Slow progress made to restore provincial park after devastating storm
Posted Dec 5, 2025 12:36:23 PM.
Last Updated Dec 5, 2025 12:36:28 PM.
Clean-up and restoration are continuing five months after a storm destroyed a portion of an Ontario Provincial Park north of Ottawa.
What was once a towering, thick forest of pines and a meadow was completely flattened on the evening of June 21, when a powerful storm produced a downburst in Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park.
The wrath of a brutal storm was the result of dramatically increasing temperatures over a short period of time. The storm left many in Ottawa and the surrounding area without power.
“What began as a typical summer thunderstorm quickly escalated into a violent downburst that flattened forests, crushed vehicles and trailers, and forced the park to close for the remainder of the season,” Ontario Parks wrote on social media.
The situation was heartbreaking not only for the thousands of people who attend annually, but for the staff.
However, the post does say “amid the devastation, there is hope.”
The park is using the time to rebuild the area and improve infrastructure.
“These open spaces will create new opportunities for exploration and memory-making, even as we mourn what was lost,” it reads. “The promise that future generations will still find beauty and peace here, even if the landscape looks different.”
The same storm tossed debris and downed trees in Algonquin Park, trapping a mother and her son. The 13-year-old had very serious injuries after a tree fell on the tent, provincial police said at the time.
With files from CityNews’ Rachel Morgan.
