Update on Baird Park Environmental Assessment
The City of Ottawa is renewing the play structure at Baird Park, located at 2388 Fitzroy Street. However, during soil testing in late 2025, the City found that some deeper soil in Baird Park contains higher levels of metals and other materials.
Late last week, staff completed phase 2 of the environmental assessment at the park and shared the findings with our office.
Key updates:
- The park can remain open for normal use. As a precaution, the public should not dig, garden or otherwise disturb the soil. Testing of the existing play sand did not find contamination.
- Testing found contaminated fill across much of the park, including elevated levels of lead and other contaminants. The findings are consistent with suspected mine tailings in the fill.
- Additional fieldwork is planned for this month to confirm how much fill is present. The City will then determine the appropriate approach to remediation and risk management.
- The City is aiming to complete the additional sampling and evaluation of remediation options by the end of 2026. In early 2027, staff will review the next steps and establish a realistic schedule for design, procurement and construction of the park improvements.
Staff will update the Engage Ottawa page here: https://engage.ottawa.ca/baird-park-play-structure-renewal and share this information with community stakeholders, including St. Michael School and the Fitzroy Harbour Community Association.
The two links below contain more information, including links to frequently asked questions. If you'd like to speak with our office, contact Clarke.Kelly@Ottawa.ca
