Nearly 900,000 people cooled off or took a trip to waterfront attractions owned by the National Capital Commission (NCC) this summer. Between May 8 and Sept. 20, the NCC says its waterfront docks, Westboro Beach and Kiweki Point attracted 889,800 visitors. “The NCC summer initiatives have continued to generate strong interest this year and have expanded with the opening of our new docks at the East Wharf in June and at the Canadian Museum of History in July,” an NCC spokesperson said in an email. The NCC says there were 170,500 visits to the popular River House in Ottawa’s east end, including 98,300 who took a plunge from the swim deck when it opened on June 6. The new East Warf near Major’s Hill Park opened on June 17 and saw 37,100 visits in its first season. The new swimming spot near the Canadian Museum of History got 50,800 visits after it opened on July 9. The swimming dock at Dow’s Lake saw 85,500 visitors. Kiweki Point in Major’s Hill Park overlooking the Ottawa River saw 290,600 visits, while Westboro Beach, which reopened last year following a multi-million-dollar development project, saw 255,500 visits. More than one million people visited NCC waterfront attractions last year. The NCC also completed work on a popular pathway along the Ottawa River behind Parliament Hill that was closed since 2022 to conduct major rehabilitation work in the area. Work on the Lady Grey Wall rehabilitation project along the path is expected to continue into next year. With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Ted Raymond
