Canada Day urban camping sites cut in half due to low demand
The City of Ottawa is reducing the number of locations that will offer urban camping on Canada Day weekend from 11 to five due to lack of interest.
With a surge of visitors expected to descend on the capital for the July long weekend to celebrate the country's 150th birthday, the city announced it would turn 11 local recreation centres and arenas into temporary campsites from June 29 to July 4, 2017.
Early bird registration began in January, but as of Tuesday morning, the city said it had only received 79 registrations, mostly at locations close to Ottawa's downtown.
"We will be reducing the number of camping locations from 11 to 5 in order to focus resources on the remaining sites, reduce service contract obligations and ensure that the program covers its operating costs," Dan Chenier, the general manager of the city's recreation department, said in a memo.
Chenier said the city is at the point when it needs to commit to services like security, equipment rentals and waste disposal for each site.
Staff say an estimated 100 urban campsites will have been reserved by June 15 when registration closes. If demand goes up significantly between now and then, the city will reassess, Chenier said.
Sites too expensive, some say
Ron and Michele Payne just left Vancouver with their small trailer and dog Gertie in tow.
The couple was hoping to find a place to park their RV in Ottawa for July 1, but said they were "somewhat stunned and disappointed" when they found out the cost to park in a civic lot for just three days.
"[The price was] $542.50, no hook-ups, but hey, it includes a porta-pottie," Ron Payne said. The couple said they're now hoping to find a place in the Gatineau area instead.
The city has also been criticized by the anti-poverty group ACORN for the prices tied to its pop-up campgrounds.
The urban version of "roughing it" costs $75 per night for a tent, with a minimum three-night stay. If you're pulling up in an RV, the price is $180 to $230, depending on size, with the same three-night minimum.
Mayor Jim Watson defended the price in March. He said the city is only asking enough to break even.
The price includes the cost of setting up porta-potties and offering security at the urban locations.
The five sites that remain open for urban Canada Day Camping are:
- The Jim Durrell Recreation Centre
- The Tom Brown Arena
- The Richelieu Vanier Community Centre
- The St-Laurent Complex
- The Earl Armstrong Arena / Splash Wave Pool
