Owner plans to reopen downtown Ottawa parking garage after partial collapse last year

The parking garage on Slater Street remains closed after a partial collapse in February, 2025. GWL Realty Advisors says it's committed to "rebuilding and reopening" the garage. Tuesday, March 3. (Brad Quinn/CTV News Ottawa)

The owner of a downtown Ottawa parking garage expects to begin restructuring work to reopen the lot “in the near future,” just over a year after the structure partially collapsed.

A section of the top level of the parking garage at 170 Slater Street partially collapsed on Feb. 26, 2025, sending slabs of concrete, piles of snow and other debris down three levels to the ground. No one was hurt in the incident.

Approximately 50 vehicles were stranded inside the parking garage for weeks.

A spokesperson for the owner of the parking garage, GWL Realty Advisors, says the company is “committed to rebuilding and reopening” the parking garage in downtown Ottawa.

“Engineering work is ongoing, and we expect the restructuring work to begin in the near future,” the spokesperson said.

“Before reopening, the structure will be subject to a comprehensive assessment by independent, licensed structural engineers and will be repaired, reinforced, and certified as safe for public use.”

The cause of the partial collapse remained under investigation, but city officials said the snowbanks on the top floor of the parkade were “without a doubt” a contributing factor.

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