City of Ottawa, 311

The letter · 24 September 2026

Collapsed guardrail on the path at Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Complex, 1490 Youville Drive, 2 weeks unrepaired

Hello,

The City of Ottawa has left a collapsed steel guardrail on a pedestrian path at the Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Complex for 2 weeks. Address: 1490 Youville Drive, Orleans, [postal code]. It is the paved path from the bus stop near Jeanne d'Arc Station to the north parking lot of the complex. The path runs along the drainage ditch below the highway ramp. 3 photographs from the site and a map of the location are attached.

The condition on the ground:
1. Several rail sections are torn out and lie along the edge of the asphalt and in the grass.
2. The posts are snapped at the base. Their sockets are open holes in the asphalt, ringed with loose gravel, in the walking line.
3. The broken post ends lie on the asphalt and point into the path.
4. The slope down to the ditch has no barrier along this stretch.

The City is the occupier of these grounds. Section 3(1) of the Occupiers' Liability Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.2, obliges the City to take reasonable care that persons entering the premises are reasonably safe. Section 3(2) applies that duty to dangers caused by the condition of the premises. 2 weeks of open post holes and a missing barrier on a public path breach that duty.

Do the following:
1. Close off the post holes and the fallen rails within 48 hours, and clear the rails from the edge of the path.
2. Reinstall the guardrail, patch the asphalt, and state the repair date in writing.
3. Send me the service request number for this report.
4. Answer by 29 September 2026.

If the hazard stands on 29 September 2026, this report goes to Councillor Laura Dudas, Ward 2. The Ontario Ombudsman is the step after that.

Respectfully,

Danilo Dzyuban
Attachments: guardrail-1.jpg, guardrail-2.jpg, guardrail-3.jpg, location-map.png