A group of Ottawa residents is calling for plans for a new addiction recovery centre on a patch of green space to be halted, while those who support the project are accusing them of spreading misinformation.
The Common Sense Planning Coalition says it’s worried the Matthew Perry House — proposed in the wake of the Ottawa-raised actor’s 2023 death from a ketamine overdose — would take over “valuable community green space” on the grounds of The Royal, Ottawa’s mental health centre.
It wants the proposed lease negotiations to be terminated and says the centre should instead go up on an adjacent parking lot.
“This is not about NIMBYism. It’s about smart, sustainable and responsible planning that benefits everyone, including those who need addiction recovery services and the communities that support them,” the group says in an online petition.
But officials with The Royal and the Matthew Perry Foundation say some of their arguments about the project aren’t factually accurate.
Perhaps best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the sitcom Friends, Perry was found dead in his Los Angeles hot tub in October 2023.
According to a report by the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office, his death was an accident, caused by the “acute effects” of the drug ketamine.
The 54-year-old had been reportedly undergoing ketamine infusion therapy to deal with depression and anxiety. While Perry had struggled with drug addiction in the past, he was “reportedly clean for 19 months” at the time of his death, according to the report.
After his death, Perry’s sister Caitlin Morrison — with the help of family, her brother’s childhood friends and others — launched the Matthew Perry Foundation in his memory.
According to the foundation, the Matthew Perry House would offer a “comprehensive range of support services” to roughly 160 people going through the recovery process. Residents would already have completed a treatment program by the time they arrive.
If all goes according to plan with the approval process, construction would begin in the spring of 2026.
But the coalition’s leader, Robert Simpson, said instead of going on a grassy patch of land sandwiched between Island Park and Byng drives, the house would be better situated on an adjacent parking lot.
Members have circulated about 3,000 brochures opposing the plans throughout the neighbourhood, Simpson said. In them, the coalition criticizes The Royal for — among other things — working to sign a “75-year-lease that will see bulldozers roll in and level three acres of public green space.”
“We’ve been very clear that we support the Matthew Perry Foundation. We’ve been very clear that we support what they do and their mission,” Simpson told CBC.
“Our concern is bad urban planning.”
But not only does The Royal need to provide parking for staff, the land where the recovery centre would go is zoned for institutional use and is “absolutely not a public park,” said president and CEO Cara Vaccarino.
Vaccarino said the Royal has engaged in “wholehearted and sincere” communication about the project with people living nearby, holding multiple consultation sessions — including another one scheduled for April 29.
“It is in our commitment, as public servants, to do all we can to leverage public assets for the greater good of the community,” Vaccarino said, noting the recovery centre would help reduce supportive housing wait times for people with mental health or addictions struggles.
She also said the coalition’s campaign was misrepresenting the land where it would go.
“There is no children’s playground. It is not a community tennis court. There is no grassy playing field. There are no real walking trails,” she told CBC, referencing claims made in the group’s brochure.
“We want our neighbours to be happy. We want our neighbours to thrive and to enjoy their homes,” Vaccarino added. “But we also feel that, you know, in a lot of instances … people with mental illness and addiction, they don’t get the opportunity to live in beautiful neighbourhoods [like this one].”
Morrison, who serves as executive director of the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada, told CBC she’s not surprised there’s been pushback but is staying hopeful she can bring the project’s opponents on side.
“It was a little bit saddening — disheartening, I guess — to see a document like this where so many of the things that we’re doing … seem to be the opposite of what we’re actually doing,” she told CBC.
The Island Park Community Association, meanwhile, said it supports the coalition’s efforts, passing a motion last week calling for the development to be moved to the parking lot.
Even if the land is The Royal’s private property, it’s still important to preserve green space in Ottawa, said acting president Bill Brooks.
“It’s land of a public hospital, which I take the view is for a public benefit,” Brooks said.
Brooks said the association also passed a motion asking for The Royal to suspend its negotiations with Ottawa Community Housing, which is acting as developer for the house.
As for Simpson, he said he didn’t feel the coalition’s brochure was misrepresenting the nature of a space that’s been accessed by dogwalkers, tennis players, children and others in the area for more than four decades.
“It’s accurately describing that that area that they intend to bulldoze is used by the public on a daily basis.”
