Ottawa Public Library spending $900,000 to extend main branch lease another 6 months

(File Photo/CTV News Ottawa)

The Ottawa Public Library will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to extend the lease for the main branch in downtown Ottawa due to construction delays with the new central library at LeBreton Flats.

The main branch remains open at 120 Metcalfe Street, at Laurier Avenue, while construction continues on the new Ādisōke branch. The Ottawa Public Library sold the building in 2018, and continues to operate out of the building on a lease.

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With construction on the new Ādisōke not expected to be completed this year, the Ottawa Public Library directed staff to extend the lease for the building on Metcalfe Street another six months between Jan. 1, 2027, and June 30, 2027. The Ottawa Public Library CEO also has delegated authority to execute another six-month lease extension for the final six months of 2027, if needed.

According to the report, the six-month lease extension for Jan. 1 to June 30, 2027, will cost $150,000 a month, with a total cost of $900,000 plus taxes. If the Ottawa Public Library extends the lease for the final six months of 2027, it will cost $300,000 a month for a total of $1.8 million.

The $334 million Ādisōke, a joint project between the Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada, was expected to open this summer. However, staff said in December the library will not open in 2026 due to construction delays.

The six-month lease extension for July 1, 2027, to Dec. 31, 2027, would be the sixth and final lease extension available under the lease agreement with TD Asset Management Ltd. The Ottawa Public Library must notify the landlord it will extend the lease by June 30, 2026.

The last four six-month lease extensions, between Jan. 1, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2026, cost $1 a year, according to the report.

The name, Ādisōke, is an Anishinaabemowin word that means “storytelling.”

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