BEAT THE HEAT: List of free (or low-cost) places with air conditioning in Ottawa

A firefighter cooling down at Richardson Side Road fire. Photo courtesy of Ottawa Fire Services.

Here’s a list of businesses and public places in Ottawa that have air conditioning, and are free, or low-cost. Add your suggestions to the comments below.

• Shopping malls

• The library

• Museums

• OC Transpo bus. If you’re lucky enough to get one with A/C turned on, just stay on it for a few hours.

• Movie theatres.

• A tour of Parliament Hill.

• Or a tour of Rideau Hall.

• A church or place of worship

• Skating rinks Several of the city’s rinks have public skating during the summer.

• IKEA.  As pointed out by our readers - you can browse the furniture, let your kids play in the ball room, and even have a beer or a glass of wine at the restaurant.

• See also: Our HUGE list of Ottawa swimming pools, splash pads, wading pools, beaches, water parks, etc.

Also: Tips from Ottawa Public Health on how to stay safe in the heat

Some reader suggestions via Twitter:

• The Beer Store (@stuntmanstu)
• Costco walk in cooler where they keep the lettuce (again, @stuntmanstu)
• Any City of Ottawa community centre (@themagicfridge)
• Carleton University tunnels (@kmennie)
• Chapters book store (@bitofmomsense)
• Arts Court or Timmy’s (@Sarah_A_Mahoney)
• Add your suggestions in the comments below!

(Originally published July 6, 2010 and updated many times since then.)