Local veteran honoured in street naming ceremony

Ottawa residents will now be reminded of the service of a WW2 veteran when they drive down Elsa Lessard Private. CTV’s Natalie van Rooy reports.

The City of Ottawa held a commemorative street naming ceremony on Thursday to ensure one impressive local veteran’s name is never forgotten.

Elsa Lessard was a member of the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service and had an important role in World War Two intercepting secret German radio messages during the Battle of the Atlantic.

After her service, Lessard went on to live a productive life in Ottawa.

“She was one of the few recognized women’s veterans during the Second World War,” said Nic Lessard, Elsa’s granddaughter.

“To her, that was hugely integral to her identity. It gave her a lot of independence, not just within the navy, but outside of that and it was kind of always who she was in her ideology.”

Mayor of Ottawa Mark Sutcliffe spoke at the event and offered some details into Elsa’s service.

“She served at two secret stations, one south of Ottawa and another that was hidden on a farm in New Brunswick,” Sutcliffe said.

The mayor says Elsa spent long hours listening through static and carefully recording coded transmissions from German submarines.

“This top-secret work helped the allies find the U-boats that were seeking Allied supply ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean and it was critical to the war effort,” MP and parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Veteran Affairs Sean Casey said.

Her work was highly regarded, but also top secret, and its impact was only revealed decades later after the war ended.

“I hope that when people see that sign they think to ask, who was this woman and maybe find out and learn from not just her personal story, but the larger story of the contributions that women and men made in the Second World War and what that means for us today,” said Carolyn Lessard, Elsa’s niece.

Lessard lived for many years in Ottawa, where she died at 103 years old in July of this year.

“Mom was equally devoted to the community of Ottawa, where she lived for most of her 103 years,” said Janice Lessard, Elsa’s daughter.

The street sign will be installed in the Rideau-Rockcliffe ward by November 2027.

“I’m really excited to see, this sign make its debut in the Wateridge Village, the former CFB Rockcliffe base,” said Rawlson King, Ottawa councillor for the ward. “It’s so fitting, that it’s going to be installed in that neighborhood and honour such an important resident of Ottawa.”

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