Ādisōke stays closed, and Ottawa Public Library will finish 2026 with $5.75 million unspent

The Ottawa Public Library will end 2026 with $5.75 million unspent (7.7 percent of its budgeted expenditures) because Ādisōke, the new central branch under construction at 555 Albert Street, has not opened and the library has spent less on the facility costs and staffing it had budgeted for. The Library Board is scheduled to receive a financial status report at its meeting on November 10, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.

What the numbers show

The year-end surplus forecast stands at $5.715 million, which is 8.3 percent of the library's total operating budget, according to the financial status report set to go before the board. The underspending falls into two categories: facility overhead (utilities and building maintenance) and compensation, meaning salaries and benefits. Both come in below budget because Ādisōke was supposed to be open by now, and it is not.

That means the library is running a building it cannot yet use while also maintaining its existing branches. The staff and operating costs it had planned for Ādisōke have not been spent because there is no building to staff.

How the project reached this point

Construction on Ādisōke began in 2021. The joint Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada building was initially projected to cost $175 million, with the federal government paying $71 million and the City of Ottawa contributing the remaining $104 million plus $18 million for an underground garage. By 2021 the price had already risen to $306 million, a 75 percent increase, and was later revised again to $334 million, shared between the City and the federal government.

In May 2026, the library came back to Council asking for $18.5 million more. Ottawa Construction News reported that PCL Construction, the contractor on the project, had submitted a schedule showing completion in December 2026 (12 months past the original contractual date) and that PCL's schedule "has not stabilized" and had faced "additional delays." The finance and corporate services committee reviewed the funding request at a June 2 meeting. The City approved $11.5 million of the increase and Library and Archives Canada covered the remaining $7 million, bringing the total project budget to $352.5 million.

That December 2026 date refers to substantial completion of construction. An opening date for the public has not been set. The library told Council in December 2025 that Ādisōke would miss its 2026 opening.

What residents can expect

For people who use the library's existing downtown locations, the picture is one of steady change while the opening date remains uncertain.

The Main branch at 120 Metcalfe Street will stay open until Ādisōke opens. Centretown Buzz reported in December 2025 that services there would be "gradually reduced in phases and over a period of time yet to be determined." The library plans to redistribute or discard much of the collection, with a large portion moving to the new building. The Ottawa Room collection, a research collection holding documents about Ottawa's history, will largely transfer to Ādisōke.

The Sunnyside branch, the library's location at Bank Street and Echo Drive, was built in 1951 and needs substantial work: roof replacement, window replacement, masonry restoration, and sanitary infrastructure upgrades. The library expects to close Sunnyside for about six months in spring or summer 2027 for the renovations. Residents who use that branch can expect to need another location during that period.

The November 10 meeting

The Ottawa Public Library Board meets on November 10, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. The financial status report covering the 2026 surplus forecast is on the agenda. Meetings are listed on the City's published meetings calendar at pub-ottawa.escribemeetings.com.

The board has the authority to receive the report and direct staff on how to handle the surplus. Decisions taken at that meeting will appear in the board minutes, which the City publishes on its meetings site.

What this means for the library's budget going forward

The $5.75 million unspent in 2026 will still be needed: all the facility and staffing costs that were budgeted and deferred sit waiting for the year Ādisōke opens, when the library will also take on the cost of running a larger, more complex building than any it currently operates. The surplus this year comes directly from the delay, and the delay pushes those costs into future budgets.

The total project, now budgeted at $352.5 million, is more than double the price first approved. City residents have been covering the City's share through capital spending. The library's annual operating costs will grow when Ādisōke eventually opens, adding to the City's budget in the year it comes into service.

Residents who want to follow the project can read the board's financial status report when the November 10 meeting materials are posted on the City's published meetings calendar.

Sources: Ottawa Citizen via Yahoo News Canada, Ottawa Construction News, Centretown Buzz, City of Ottawa published meetings calendar.