Your City Hall is building temporary tents for who and for what

Bon matin, Ottawa! Simone Okafor-Bouchard here, giving you the real deal from City Hall. You know, the stuff that went through at least three levels of bureaucratic approval before it even hit my desk.

So, let's talk about some interesting permits that just dropped. The Bani Hashi Society, for instance, secured two permits, #BP 3TEN 26-406 and #BP 3TEN 26-407, to install five temporary tents each at 900 Eglinton Ave E. This is in Ward 3. The first set of tents is for June 16 to June 27, 2026, and the second from July 26 to August 6, 2026. Each permit cost $6,500. It’s categorized as commercial, which is interesting for what sounds like a society. You have to wonder what kind of large-scale event needs two separate tent permits for nearly identical setups just a month apart.

Meanwhile, over in Ward 9, a rather substantial $15,000 permit, #SGNBLD 26-1199, was issued for one ground sign at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Elementary School on 6675 Montevideo Rd. That’s quite an investment for a school sign, non? It makes you think about the priorities.

These permits, straight from the City’s issued building permits data, show us where the money is going, even on smaller projects. It’s always fascinating to see the details of what gets approved and what it hints at for our neighbourhoods. We’ll be keeping an eye on Eglinton Avenue East to see what these temporary structures are all about. The real story is never on the Hill – it's always just off it.

Simone Okafor-Bouchard, out.

The morning crew on MiTL breaks down all the local happenings; check it live at mornings.live.