Canada Day activities in Ottawa suspended as heavy rain causes flooding, road closures

Flooding is seen on Highway 417 westbound at Holly Acres Road. (Ontario Provincial Police/X)

Photo: (Ontario Provincial Police/X)

Gabrielle Huston (new window) · CBC News

Activities for Canada Day in Ottawa have been suspended until further notice due to weather, as flooding closes parts of the Queensway and some streets in the city.

As heavy rain fell across the capital, the Canadian Heritage department posted online that activites at LeBreton Flats Park, Old Hull, Parliament Hill and in front of the Supreme Court of Canada have been paused as of 2:40 p.m. on Wednesday.

Due to weather conditions, the activities offered at all sites in Canada’s Capital Region are suspended until further notice, Canadian Heritage wrote, advising people to check back for updates.

At LeBreton Flats Park, an electronic billboard advised attendees to seek shelter. As heavy rain and winds lashed the area, people ran to vacate the park, video posted online showed.

Around 4:30 p.m., the Canadian Forces Snowbirds posted online that they would not be able to fly over Parliament Hill as planned.

But we're not giving up! they wrote.

We’ll be watching the skies closely and will attempt to get airborne between storm fronts to overfly the National Capital Region. We can’t provide specific times, but you can track us in real time — follow SNBD1 on your favourite flight tracking app to see when we’re in the air.

This was already set to be the last Canada Day performance for the iconic aerobatic show, as its aging fleet is being grounded (new window).

Highway 417 has been closed to westbound traffic at Holly Acres, due to significant flooding on the roadway, with traffic diverted through Pinecrest Road, Ontario Provincial Police posted online, advising drivers to avoid the area and to remain at home until the rain passes.

Flooding has also closed Woodroffe Avenue between Knoxdale Road and Norice Street, the Ottawa Police posted online.

Heavy rainfall is causing localized flooding across Ottawa, resulting in hazardous driving conditions and road closures in some areas, the police said, advising against unnecessary travel until conditions improve.

Hydro Ottawa has also reported localized power outages across the city, affecting just over 15,000 customers as of 4:20 p.m. The utility's outage map gives more information. (new window)

OC Transpo has posted about some routes which are on detours. The most recent information is posted on its alerts page (new window).