Nathalie Roy-Patenaude: Correct.
Tobi Nussbaum: And I’m always amazed to see the number of bike racks when I arrive at River House. I don’t know if we’ve counted, but we must have dozens and dozens.
Nathalie Roy-Patenaude: We’re over 100. We’ve stopped counting. Yeah. So that’s something that’s really interesting. I mean, all of our sites include bike racks. We put the planning for bike racks, but, you know, even now, we’ve promoted alternative transportation to the community. We’ve opened some sites last year. We didn’t even promote “come by bike or pathways,” and you go there at any given time and the bike racks are full. And so people are understanding our vision. They’re understanding the alternative transportation. But yes, water taxi is a great way. It is a universally accessible means of transportation. The double decker tour that does the city hop-on, hop-off tours have added River House as one of their stops. So, yeah, a lot of people want to partner with us and, you know, understand that, you know, we want to provide or promote alternative transportation. And public transit is also an option, but it’s a little bit more distant.
Tobi Nussbaum: Yeah. And I think that’s important as we build out these urban waterfront sites—there isn’t always going to be parking available. This doesn’t have great public transit access, which is why we’ve talked about some of the other means. But, yeah, I think that is a reality. And as we get a growing population in the Capital and more visitors coming, I think encouraging active transportation when we have public transit access, great. When we don’t, what are these alternatives, like water taxis? So I think that’s important and probably going to be more and more of our future, too.
Nathalie Roy-Patenaude: Yeah. And the water taxi also provides a scenic route here, right? It leaves from the Bytown locks. You’re going by the Rideau Falls. You've got the escarpment of Rockcliffe. So it’s a beautiful 30-minute ride to come here for about fifteen dollars, twelve dollars—fifteen dollars to come here. And so, you also get the scenic ride as you’re coming to, and then you can take the hop-on, hop-off bus on the way back. You can bike back… like there’s different ways that you can make it one way and return another way, which is also appealing to the site.
Tobi Nussbaum: Yeah, fantastic. Is there anything else that you would want to mention in terms of NCC and shoreline activation that I haven't asked you about?
Nathalie Roy-Patenaude: Well, I’m born and raised in Ottawa, and so I’ve seen Ottawa, you know, throughout my life. And to see what we’ve done in such a short period of time and how we’ve transformed the shoreline and the waterways is a big sense of pride. And to be able, as a public, or as a citizen of Ottawa, but being part of the NCC team that’s contributing to this, is also really amazing.
Tobi Nussbaum: Okay, well, thank you very much, Nathalie, for joining us for this episode of Capital Stories. Thanks to you and your team for all the work you do. And thank you to our listeners and viewers for joining us for this episode. I think at this point, the rain might be coming. So we’re going to get out of the rain and we’ll see you the next time.