Ottawa's ByWard Market is no stranger to construction headaches, but the timing of the city's latest project is raising serious eyebrows among local business owners and residents alike.
For roughly two-and-a-half weeks surrounding Canada Day, a significant portion of ByWard Market Square will be closed off for construction work — blocking foot traffic and access during what is traditionally one of the most lucrative periods of the year for vendors, restaurants, and small businesses in the area.
The Worst Possible Timing
Canada Day weekend draws tens of thousands of visitors to the capital. For many ByWard Market businesses, that single weekend can represent a meaningful chunk of their summer revenue. Shutting down the square during that window isn't just an inconvenience — it's a gut punch to operators who've already weathered years of pandemic closures, inflation, and shifting consumer habits.
Ottawa Citizen columnist Bruce Deachman put the question bluntly: why not wait? The construction, whatever its merits, could presumably be scheduled around the Canada Day period. The fact that it wasn't signals something troubling about how the city views the businesses that make ByWard Market tick.
A Pattern of Neglect?
This isn't an isolated complaint. ByWard Market business owners have long expressed frustration with the city's approach to infrastructure work in the area — projects that seem to roll out with little meaningful consultation or consideration for the economic impact on the merchants who depend on foot traffic.
The market is one of the oldest and most iconic public markets in Canada. It draws locals and tourists year-round, and its health is directly tied to Ottawa's broader reputation as a vibrant, liveable city. When the city treats the square as a construction site during peak season without adequate notice or mitigation plans, it sends a message: the businesses here are secondary.
What Business Owners Are Asking For
At minimum, vendors and restaurateurs say they want to be consulted before decisions like this are made — not informed after the fact. Some are asking whether the work could be paused over the Canada Day long weekend itself, even if construction on either side of it continues. Others want clearer signage and communication to redirect foot traffic and let customers know businesses are still open despite the disruption.
These aren't unreasonable asks. They're the baseline of what a city should offer to the businesses that animate its most famous public space.
The Bigger Picture
ByWard Market has been in a state of flux for years. Storefronts have turned over, foot traffic patterns have shifted, and the area has struggled at times to maintain its identity as a destination rather than just a place people pass through. The city has ambitious long-term plans for the market's revitalization — but those plans mean little if short-term decisions keep undermining the businesses that need to survive long enough to benefit from them.
If Ottawa is serious about supporting ByWard Market as a cornerstone of its downtown core, it needs to start treating the people who work there as partners, not obstacles to work around.
Source: Ottawa Citizen. Opinion by Bruce Deachman.
