Four window falls in four months spark safety alarm among Ottawa parents

Four serious window and balcony falls involving children in just four months have left Ottawa parents shaken and demanding action.

Since April, the Ottawa Police Service has recorded four incidents: a young boy died after falling from an apartment window on Laurier Avenue East in late April; a girl sustained serious injuries falling from a fourth-floor balcony in Stittsville in early June; another girl was seriously hurt in a fall from a residential building in Vanier in late May; and most recently, on July 4, an 11-year-old girl was hospitalized in critical condition after falling from an 11th-floor balcony at an Alta Vista Drive highrise.

"Four (serious incidents) in such a short time span is concerning," Ottawa Paramedic Service spokesperson Marc-Antoine Deschamps said. Both police and paramedics have issued urgent child window safety statements as the pattern continues.

Residents who witnessed the July 4 incident described it as traumatic. Sadia Chowdhury, a parent living in the same building, recalled the moment she and her family heard screaming outside their fifth-floor balcony. "I still can't forget," she said. "It was very traumatic, seeing a child like that." The family now feels unsafe letting their own children use their balcony.

The spike in falls mirrors a broader trend. According to CHEO Emergency Department data, window and balcony falls among children rose sharply after 2021—from six recorded falls in 2021 to 18 in 2025. So far in 2026 (January to May), CHEO recorded nine falls. Heat has been cited by some experts as a contributing factor, with Environment and Climate Change Canada projecting 2026 as one of the hottest years on record.

Neighbors in the Alta Vista building say the balconies feel unsafe. "It's not safe, and something must be done," Chowdhury said.