City issues 852 parking tickets, four bylaw charges on Canada Day

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Canada Day 2024 saw an increase in the number of parking tickets issued and arrests made across the city. There was also a spike in calls to the Ottawa Paramedic Service compared to last year, though officials say the number represented a “normal” call volume for the holiday.

Canadian Heritage hosted Canada Day events in the capital region. A daytime ceremony at LeBreton Flats featured performances and a flypast to mark the centennial of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The evening event was a free, two-hour concert, followed by a fireworks show.

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Caroline Czajkowski, spokesperson for Canadian Heritage, said Canada Day 2024 welcomed around 10,000 visitors during the daytime ceremony, with around 20,000 visitors attending the evening show.

Czajkowski told this newspaper last year that around the same number of people attended the evening event in 2023. In 2022, the event was attended by approximately 33,000 people.

Around 60,000 visitors made their way to the LeBreton Flats Park grounds throughout the day on Monday, she said, with about 10,000 people visiting Parliament Hill. While downtown generally welcomes around 350,000 people on Canada Day, Czajkowski said exact numbers aren’t available for the past several years.

Marc-Antoine Deschamps, public information officer for the Ottawa Paramedic Service, said paramedics responded to 31 incidents related to Canada Day festivities this year, up from only three in 2023.

Three incidents were heat-related and none were life-threatening. It was sunny and 27 C in Ottawa on Canada Day.

Deschamps said there was a mix of medical and trauma-related calls, including interventions with people from the shelter community. One call was made after a member of the Canadian Armed Forces Parachute Team was injured upon landing during a performance.

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Lt. Devon Gorman, the public affairs officer for the Skyhawks, said the military would not release the name of the injured soldier nor details of the person’s injuries.

“During our recent performance, one of our teammates was injured. On-site medical personnel responded immediately to aid the injured person. The safety of spectators and our team members are our top two priorities. The name, specific injuries, and treatment will not be released at this time as a matter of privacy. We will thoroughly review the circumstances of this incident, however, our immediate concern is the wellbeing of our injured teammate who is in hospital receiving care,” Gorman said in an email.

There were three calls made to paramedics in 2023.

“It’s more than last year but still well within our capacities with the staff dedicated to the event,” said Deschamps, who attributed the lower amount of calls to poor weather and a likely smaller crowd. Canadian Heritage suspended daytime activities last year due to severe weather. “It’s back to our normal call volume on Canada Day. It’s a typical Canada Day.”

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There were no Canada Day festivities in the capital in 2020 or 2021 due to COVID-19, with 31 calls made in 2022. There were approximately 65 calls made in 2019, though Deschamps said the Canada Day venue was different at the time.

There was also a spike in parking tickets and arrests made this Canada Day, compared to last year.

According to Christine Hartig, acting director of By-law and Regulatory Services for the city, three charges were issued this year for discharging fireworks in a prohibited location, with one charge issued for a noise disturbance.

Last Canada Day, one charge was issued for discharging fireworks in a prohibited location, with three charges related to noise disturbances and one charge made against an unlicensed taxi.

Hartig said officers also issued 852 parking tickets, up from 704 last year. Several investigations are ongoing, Hartig said, with further charges to be issued “if warranted.”

The Ottawa Police Service said three arrests were made this Canada Day, with one person arrested for public intoxication and two for “breaching their conditions.”

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In 2023, there was one arrest for public intoxication on Canada Day, though no charge was laid.

Traffic was heavy near the Champlain Bridge on Monday evening, though police said there was no collision or incident to highlight. Police said two calls were received for possible intoxicated driving in the area during the evening.

This Canada Day, there were 19 collisions reported in Ottawa, compared to 14 last year.

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