Councillor R. Brockington

The recitals

• That the Rules of Procedure be suspended to consider the following motion
• , Mooney’s Bay Park, located between the Rideau River and Riverside Drive in River Ward is approximately 88 acres in size, is well visited during the year and has multiple amenities for all four seasons
• the Park is located on NCC land and the City operates recreational services as part of a 50-year lease
• winter amenities/activities in the Park include, a 5km groomed cross country ski trail, groomed walking trails, snowshoeing trails, New Year’s Day polar plunge and tobogganing
• tobogganing has been a winter activity on Mooney’s Bay Hill for decades
• the City of Ottawa hosts a number of sanctioned toboggan hills across the city and is aware of a number of unsanctioned hills in use by the public
• Mooney’s Bay Hill has been a sanctioned and unsanctioned hill for tobogganing
• similar to other hills both under the authority of the City, but also the NCC, steps have been taken to reduce the risks of injury at Mooney’s Bay by adding hay bales, wrapping trees and posts in padding, adding signage on location and physically altering the north side of Mooney’s Bay Hill by adding a pronounced berm at the bottom to help reduce the speed of tobogganers
• the tragic death of eleven-year-old Josée Abi Assal on December 27, 2021, had a number of contributing factors including weather conditions and steel posts left in place at the base of the west facing side of the Hill
• a professional assessment of the Hill’s current state identified a number of risks associated with tobogganing
• tobogganing at Mooney’s Bay has occurred for decades and there is a strong public desire to retain tobogganing on site
• there is no financial cost to visit the Hill and Mooney’s Bay is a well visited site by many new Canadians and those who partake in activities that are free
• Ottawa Public Health recognizes that physical activity and spending time outdoors are important to our wellbeing and mental health