The National Capital Commission (NCC) is formally interested in establishing a national urban park in Ottawa, CBC News has learned.

Exactly where is not yet clear. In documents obtained by CBC this week under access to information legislation, all references to a specific possible location have been redacted.

In a statement Thursday, the NCC would say only that it's in Ottawa.

Land currently owned or controlled and managed by the NCC in Ottawa includes the Greenbelt encircling the inner urban area, much of the Ottawa River shoreline from Britannia to Orléans, lands along the Rideau Canal, and smaller green spaces like McCarthy Woods, Hampton Woods, Vincent Massey Park and Confederation Park downtown.

...

In its own statement issued Friday, Parks Canada wrote it has "engaged in preliminary, exploratory conversations regarding the possibility of a national urban park in Ottawa."

"This has been an initial exploration and not a formal discussion. No other organizations, including the City of Ottawa and Indigenous partners, have been formally approached about this potential idea. No decisions have been made at this time," the statement continues.

If a park on NCC land goes ahead, it would be the first federal property to become a national urban park, the released documents show.

Bylaw Services removed 787 listings from Airbnb in the first year of Ottawa's short-term rental bylaw, which only allows property owners to rent out their primary homes.

A new report for the Emergency and Protective Services Committee says the city has issued just over 800 short-term permits for properties in Ottawa, while Airbnb registered at least 12 property management firms or individual managers.

The memo, written by Bylaw Services Director Roger Chapman, says the city refused permits to 46 applicants for various reasons during the first year, "most often because the property is not the applicant's primary residence or because it is not zoned accordingly."

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The city implemented the Short-Term Rental Bylaw in June 2022, with staff saying the regulations would help manage community nuisance issues arising from short-term rental activity and "protect housing inventory for residential use." The bylaw requires property owners to obtain a permit, which costs $110 for two years, if they planned on renting out their principal residence or part of a residential unit for a period of less than 30 days.

"Although there are over 1,300 Airbnb listings, it is important to note that there is not a one-to-one relationship between hosts and listings," Chapman says.

"A rogue sign spotted on the fence of a Centretown park this week is the talk of social media, but no one seems to know what it means.

Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster posted a photo on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, saying , "A friend of mine spotted this sign in St. Luke's Park on Elgin Street and asked me what it is supposed to be preventing?"

The sign shows an individual in a squat position with their arms extended, and the prohibition sign over the image." ...

Shawn Menard sees parallels between Greenbelt land swap in GTA and a 2022 urban boundary expansion in Ottawa

"Barely a week after Ontario's housing minister resigned in the fallout of a report into the Greenbelt land swap in the GTA, a city councillor wants the province's auditor general to look into another controversial land decision the same minister made in Ottawa.

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The auditor general's report found the land swaps benefited certain developers. Capital Ward Coun. Shawn Menard sees parallels with Clark's 2022 decision to expand Ottawa's urban boundary by 654 hectares, overriding a previous city decision and concerns development there would be costly for taxpayers."

What is wrong with people?

The cost to rent a one-bedroom apartment surpassed $2,000 a month in Ottawa in August, as the average asking rent reached a record high across Canada.

New statistics from Rentals.ca show the average rent new tenants were asked to pay for a one-bedroom apartment in Ottawa last month was $2,063 a month, up 11.5 per cent from one year ago. The average asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment increased from $1,979 in July and $1,925 in May.

The average cost to rent an apartment was $2,226 a month in Ottawa in August, up 11.9 per cent from August 2022.

"The proposed development committee voted to approve includes the restoration and stabilization of the building and the construction of a three-storey addition at the back, with 14 residential units. There are no parking spaces proposed for the site.

The plan is subject to several conditions, including the implementation of a conservation plan. It also requires that a construction schedule be submitted that outlines anticipated timing of key milestones for the project."

The article was clearly AI generated. Microsoft has killed the original article, giving a 404, pretending it never existed. But, you can see an archived image of it on Imgur.

Even ignoring the ridiculousness of including the Ottawa Food Bank as a destination. Even ignoring the callousness of the line "Consider going into it on an empty stomach", the article is just full of spicy autocomplete nonsense.

• "Participate in the Winterlude, the Capital's winter festival, skate on the world's largest skating rink, or play on North America's largest snow."
• "Go to an Ottawa Senators Game: Ottawa, as Canada's capital draws visitors from around the world who come to see its historic buildings and landmarks, experience its arts and culture and take in the sights and sounds. Denis Potvin are two NHL heroes from Ottawa..."
• "The World's Largest Naturallyfrozen Ice Rink"
• "Discover a Winter Wonderland at Omega Park" (along with a picture of the Canal)

Be careful out there!