Michele Badour
Environment Committee
Thank you to Connor Renouf, who assisted with this article.
On September 10th of this year, it was my great pleasure to assist other community members with the planting of the new rain garden at Roy G. Hobbs Community Centre. I very much look forward to watching the garden grow and flourish over the years.
A local Fusion Landscape Certified Professional, Mary Stewart of Living Green Landscaping, designed the garden. These individuals design, install and maintain such gardens with stormwater management in mind.
I also had the pleasure of meeting Connor Renouf of Rain Ready Ottawa and Stephan Meloche of EnviroCentre at the garden planting. We extend our appreciation to these individuals who were directly involved in the planning and establishment of this beautiful addition to our community. They were also instrumental in the creation of our community’s first rain garden at Pierre Rocque Park in 2022. Check it out!
You will note the downspout in the picture that will capture runoff from the roof at the Roy G. Hobbs Centre. This will be the only source of water for the garden. The native plants chosen are known for their drought resistance and deep root systems. This will allow the plants to absorb as much moisture as possible and withstand dry periods between rainfalls. The soil was amended with sand and compost to improve filtration, and appropriate plants were selected for the specific soil conditions.
Yes, the plants are now buried in the snow, but you’re still invited to Roy G. Hobbs Centre on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, for a presentation by Connor Renouf and Stephan Meloche. They will present details regarding the City of Ottawa’s Rain Ready program.
Rain Ready Ottawa is a City program that supports people in retrofitting their property to reduce stormwater runoff and build climate resiliency to extreme weather events. Many neighbourhoods in Ottawa, particularly those developed before 1980, lack modern stormwater management infrastructure. As a result, most runoff created in these neighbourhoods goes into local waterways untreated, bringing with it pollutants, damaging natural assets and contributing to beach closures. Poor stormwater management around people’s homes contributes to property damage and basement flooding.
Through Rain Ready Ottawa, residential property owners and tenants can access up to $5,000 in rebates to help them install rain gardens, soakaway pits, infiltration galleries, permeable pavements, and downspout redirections around their home to build climate resiliency and help keep Ottawa’s waterways clean. The City also provides a design rebate to cover some of the cost of professional landscape design work. More details can be found in the program application guide: Rain Ready Ottawa Applicant Guide, May 2024
Convent Glen-Orléans Wood is a program priority area, so it is recommended that residents in our neighbourhood undertake these retrofits.
Going forward, once the snow melts, may you enjoy the beauty of our new community native garden!
Hope to see you at the Rain Ready info night on January 28!
