‘Open NCC’ offers sneak peek of Westboro Beach, other key projects

After decades of complaints about secrecy and foot-dragging, in recent years the National Capital Commission has been racking up the wins.

Its $20-million makeover of the River House in New Edinburgh has proved hugely popular as have the bistros the NCC has opened at Paterson Creek, Remic Rapids and, most recently, Bate Island.

On Saturday the commission showed off some of those successes in its third annual “Open NCC” event, inviting the public for a sneak peek of its major projects such as Kiweki Point (the former Nepean Point) and the new restaurant and pavilion at Westboro Beach.

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While some events were simple drop-ins for guided walks at popular sites such Gatineau Park, Mer Bleue Bog and Pinhey Sand Dunes, others required advance registration. All three 1.5-hour rides on the electric EKAU canal cruise boat were quickly filled, as were guided bike tours along the Kichi Zibi Mikan parkway and a walk through the ongoing construction at Westboro Beach.

The Wesboro Beach pavilion closed in the spring of 2022 and the $21-million project was supposed to have been completed by the fall of 2023. Pandemic-related delays mean the facility won’t be ready until the spring of 2025.

The original pavilion with its distinctive, Brutalist concrete structure designed by noted Ottawa architect James Strutt, has been preserved and incorporated into the new design. The new complex features improved, modern kitchen facilities with seating for 160, eight gender-neutral and accessible washrooms, a multi-purpose space, historical interpretations, better work space for the beach’s lifeguards, and a children’s play area.

A new parking lot will open on the south side of the parkway and there has been extensive landscaping to take advantage of the site’s majestic views of the Ottawa River. The facility will be open year round, a welcome addition for skiers on the Kichi Sibi Winter Trail.

As part of its deal to build the western extension of the Confederation Line LRT on NCC land, the City of Ottawa is paying for parkland improvements along a 2.5-kilometre stretch of the river front, including Westboro Beach.