Mooney’s Bay Park toboggan hill no longer safe for sledding: City of Ottawa report

Mooney Bay's toboggan hill is no longer safe for sledding, according to the City of Ottawa. 

In a memo, the City said they will be installing robust fencing along with several other comprehensive protective measures.

This comes after a fatal accident on Dec. 17, 2021, that left an 11-year-old girl dead.

Following the accident, barricades, padding and signages were immediately installed by City staff. An internal working group with multi-departmental representation then reviewed the hill after the accident. 

Municipal Risk Assessment (MRA) conducted an on-location review in January of 2022. They concluded that because of the size and steepness of the slope, along with the multitude of hazards found at the bottom of every area of the hill, there is no area of the hill that is “acceptable” for sledding. 

Mooney's Bay Park was approved as an official City of Ottawa sledding hill in 2007. Accidents and injuries were reported overtime at the hill, prompting a series of inspections and risk assessments to identify hazards at the site. It was later determined that there was no sledding route that was free from collision hazards. 

In 2017, Mooney's Bay hill was removed as an approved sledding hill and all signage was removed. 

In addition to the external consultant review following the fatal accident, City staff and other stakeholders discussed possible recommendations to prevent similar fatalities. 

The City said all recommendations have been or will be, implemented for the 2022-2023 sledding season, with the exception of the proposed amendment to the Parks and Recreation Facilities By-Law, which is planned for a full re-enactment in 2024, pending City Council approval:

• Issue “No Sledding Advisory” during periods of inclement weather
• Amendment to the Parks and Facilities By-law, permitting sledding only in designated areas of municipal parks
• Develop standardized protective measure equipment, products and materials for enhancing safety
• Undertake an annual review and refresh of sledding hill information on GeoOttawa and Ottawa.ca
• Implement comprehensive protective measures at unapproved hills where sledding is known to occur
• Conduct annual inspections for all approved hills
• Create a descriptor system for sledding hills on Ottawa.ca that indicates caliber of the hill and provides observations on conditions and perils to be updated following annual inspections
• Install robust temporary seasonal fencing at Mooney’s Bay hill to discourage sledding
• Partner with Ottawa Public Health to create an annual safe sledding marketing campaign
• Deploy helmet-use signs at all approved sledding hill locations