Ottawa city crews seen hastily patching potholes before King’s throne speech

City of Ottawa crews were spotted hastily patching potholes in the downtown core during His Majesty King Charles III’s historic visit to the capital.

Source: True North

City of Ottawa crews were spotted hastily patching potholes in the downtown core during His Majesty King Charles III’s historic visit to the capital.

A photo, obtained by True North, shows several workers in reflective vests gazing down at a crater in a cracked section of roadway on Wellington St. in Ottawa with police officers nearby.

The apparent impromptu repairs coincide with preparations for King Charles’ visit on May 26 and 27— the first visit by a reigning monarch to deliver a Speech from the Throne in Canada since Queen Elizabeth II in 1977.

True North contacted the City of Ottawa to ask whether it has “undertaken or plans to undertake any pothole repairs along the route or in areas being visited by the King as part of preparations for the visit?”

In an emailed response a City of Ottawa spokesperson said that there was indeed pothole work on the street but noted that it was not specifically in preparation for the event.

“I can confirm the pothole repair program has continued with its usual process which did include a recent pothole repair on Wellington St. There was no specific work completed in preparation for the royal visit,” said the spokesperson.

The optics of the timing haven’t gone unnoticed. Ottawa residents have long griped about the capital city’s notoriously rough roads.

In 2024 alone, residents filed more than 5,400 pothole complaints via the city’s 311 line — with Alta Vista, West Carleton-March, and Rideau-Jock topping the list. Despite a steep drop in complaints in some areas, Alta Vista still led the pack with 411.

According to Ottawa’s 2025 draft budget, $12.3 million is earmarked specifically for pothole repairs, with an average of over 216,000 potholes filled each year over the last five years.

Meanwhile, a separate report from the city’s Auditor General pegs the total road renewal budget for 2024 at $98.7 million.