Strathcona Heights community garden makes headlines

Christine Aubry

A community garden in Strathcona Heights has been garnering a lot of press, thanks to a committed team of residents and supporters desperately trying to salvage the 2026 gardening season and have their needs considered by the City.

Not to be confused with the Sandy Hill Community Garden (closer to Dutchie’s Hole and easily visible by passersby along the Rideau River path), the Strathcona Heights Community Garden is around the bend, tucked behind Ottawa Community Housing buildings on Wiggins Private, on top of the small hill on the southwest end of Robinson Field.

According to spokesperson Jackson Couse, for the first 25 years of its 30-year existence, the garden was successfully but informally self-governed without issue. Then in 2020, in the middle of pandemic chaos, the previous chair of the committee handed over that authority to another person without an election from the members. According to some of the protesters I met on June 2, management of the garden became riddled with problems with no transparency or input from the actual gardeners. A separate crisis within the housing community spilled into the garden space, and suddenly police and the City of Ottawa became involved.

Couse further explained that the City of Ottawa, a sponsor of community gardens, has only recently realized that it is the rightful owner of the land, not Ottawa Community Housing. Another surprise: the land was once a train yard, which means the soil may be contaminated.

What has also come to light is that the City and CGN (Community Garden Network, an organization appointed by the City to help support community gardens) has been attempting communication and resolution with the garden committee for about three years following multiple reports of conflict.

According to residents, some of those conflicts include discrimination, harassment, misogyny and an overall abuse of power coming from the committee.

“It’s so horrible because the garden is a place of paradise and peace,” said one of the gardeners, “we just want to grow our food and medicine.”

What happened next is what has led to sit-ins and press interviews: the City gave 10 days’ notice to shut down the garden. Why does this matter? Couse explains that it goes beyond meeting food security needs, though that in itself is hugely important!

“This is really important space for the community,” he explains. “People come here to work out trauma or addictions, or to grow something from back home to get a taste of their home country. It’s a vital, necessary space that meets a need.”

The activists are not arguing with the fact that a better plan and management structure is needed, and that a redesign such as raised beds may be required if the soil is contaminated. They are asking to be consulted and involved in the process and to be given time to take care of the plants that are already established and thriving.

With the clock ticking and major news outlets like CTV news and CBC Ottawa Morning covering the story, here’s hoping that by the time you read this, a workable compromise will have been found, plants will have been salvaged, and the Strathcona Heights community can look forward to a renewed and truly communal garden space.