THE FUTURE OF OCUA | The Ottawa-Carleton Ultimate Association (OCUA) launched its 2025-2030 Strategic Plan: Investing in our Community earlier this year, with the central strategic theme being investment towards a strong, inclusive, safe, and supportive Ultimate Frisbee community. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the priorities and focus areas within this strategy.
Virtual Information Session was held on Dec. 12th @ 7pm.
With the strategy in mind, the OCUA Board of Directors has decided that it is important to invest in the revitalization of Ultimate Parks Incorporated (UPI). The UPI Revitalization Project aims to promote and grow the sport of Ultimate in Ottawa by supporting several intersecting strategic objectives:
- Revitalize UPI as a hub of our community
- Invest in community building initiatives
- Develop and maintain inclusive and accessible opportunities for participation
- Improve volunteerism and community engagement
We intend to invest in features that will improve player, spectator, and community membership experience.
The Board is considering features such as (but are not limited to) plumbed washrooms that are gender inclusive and accessible, changing rooms, bleachers, entry paths that accommodate wheelchairs/strollers/wagons, secured storage for organizational equipment, potable water refill stations, and opportunities for selling snacks and beverages on site for leagues and tournaments. These are just a few of the preliminary ideas being explored.
This vision will necessitate a capital investment fund, and the scope of the project will depend upon the resources that can be acquired. Routine maintenance of the property will continue to be funded by the ongoing OCUA operational budget.
Through investment and improved volunteer engagement, we aim to make UPI a desirable community destination for our members as well as a sought-after facility for premier Ultimate events.
OCUA Property Background Information
OCUA owns 110 acres at 1295 Manotick Station Road. It is important to note that this property consists of two distinctly different regions:
- Front ~40 acres – Developed with 19 playing fields, the parking lot, the gathering area on the hill, and the irrigation pond. This portion of the land is known as UPI.
- Back ~70 acres – Undeveloped and unused forested area.
The plan is to invest in the improvement of UPI (the front 40 acres of the OCUA property).
Figure 1: Current Google Maps view of the OCUA Property showing the developed front portion that faces Manotick Station Road (UPI) and the undeveloped back portion. Indicated division between UPI and unused land is not a property line; it only serves to indicate approximate acreage and usage.
Capital Improvement Fund
Any significant investment in UPI will require the creation of a capital improvement fund. Depending on the funding secured, the Board has developed three skeleton capital improvement visions. These visions are subject to change as the project progresses and with consideration of member input:
- Gold option: With a capital improvement fund of over $1,000,000, the Board would consider building a clubhouse at UPI that could include features such as washrooms, changing facilities, viewing areas overlooking the showcase field(s), and more.
- Silver option: With a capital improvement fund of ~$200,000-$900,000, the Board would consider a combination of medium investment UPI Improvement Ideas, such as a pavilion. The specifics will be dependent on the funding available.
- Bronze option: With a capital improvement fund less than $200,000, only incremental improvements can be accommodated (e.g., improved signage, rebuilding bridges, etc).
Figure 2: Visualization of UPI investment options. The gold and silver option images are AI generated representations of a vision, while the bronze option is a photograph of UPI as it is.
The Board of Directors is considering multiple avenues of raising funds to support the UPI Revitalization Project, as outlined below.
1) Sale of the unused portion of OCUA property:
OCUA will NOT sell UPI (the front 40 acres of the property, which includes our 19 playing fields). As mentioned above, our intention is to invest in UPI. There are three potential buyers expressing interest in purchasing a portion of the currently unused land: Sunset Lakes Development (SLD), City of Ottawa, South Nation Conservation Authority (SNCA).
To sell a portion of the undeveloped land will require severing it from the front portion (UPI), which will eliminate its road access at Manotick Station Road. Therefore, the severed land could only be sold while there is an opportunity for road access at the back, meaning the buyer must also own land that abuts the severed portion of our land. The window of opportunity for this will close when the nearby developments in the area are finished. If OCUA is ever to sell a portion of the unused land, it needs to be before this window of opportunity closes.
Potential or received offers vary in terms of parcel size, intended use, and purchase price with details included in the Purchase Offers - Fact Sheet. A summary of these offers is provided in Table 1 below, along with potential for counteroffers based on the assessed land value.
Table 1: Comparison of purchase offers.
There are essentially three options:
1) Sell with development as intended use. — Maximum financial benefit for OCUA, enabling significant capital improvement in line with the strategic plan.
2) Sell with conservation as intended use. — Long term environmental protection of the land, with minimal financial benefit to OCUA.
3) Do not sell. — Land remains unused, and the opportunity to sell will be lost. (Note the cost of developing the unused land into fields is prohibitive, so this is not a viable option to consider.)
We encourage you to review our Clearing Up Misconceptions document where we have tried to address questions and concerns you may have.
We hosted a virtual information session on December 12th, 2025 at 7pm (Meeting Summary). This was an opportunity for us to share the most up-to-date information, answer your questions, and engage in a productive discussion. We will continue to keep the membership informed going forward. There will be no property sale without appropriate member consultation and approval, noting any potential sale will follow OCUA Bylaw requirements.
2) Grant Applications
There are several grants available that support the growth and development of not-for-profit organizations, particularly in sports and recreation. These grants tend to be worth $50,000-$200,000, which would be directly assigned to a capital improvement fund if applications are successful.
3) Fundraising Activities
Fundraising alone is unlikely to raise capital improvement funds. However, alternate sources of fundraising will support the larger infrastructure objectives and could include:
- All-stars tournament in 2026
- Sale of commemorative 40th anniversary discs
- Bake sale/BBQ fundraisers
- Partner contributions
- Member donations
UPI Revitalization Working Group
We are seeking volunteers with a range of expertise and interests (from helping with UPI clean-up days to having professional experience with irrigation systems and everything in between) to join the UPI Revitalization working group and help support the improvement of UPI. This working group will make recommendations for UPI maintenance and improvement to the Board of Directors and staff, and help enable the execution of approved initiatives. If you have ideas or expertise to offer, please consider volunteering! Contact ocuaproperty@ocua.ca if you are interested.
Your Input Matters
OCUA will continue to keep our membership informed throughout this project. We encourage you to review the information provided here, including the supplemental documents provided below. Please revisit this page, as it will be updated when there is new information to share.
We also invite you to share your thoughts and questions by emailing ocuaproperty@ocua.ca any time during this process.
Together, we can ensure OCUA continues to thrive as one of Canada’s premier Ultimate Frisbee organizations!
For more information, please contact:
OCUA Property Project Committee on behalf of the OCUA Board of Directors
ocuaproperty@ocua.ca
Jeremy Hill, OCUA Executive Director
jeremy@ocua.ca
Supplemental information:
Congratulations to the OCUA CHAMPIONS of each League Night. The winners were: Monday League (Fetch), Tuesday League (Jack Beech and the Beechers), Wednesday League (Lil Fish), Thursday League (Bellies).
For the safety of members, OCUA will be following the Ultimate Canada Air Quality Policy for all leagues and programs.
The OCUA Board of Directors is seeking a volunteer to fill the role of corporate secretary for the Association immediately. If you are organized, detail-oriented, tech-savvy, and interested in supporting your Ultimate community, then this opportunity is for you!
Fall in love with Fall Ultimate – there's just something about the fall crisp air, a lit-up field & a flying disc!
Team Canada Women's Double Header Come out and support Team Canada's women's U20, senior, and master's teams as they play in a double header showcase game!!
Looking for a great way to support the sport you love? Would you like to use your strong rules knowledge to bring added value to the players’ and spectators’ experiences? Consider attending one of our certification clinics to become a Certified Observer. No Borders ClinicUPI in Ottawa during the tournamentFriday, July 19 to Sunday, July 21
