Garden of the Provinces

The Garden of the Provinces and Territories has been the go-to staple Ottawa street spot for decades. Skaters refer to it simply as “Archives” due to the fact that it lies across the street from Library and Archives Canada. It is centrally located, with plenty of shade from numerous trees, and is rather large in size. Archives features 2 long, yet small ledges, a taller ledge and two eight sets. It also features plenty of room to hang out and play S.K.A.T.E. It’s the closest thing Ottawa has to a street plaza, but a far cry from legendary spots such as Pulaski, J-kwon, or Love. 

Some would say that skating Archives is a good representation of skating in Ottawa as a whole. That is to say that it’s generally not great, but possesses a warm familiarity about it that is welcoming. Archives exists today as a relatively hassle-free skate haven, but it’s interesting to note that this didn’t simply happen on its own. Skateboarding at Archives is actually tolerated by the city in certain areas. To have achieved such a feat in a notoriously red taped city like Ottawa is intriguing to say the least.