Child taken to hospital after being found face down in wading pool at Sylvia Holden Park

The wading pool at Sylvia Holden Park on July 17, 2026. A young girl was found face down in the pool in the afternoon and taken to hospital in serious but stable condition. (Josh Marano/CTV News Ottawa)

Ottawa paramedics say a young girl is in serious but stable condition after being found face down in a wading pool at a city park.

Ottawa Paramedic Service Supt. Nicolas Guertin told CTV News Ottawa that emergency crews were called to Sylvia Holden Park on O’Connor Street at around 12:14 p.m.

He said the girl had awakened and was breathing when she was transported to the hospital.

Syliva Holden Park is near the intersection of O’Connor Street and Fifth Avenue in the Glebe. It has a wading pool with lifeguards on duty.

The pool had been drained when CTV News Ottawa arrived. It was listed as closed on the City of Ottawa’s website as of Friday afternoon.

The Ottawa Police Service said it responded alongside paramedics and Ottawa Fire Services as part of a tiered response.

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