Recreation

Facilities

Skating Rink

Volunteers in the Community Association devote their free time to pristinely maintaining a neighbourhood ice rink throughout the winter season. The Heron Park Rink is generally open to skaters in January through to March. Of course, cold weather is necessary to the upkeep of our rinks, so a mid-winter warm-up may close the rink for a period of time. Please obey any signage you see left by our rink maintainers, especially those that discourage skaters from using the rink in warm weather, as it helps keep the ice surface in better condition. Keeping your dogs off the ice will also help preserve its quality for skaters.

The Heron Park Rink has an indoor, heated change room where you can leave your boots. The stairs down to the rink can be difficult to manoeuvre in skates, so please exercise caution. During the winter you can check on the rink conditions before you head over.

Community Orchard

In 2012 the community orchard was launched when members of the community planted apple and pear trees just north of the basketball court at Heron Park, which marked the first time that the City of Ottawa permitted fruit trees to be planted on public land. The community orchard, intended to be a food forest, produces apples, Asian pears, Jerusalem artichokes, a variety of berries, and herbs too.

Pools

There are two city-operated water features for kids in our neighbourhood: a splash pad in Kaladar Park and a wading pool in Heron Park.

Winter Carnival

Every February the Community Association puts on a family-friendly Winter Carnival. Everyone is invited to try out a pick-up game of broomball (equipment provided) at the Heron Park rink. Warm up inside the community centre with homemade lunch and treats, provided for a small fee by our volunteers. Other fun activities are available for those who do not skate, including a face-painter, sledding, and more.

Spring and Fall Neighbourhood Clean-ups

In conjunction with the City of Ottawa’s GLAD Cleaning the Capital Initiative, Heron Park is proud to assemble a team of volunteers on an annual basis to clean up the community before and after the winter thaw. In late April or early May, and again in autumn, we get together to remove garbage from the streets and parks in the area. Afterwards, lunch is provided in the Fieldhouse.

The GLAD Cleaning the Capital campaign is a not-for-profit initiative and relies heavily on the generosity of sponsors. Cleaning the Capital is an exciting way for residents to foster community pride by cleaning up their parks, bus stops, woodlots, ravines, shorelines and pathways, while enjoying the outdoors and ensuring that Ottawa stays clean, green, and graffiti and litter-free.

Youth Night

The Youth Night program runs on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm in the summer months and serves as an open invitation for an open invitation for families, singles, kids and teens to come out, meet new friends, and play with the games and sporting equipment we have in the Fieldhouse. Our volunteers are on hand grilling up burgers for attendees to enjoy. The Youth Night program is weather dependent and will not run in heavy rain or thunderstorms. Check the Facebook group for cancellation notices before heading over if the weather is less than ideal.