By: Harry Fischer, CAFES Board Member
Gardening used to be simple – find some bare ground, stick a seed in and wait for Mother Nature to do the rest. Well, times have changed and so has gardening in Ottawa, especially with regards to growing on city property. After years of tangled rules and processes, a bit of lobbying by numerous groups including CAFES Ottawa and Wild Pollinator Partners, and a push by some key City Councillors including Marty Carr, the City of Ottawa has finally carried out some overdue and necessary pruning to the Community Garden program. The result is the coming new and improved Community-Led Greening Initiatives and Gardening Program!
All gardeners need tools and supplies, and the city’s new tools include moving the program to a new city department: Recreation, Cultural and Facility Services (RCFS). RCFS is better positioned to support the program, and has hired two new staff (Krissy May and Katie Lester) to detangle the old model of de-centralized departmental responsibility into a one coordinated group that will centralize program applications, permitting and coordination.
This new group includes key representatives from relevant city departments to give us a functional one-stop point for applications to various community-led greening and gardening and greening proposals. This will ensure all proposals go through a common structured review process with one point of contact, complete with an integrated review of physical, environmental, and safety concerns.
Another key component of this revised program will be the city’s internal "Rule of Three" process - that community applicants will receive timely and clear reasons for any delay or rejection to their application, with suggested modifications and alternate steps to get the project back on the proverbial track.
Since the new staff had a lot of prep work to do, including detangling years of backlogged applications, the new program is a bit delayed (lots of bind weed and stuff like that to cut through!) but it’s anticipated that they will start accepting new applications in early 2026. They can be contacted at: communitygardens@ottawa.ca
The city standards will be benchmarked against current best practices, with opportunities for exemptions on a case-by-case basis. A key change is that soil testing costs for approved food garden projects located on city property will be covered by the city, supporting long-term sustainability.
A Public Information session will be held on Tuesday, February 24th, 2026 at 6:30pm at Ben Franklin Place, to inform city residents about the new changes and processes. Just as any good garden surprises the gardener with new shoots and flowers, this garden program still has some surprises to come, including online application management, a city site inventory and further work integrating program objectives with broader city strategies.
Long-term sustainability will be supported through community engagement, resource sharing, and potential policy adjustments such as fixed-term agreements and updated operational standards. Work is ongoing to get invasive plant removal permitted as an eligible program activity, as is coordinating with the "Adopt-a-Park" program on native pollinator gardens, and exploring GIS mapping for community gardens and greening projects to enhance visibility across Ottawa.
The result of this new program should result in an increase of streamlined community initiatives that lead to a greener, more beautiful, resilient city. Now go plant something!
The author, Harry Fischer can be reached at Ottawagarden1957@gmail.com
For more information, check out the latest memo from RCFS on program updates.
Every city park should have a pollinator meadow!
Wild Pollinator Partners (WPP) is partnering with the Ottawa Stewardship Council (OSC) to establish more pollinator habitat on city land - including parks, hydro corridors, and rights of way. If you or your community organization are near a city park or hydro corridor, WPP and OSC will help you create a wildflower meadow. OSC will handle the permission process, and WPP will provide advice, models, some polliantor plants, and lots of encouragement.
Your job as a project participant will be to:
This last step is not onerous - at Brighton Beach Park, Old Ottawa South's Environment and Climate Action Committee prunes shrubs in fall, digs out dandelions in spring (about 4 hours total), and maintains a mowing strip around the garden. Monitoring is important to see how various species are doing in your location and to stop invasive species early. Visit the link here to read about these two mini-meadows at Brighton.
WPP and OSC already have several individuals/groups who are interested in starting a pollinator mini-meadow as part of this project, but are looking for a few more to join. If you or your organization is interested, please reach out to info@wildpollinators-pollinisateurssauvages.ca
See the document below for a complete project description.
CAFES had an excellent day at Fletcher Wildlife Garden on Saturday, June 7th at Pollinator Appreciation Day! Organized by Wild Pollinator Partners, this event was a wonderful opportunity for community members to come out and speak to local organizations, researchers, gardeners and plant nurseries about actions we can all take to make our homes and environments more pollinator-friendly.
CAFES was there selling our pollinator perennials plants, as well as worm castings from the Box of Life. We had a lovely time speaking with attendees about our trees and greenspace advocacy work, and our collaboration with Carleton University in fall 2024 on community engagement for pollinator gardening.
Be sure to visit Wild Pollinator Partners for some excellent resources about how you can make a difference for the many critical species on which we rely for a healthy ecosystem. Thanks to all who came out to support this event! Special shout-out to CAFES board member Harry Fischer - thanks for all your organizing!
Mark your calendars - Wild Pollinator Partners will once again be celebrating Pollinator Appreciation Day at Fletcher Wildlife Garden on Saturday, June 7th, and CAFES will be there! Come on out between 10am - 2pm to meet with others who have created pollinator gardens, learn from scientists who study pollinators, and connect with organizations that support pollinator projects.
This year’s theme is "EVERY BIT MATTERS". Simple actions like adding native plants to your garden, removing a hard surface, or waiting a couple of weeks to tidy up your yard in spring and fall can help preserve biodiversity and increase natural habitat.
You'll be able to learn how to plan your own garden to provide flowers for pollinators, find out how to start a pollinator garden at your local school or park, learn to identify invasive species, and tour the Fletcher Wildlife Garden to see pollination in action. Games and crafts will also be available for kids.
A variety of experts and volunteers from local organizations will be there to share information, answer questions, and tell you everything you need to know about helping pollinators.
CAFES will be selling perennial plants and herbs!
CAFES is excited to be in attendance to sell some of our native perennial plants, which attract pollinators like bees, butterflies, other important insects and hummingbirds to your garden. We will have Black-Eyed Susan, Wild Blue Indigo, Wild Bergamot, Purple Coneflower, New England Aster, Joe Pye Weed, Oxeye (False Sunflower), and Swamp Milkweed. We will also have some herbs available for purchase including Lavender, Oregano, Parsley, Tarragon, Sage and Dill. Visit our table on June 7th to get yours, or pre-order HERE to pick-up in advance at 166 Glebe Avenue.
Wild Pollinator Partners are also holding a free raffle at the event to give-away a little something for your garden. They are offering pollinator favourites that are sure to attract bees and butterflies to your yard: Serviceberry tree (small), Red Osier Dogwood, Figwort, Flat-topped Aster, Heart-leaved Aster, and more.
More information about the event is available here. No registration is required to attend. See you there!
Volunteer Call Out - we are looking for a couple volunteers with a vehicle to help with the set-up for the event including loading up supplies starting at 8am, and to stay for the morning of the event to help sell plants and speak to attendees visiting the CAFES table. Please contact eshardlow@cafesottawa.ca if interested.
