December 2, 2022
Recreation and parks
Registration for the City’s winter programming and activities is only days away. Here are some helpful registration day tips to help you sign up for fun and interesting activities that will keep you and your family active, engaged and entertained this winter.
New registration platform
The new registration platform, Register Ottawa, allows you to search and filter by activity, time and day, age group, and location. You can search and browse all the program and activity offerings and enroll on registration night on the same site. Check it out at register.ottawa.ca. The new platform is compatible with mobile devices and tablets as well.
Creating an account
You will need to create a new account unless you have an active membership (fitness, swimming, sport, etc.) or are an Ottawa Hand in Hand recipient. If you receive a message that your email address is already associated with an account, follow the instructions to recover your password.
Create your account in advance of registration night to save time. You will be asked to submit your email address and create a password. Fill in the form with your information and add any other family members on the account. Saving your credit card information in advance will save you valuable time in checking out your preferred program offering.
You can “bookmark” multiple offerings for quick retrieval
When preparing for registration day, it’s a good idea to browse and bookmark one or more of your activities by creating a wish list for easy retrieval during registration. In fact, for high-demand programs, like swimming, bookmark a few offerings of the same program. That way, if your first choice is fully registered, you can quickly get to your second or third choices. You might find the same activity available at a different time or location, or choose a different type of activity to try.
Sign-on before the 9 pm registration time
Demand for popular programs – especially swimming – greatly outnumbers available spots. As a result, spots will fill up quickly. That’s why it is important to log on before 9 pm and get ready to enroll and purchase your program.
Swim City brings new names for swimming levels
Remember, the City has developed a new swimming lesson program, called Swim City. It’s similar in structure to the previous version from the Canadian Red Cross, which has now phased out swimming lessons as part of their water safety services. So, you will see new level names in the four streams. Visit ottawa.ca/swim for more info on Swim City, including the equivalent previous Red Cross levels.
Reminder of registration dates and times
The registration date for aquatic programs is Monday, December 5 at 9 pm. Registration for all other recreation and cultural programs and activities is Wednesday, December 7 at 9 pm.