It’s maple tapping season, and in Ottawa, you don’t have to go far to see how it’s all done.
The Vanier Sugar Shack is located five kilometres from downtown Ottawa and it’s the only one like it in the country.
Visiting with her grandson, Bev McDowell is happy to have the sugar shack just steps away from her home.
“It’s such a treat to have such a great gig happening right in the middle of an urban center,” she said. “It truly is a magical hidden gem.”
It’s the only urban sugar shack in Canada. Owned by the Vanier Museopark, there are more than 500 taps on 17.5 acres of land. Visitors can see the sap flow into buckets outside for free.
Inside you can also see the sap flow on pancake breakfasts.
Twelve-year-old Helina Meikeljohn says she loves to visit with her family.
“It’s also spending some community fun by eating a lot of cool stuff,” she said.
Her dad Bruce Meikeljohn added, “We’re big fans of maple syrup and pancakes and French toast,”.
“And it’s just kind of nice to support as local as you can.”
Julien Fournier is the chef and says there are unique challenges to having a sugar shack in an urban setting. He says the temperature, which is crucial for tapping, can get warmer here than outside the city.
“We want some cold nights and just above freezing days. That would be good,” Fournier explained. “A three-week stretch would be a nice season for operating downtown. Downtown’s a little bit hotter than in the in the wild forest so, you have to manage that.”
Over 500 litres of maple syrup can be produced in a season and it’s done the old-fashioned way – through taps inserted into trees which then flow in buckets. It is then collected by volunteers.
“It’s a great Canadian tradition about our culture, it brings people together. It’s something unique,” said Fournier.
There’s also a museum next door, which is free for those who pay for breakfast.
The Vanier Sugar Shack was originally built in 1939, but this is the fourth building it’s called home. It reopened in 2023 after it burned down in 2020.
The season runs until April 21. The Vanier Sugar Festival is also hosting its 40th anniversary year this year on March 29 and 30.
