‘Turning green space into parking is not the answer’: Ottawa councillor criticizes DND’s plan to create new parking at Carling Campus

The parking lot at the Department of National Defence Carling Campus in Ottawa’s west end. Staff have complained about a shortage of parking spaces at the Carling Avenue campus in Ottawa’s west end as public servants spent more time on the office. (Dylan Dyson/CTV News Ottawa)

An Ottawa councillor is raising concerns about the Department of National Defence (DND) exploring the use of sports fields for parking lots to ease parking congestion at its campus on Carling Avenue.

Public service and military personnel have been raising concerns about parking spaces available at the DND Carling Campus in Ottawa’s west end. The Carling Campus can accommodate approximately 10,000 employees and has 5,000 parking spaces available for military and civilian staff.

In an internal memo sent on May 20, obtained by CTV News Ottawa, the Department of National Defence outlined some of the steps being taken to alleviate parking pressures at the Carling Campus ahead of the new four-day in-office mandate for public servants this summer.

The ongoing measures include a shuttle service running between the Connaught Range and the Carling Campus, and the creation of 150 additional parking spaces at the campus.

Other measures under consideration include the temporary conversion of sports fields for parking, reconfiguring Lot 8 at DND to add more than 100 spaces and leasing additional off-site parking with a shuttle service.

Bay Ward Coun. Theresa Kavanagh says she is “very concerned” about the Department of National Defence exploring the use of sports fields for parking.

“Turning green space into parking is not the answer,” Kavanagh said in a statement on Thursday.

“I encourage the federal government to invest in alternative transportation options for their employees, including exploring purchasing bulk transit passes for federal public servants.”

Kavanagh is calling on the federal government to invest in public transit for municipalities to support “more frequent transit service” to the Carling Campus.

“I am also working with City staff and DND to ensure there are adequate active transportation links to the campus, including pathways and sidewalks, from transit stops to the campus cleared year-round,” Kavanagh said.

Two weeks ago, City Manager Wendy Stephanson and OC Transpo general manager Rick Leary met with officials from the Department of National Defence to discuss the parking situation at the Carling Campus and potential transit solutions.

The Department of National Defence told CTV News Ottawa it was “working closely with the city to assess a variety of options to address key challenges, including safety issues and transit convenience, as it prepares to implement the Government of Canada’s updated direction on the prescribed presence in workplace, which will create increased pressure on parking and transit at NDHQ Carling.”

“Officials agreed on the need for coordinated, short- and long-term solutions to support workforce mobility and Ottawa’s role as a growing defence hub. DND and the city will continue working together to support transit and service planning.”

The internal DND memo said some of the options discussed with the city and OC Transpo included increased peak-period bus frequency, express buses from Tunney’s Pasture and Bayshore to the Carling Campus and employer-supported discounted transit passes to boost ridership.

The federal government will be requiring all public servants in the core public service to be in the office a minimum of four days a week, as of July 6.

Kavanagh says the lack of parking at the Carling Campus for DND employees is a sign the federal government is not ready for an expanded in-office mandate.

“I hope the federal government reconsiders their ‘one size fits all’ approach to the return to office mandate, and looks at options to prioritize flexibility, working within existing capacity constraints, and reducing congestion across the city,” Kavanagh said.

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