Residents in Woodpark spent Canada Day bailing out basements after one of Ottawa’s heaviest rainstorms in years.
According to Environment Canada, more than 110 millimetres of rain fell across Ottawa on July 1. The severe thunderstorm turned west-end streets into rivers, while ditches overflowed and water poured into homes in the Woodpark and Queensway Terrace North communities.
Flooding was also reported along the Kichi Sibi Mikan Parkway and sections of the Ottawa River pathway, where swollen drainage systems left trails underwater as the storm appeared to track along the river corridor.
For many Woodpark residents, however, the flooding came as little surprise.
Marc Giardino, who lives on Richardson Road, said he has repeatedly raised concerns with the City of Ottawa since moving to the neighbourhood in 2017.
“Today’s storm showed that the system is still completely overwhelmed,” he wrote in an open letter addressed to Bay Ward Coun. Theresa Kavanagh.
Giardino said water filled the roadside ditches before spilling across Richardson Road and onto his property.
“The water rose 24–36 inches up my garage door and leaked inside, leaving behind a foul, damaging mess,” wrote Giardino. “The flooding didn’t stop there; it crossed multiple laneways and eventually inundated 406 Richardson. At Richardson and Midway, the pooling has become so severe that it effectively forms a lake during storms.”
Giardino believes the problem is rooted in aging infrastructure. He is calling on the city to deepen roadside ditches, install larger culverts and improve drainage near the Richardson-Midway intersection.
His concerns were echoed by dozens of neighbours who flooded the Woodparkers Facebook group on Wednesday evening, documenting flooded basements across the community.
“We’re on Edgeworth north of Lawn on the east side of the street,” wrote Graham Macdonald. “We have 10 cm of water in our basement… It obviously isn’t working.”
Others reported flooded basements on Allison Avenue, Walsh Avenue, Hartleigh Avenue, Wentworth Avenue, Ancaster Avenue and Woodland Avenue.
“Our basement at 190 Allison is being flooded,” wrote Ginette Martens, who said her new furnace was surrounded by water. “My husband is 73 years old and has been filling pails after pails… We cannot keep doing this all night.”
Alex Mackay, who has lived in his Woodpark house for a decade, said he’d never experienced flooding before but had about eight inches of water come up in his basement.
“The water ingress was from the basement drain and the basement shower drain, so I’m guessing there was a backup in the city main somewhere,” he said, “neighbour across the street had the same issue.”
In the Queensway Terrace North community, around 200 homes had no way in or out after being landlocked by two feet of water. OC Transpo put up gates and posted security, making it even more inaccessible. Bay Ward Coun. Theresa Kavanagh, whose own basement near Britannia was flooded, reached out and found a solution
At 30 McEwen Avenue in the Lincoln Fields Neighbourhood, the entire back parking lot was submerged in water. It flooded hallways and common areas.
Across Ottawa, roads including parts of Woodroffe Ave and Highway 417 by Pinecrest were closed. Tens of thousands across the city lost power and Canada Day celebrations—including the evening show and fireworks at LeBreton Flats—were cancelled as the severe storm swept across the capital.
In a statement posted to social media late Wednesday night, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said the city would implement several measures to help residents whose basements flooded.
“I will also ask municipal staff to suspend waste collection restrictions in certain neighbourhoods over the next week, so that residents can dispose of damaged materials,” said Sutcliffe. “Additionally, I will present a motion at the next city council meeting to waive building permit fees for all residents who must rebuild their basements as a result of these storms.”