Ottawa

Ottawa (/ˈɒtəwə/ ( listen), /ˈɒtəwɑː/; Canadian French pronunciation: [ɔtawa]) is the capital

city of Canada. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern
portion of southern Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core of the
Ottawa–Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA) and the National Capital Region (NCR).
[12]
 As of 2016, Ottawa had a city population of 934,243, making it the fourth-largest city, and a
metropolitan population of 1,476,008 and the fifth-largest CMA in Canada. In June 2019, the
City of Ottawa estimated it had surpassed a population of one million.[13]
Founded in 1826 as Bytown, and incorporated as Ottawa in 1855,[14] the city has evolved into the
political centre of Canada. Its original boundaries were expanded through numerous annexations
and were ultimately replaced by a new city incorporation and amalgamation in 2001 which
significantly increased its land area. The city name Ottawa was chosen in reference to the Ottawa
River, the name of which is derived from the Algonquin Odawa, meaning "to trade".[15]
Ottawa has the most educated population among Canadian cities[16] and is home to a number of
colleges and universities, research and cultural institutions, including the University of
Ottawa, Carleton University, the National Arts Centre, the National Gallery of Canada, and
numerous national museums.[17]

Contents

 1History
 2Geography
o 2.1Climate
o 2.2Neighbourhoods and outlying communities
 3Demographics
o 3.1Religion
o 3.2Ethnicity
o 3.3Language
 4Economy
 5Culture
o 5.1Architecture
o 5.2Museums and performing arts
o 5.3Historic and heritage sites
o 5.4Sports
 5.4.1Professional teams
 6Government
 7Transportation
o 7.1Air
o 7.2Inter-city trains and buses
o 7.3Bus and rail transit
o 7.4Freeways and roads
 o 7.5Cycling and by foot
 8Education
 9Media
 10Twin towns – sister cities
 11Notable people
 12See also
 13Footnotes
 14References
 15Bibliography
 16External links

History[edit]
Main article: History of Ottawa
See also: Timeline of Ottawa history
With the draining of the Champlain Sea around ten thousand years ago, the Ottawa
Valley became habitable.[18] Local populations used the area for wild edible harvesting, hunting,
fishing, trade, travel, and camps for over 6,500 years.[19] Ottawa is situated on the territory of
the Algonquins, Indigenous peoples who are closely related to the Odawa and Ojibwe peoples.[20]
[21]
 The Algonquins call the Ottawa River Kichi Sibi or Kichissippi meaning "Great River" or
"Grand River".[22][23][24][25] The Ottawa River valley has archeological sites with arrow
heads, pottery, and stone tools. Three major rivers meet within Ottawa, making it an important
trade and travel area for thousands of years.[26]
Étienne Brûlé, widely regarded as the first European to travel up the Ottawa River, passed by
Ottawa in 1610 on his way to the Great Lakes.[23] Three years later, Samuel de Champlain wrote
about the waterfalls in the area and about his encounters with the Algonquin Indians, who had
been using the Ottawa River for centuries.[27] Many missionaries followed the explorers and
traders. The first maps of the area used the word Ottawa, derived from the Algonquin
word adawe ('to trade', used in reference to the area's importance to First Nations traders), to
name the river. Philemon Wright, a New Englander, created the first European settlement in the
area on 7 March 1800 on the north side of the river, across from the present-day city of Ottawa
in Hull.[28][29] He, with five other families and twenty-five labourers,[22] set about to create an
agricultural community[30] called Wrightsville. Wright pioneered the Ottawa Valley timber
trade (soon to be the area's most significant economic activity) by transporting timber by river
from the Ottawa Valley to Quebec City.[31] Bytown, Ottawa's original name, was founded as a
community in 1826 when hundreds of land speculators were attracted to the south side of the
river when news spread that British authorities were immediately constructing the northerly end
of the Rideau Canal military project at that location.[32][33] The following year, the town was
named after British military engineer Colonel John By who was responsible for the entire Rideau
Waterway construction project.
Camp used by soldiers and labourers of the Rideau Canal, on the south side of the Ottawa
River in 1826. The building of the canal attracted many land speculators to the area.
The canal's military purpose was to provide a secure route between Montreal
and Kingston on Lake Ontario, bypassing a particularly vulnerable stretch of the St. Lawrence
River bordering the state of New York that had left re-supply ships bound for southwestern
Ontario easily exposed to enemy fire during the War of 1812.[34] Colonel By set up military
barracks on the site of today's Parliament Hill. He also laid out the streets of the town and created
two distinct neighbourhoods named "Upper Town" west of the canal and "Lower Town" east of
the canal. Similar to its Upper Canada and Lower Canada namesakes, historically "Upper Town"
was predominantly English speaking and Protestant whereas "Lower Town" was predominantly
French, Irish and Catholic.[35] Bytown's population grew to 1,000 as the Rideau Canal was being
completed in 1832.[36][37] Bytown encountered some impassioned and violent times in her early
pioneer period that included Irish labour unrest that attributed to the Shiners' War from 1835 to
1845[38] and political dissension evident from the 1849 Stony Monday Riot.[39] In 1855, Bytown
was renamed Ottawa and incorporated as a city.[40] William Pittman Lett was installed as the first
city clerk, guiding it through 36 years of development. [41]

View of Ottawa in 1859, before the start of construction on Parliament Hill. Two years
prior, Queen Victoria selected the city as the permanent capital of the Province of Canada.
On New Year's Eve 1857, Queen Victoria, as a symbolic and political gesture, was presented
with the responsibility of selecting a location for the permanent capital of the Province of
Canada.[42] In reality, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald had assigned this selection process to
the Executive Branch of the Government, as previous attempts to arrive at a consensus had ended
in deadlock.[43] The "Queen's choice" turned out to be the small frontier town of Ottawa for two
main reasons:[44] Firstly, Ottawa's isolated location in a backcountry surrounded by dense forest
far from the Canada–US border and situated on a cliff face would make it more defensible from
attack.[45][46] Secondly, Ottawa was approximately midway between Toronto and Kingston
(in Canada West) and Montreal and Quebec City (in Canada East). Additionally, despite
Ottawa's regional isolation, it had seasonal water transportation access to Montreal over the
Ottawa River and to Kingston via the Rideau Waterway. By 1854 it also had a modern all-
season Bytown and Prescott Railway that carried passengers, lumber and supplies the 82
kilometres (50 miles) to Prescott on the Saint Lawrence River and beyond.[22][45] Ottawa's small
size, it was thought, would make it less prone to rampaging politically motivated mobs, as had
happened in the previous Canadian capitals.[47] The government already owned the land that
eventually became Parliament Hill, which it thought would be an ideal location for the
Parliament Buildings. Ottawa was the only settlement of any substantial size that was already
directly on the border of French populated former Lower Canada and English populated former
Upper Canada thus additionally making the selection an important political compromise.
[48]
 Queen Victoria made her "Queen's choice" very quickly, just before welcoming in the New
Year.
Starting in the 1850s, entrepreneurs known as lumber barons began to build large sawmills,
which became some of the largest mills in the world.[49] Rail lines built in 1854 connected Ottawa
to areas south and to the transcontinental rail network via Hull and Lachute, Quebec in 1886.
[50]
 The original Parliament buildings which included the centre, East and West Blocks were
constructed between 1859 and 1866 in the Gothic Revival style.[51] At the time, this was the
largest North American construction project ever attempted and Public Works Canada and its
architects were not initially well prepared. The Library of Parliament and Parliament Hill
landscaping were completed in 1876.[52] By 1885 Ottawa was the only city in Canada whose
downtown street lights were powered entirely by electricity.[53] In 1889, the Government
developed and distributed 60 "water leases" (still in use) to mainly local industrialists which gave
them permission to generate electricity and operate hydroelectric generators at Chaudière Falls.
[54]
 Public transportation began in 1870 with a horsecar system,[55] overtaken in the 1890s by a
vast electric streetcar system that lasted until 1959.

LeBreton Flats after the 1900 Hull–Ottawa fire. The fire destroyed one-fifth of Ottawa and two-
thirds of neighbouring Hull, Quebec.
The Hull–Ottawa fire of 1900 destroyed two-thirds of Hull, including 40 percent of its residential
buildings and most of its largest employers along the waterfront.[56] It also spread across the
Ottawa River and destroyed about one-fifth of Ottawa from the Lebreton Flats south to Booth
Street and down to Dow's Lake.[57] On 1 June 1912, the Grand Trunk Railway opened both
the Château Laurier hotel and its neighbouring downtown Union Station.[58][59] On 3 February
1916, the Centre Block of the Parliament buildings was destroyed by a fire.[60] The House of
Commons and Senate was temporarily relocated to the then recently constructed Victoria
Memorial Museum, now the Canadian Museum of Nature[61] until the completion of the new
Centre Block in 1922, the centrepiece of which is a dominant Gothic revival styled structure
known as the Peace Tower.[62] The location of what is now Confederation Square was a former
commercial district centrally located in a triangular area downtown surrounded by historically
significant heritage buildings which includes the Parliament buildings. It was redeveloped as a
ceremonial centre in 1938 as part of the City Beautiful Movement and became the site of
the National War Memorial in 1939 and designated a National Historic Site in 1984.[63] A
new Central Post Office (now the Privy Council of Canada) was constructed in 1939 beside the
War Memorial because the original post office building on the proposed Confederation Square
grounds had to be demolished.

Greber plan's National Capital Greenbelt surrounding the urban core

Ottawa's former industrial appearance was vastly altered by the 1950 Greber Plan. Prime
Minister Mackenzie King hired French architect-planner Jacques Greber to design an urban plan
for managing development in the National Capital Region, to make it more aesthetically pleasing
and more befitting a location for Canada's political centre.[64][65] Greber's plan included the
creation of the National Capital Greenbelt, the Parkway, the Queensway highway system, the
relocation of downtown Union Station (now the Senate of Canada Building) to the suburbs, the
removal of the street car system, the decentralization of selected government offices, the
relocation of industries and removal of substandard housing from the downtown and the creation
of the Rideau Canal and Ottawa River pathways to name just a few of its recommendations. [64][66]
[67]
 In 1958, the National Capital Commission was established as a Crown Corporation from the
passing of the National Capital Act to implement the Greber Plan recommendations-which it
accomplished during the 1960s and 1970s.
In the previous 50 years, other commissions, plans and projects had failed to implement plans to
improve the capital such as the 1899 Ottawa Improvement Commission (OIC), The Todd Plan in
1903, The Holt Report in 1915 and The Federal District Commission (FDC) established in 1927.
[68]
 In 1958 a new City Hall opened on Green Island near Rideau falls where urban renewal had
recently transformed this former industrial location into green space.[69] Until then, City Hall had
temporarily been for 27 years (1931–1958) at the Transportation Building adjacent to Union
Station and now part of the Rideau Centre. In 2001, Ottawa City Hall returned downtown to a
relatively new building (1990) on 110 Laurier Avenue West, the prior home of the now-
defunct Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton. This new location was close to Ottawa's first
(1849–1877) and second (1877–1931) City Halls. This new city hall complex also contained an
adjacent 19th-century restored heritage building formerly known as the Ottawa Normal School.
[69]
The John G. Diefenbaker Building was Ottawa's fourth city hall. Opened in 1958, it was the seat
of local government until the City Council moved to its present location in 2001.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, the National Capital Region had a building boom, [70] which was
followed by large growth in the high-tech industry during the 1990s and 2000s.[71] Ottawa
became one of Canada's largest high tech cities and was nicknamed Silicon Valley North. By the
1980s, Bell Northern Research (later Nortel) employed thousands, and large federally assisted
research facilities such as the National Research Council contributed to an eventual technology
boom. The early adopters led to offshoot companies such as Newbridge
Networks, Mitel and Corel.
Ottawa's city limits had been increasing over the years, but it acquired the most territory on 1
January 2001, when it amalgamated all the municipalities of the Regional Municipality of
Ottawa–Carleton into one single city.[72] Regional Chair Bob Chiarelli was elected as the new
city's first mayor in the 2000 municipal election, defeating Gloucester mayor Claudette Cain.
The city's growth led to strains on the public transit system and road bridges. On 15 October
2001, a diesel-powered light rail transit (LRT) line was introduced on an experimental basis.
Known today as the Trillium Line, it was dubbed the O-Train and connected downtown
Ottawa to the southern suburbs via Carleton University. The decision to extend the O-Train, and
to replace it with an electric light rail system, was a major issue in the 2006 municipal elections,
where Chiarelli was defeated by businessman Larry O'Brien. After O'Brien's election, transit
plans were changed to establish a series of light rail stations from the east side of the city into
downtown, and for using a tunnel through the downtown core. Jim Watson, the last mayor of
Ottawa prior to amalgamation, was re-elected in the 2010 election.[73]
In October 2012, City Council approved the final Lansdowne Park plan, an agreement with the
Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group that saw a new stadium, increased green space, and
housing and retail added to the site.[74][75] In December 2012, City Council voted unanimously to
move forward with the Confederation Line, a 12.5 km (7.8 mi) light rail transit line, which was
opened on 14 September 2019.[76]

Geography[edit]
Main article: Geography of Ottawa
Downtown Ottawa is situated on the south bank of the Ottawa River. Gatineau may be seen in
the background, across the river.
Ottawa is on the south bank of the Ottawa River and contains the mouths of the Rideau
River and Rideau Canal.[77] The older part of the city (including what remains of Bytown) is
known as Lower Town,[78] and occupies an area between the canal and the rivers. Across the
canal to the west lies Centretown and Downtown Ottawa, which is the city's financial and
commercial hub and home to the Parliament of Canada and numerous federal government
department headquarters, notably the Privy Council Office. On 29 June 2007, the Rideau Canal,
which stretches 202 km (126 mi) to Kingston, Fort Henry and four Martello towers in the
Kingston area, was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[79]
Located within the major, yet mostly dormant Western Quebec Seismic Zone,[80] Ottawa is
occasionally struck by earthquakes. Examples include the 2000 Kipawa earthquake,[81] a
magnitude-4.5 earthquake on 24 February 2006,[82] the 2010 Central Canada earthquake,[83] and a
magnitude-5.2 earthquake on 17 May 2013.[84]
Ottawa sits at the confluence of three major rivers: the Ottawa River, the Gatineau River and the
Rideau River.[85] The Ottawa and Gatineau rivers were historically important in the logging and
lumber industries and the Rideau as part of the Rideau Canal system for military, commercial
and, subsequently, recreational purposes.[85] The Rideau Canal (Rideau Waterway) first opened
in 1832 and is 202 km (126 mi) long. It connects the Saint Lawrence River on Lake Ontario at
Kingston to the Ottawa River near Parliament Hill. It was able to bypass the unnavigable
sections of the Cataraqui and Rideau rivers and various small lakes along the waterway due to
flooding techniques and the construction of 47 water transport locks. The Rideau River got its
name from early French explorers who thought the waterfalls at the point where the Rideau
River empties into the Ottawa River resembled a "curtain". Hence they began naming the falls
and river "rideau" which is the French equivalent of the English word for curtain. [86][27] During
part of the winter season the Ottawa section of the canal forms the world's largest skating rink,
thereby providing both a recreational venue and a 7.8 km (4.8 mi) transportation path to
downtown for ice skaters (from Carleton University and Dow's Lake to the Rideau Centre
and National Arts Centre).[87]
Across the Ottawa River, which forms the border between Ontario and Quebec, lies the city
of Gatineau, itself the result of amalgamation of the former Quebec cities
of Hull and Aylmer together with Gatineau.[88] Although formally and administratively separate
cities in two separate provinces, Ottawa and Gatineau (along with a number of nearby
municipalities) collectively constitute the National Capital Region, which is considered a single
metropolitan area. One federal crown corporation, the National Capital Commission, or NCC,
has significant land holdings in both cities, including sites of historical and touristic importance.
The NCC, through its responsibility for planning and development of these lands, is a contributor
to both cities. Around the main urban area is an extensive greenbelt, administered by the NCC
for conservation and leisure, and comprising mostly forest, farmland and marshland.[89]
Climate[edit]
Ottawa has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb)[90] with four distinct seasons and is
between Zones 5a and 5b on the Canadian Plant Hardiness Scale. [91] The average July maximum
temperature is 26.6 °C (80 °F). The average January minimum temperature is −14.4 °C (6.1 °F).

Skating on the Rideau Canal. Snow and ice are common for the region during the winter.
Summers are warm and humid in Ottawa. On average 11 days of the three summer months have
temperatures exceeding 30 °C (86 °F), or 37 days if the humidex is considered. Average relative
humidity averages 54% in the afternoon and 84% by morning.
Snow and ice are dominant during the winter season. On average Ottawa receives 224 cm (88 in)
of snowfall annually but maintains an average 22 cm (9 in) of snowpack throughout the three
winter months. An average 16 days of the three winter months experience temperatures below
−20 °C (−4 °F), or 41 days if the wind chill is considered.[92]
Spring and fall are variable, prone to extremes in temperature and unpredictable swings in
conditions. Hot days above 30 °C (86 °F) have occurred as early as April[93] or as late as October.
[94][92]
 Annual precipitation averages around 940 mm (37 in).
Ottawa experiences about 2,130 hours of average sunshine annually (46% of possible). Winds in
Ottawa are generally Westerlies averaging 13 km/h (8.1 mph) but tend to be slightly more
dominant during the winter.[92]
The highest temperature ever recorded in Ottawa was 37.8 °C (100 °F) on 4 July 1913, 1 August
1917 and 11 August 1944.[92][95] The coldest temperature ever recorded was −38.9 °C (−38 °F) on
29 December 1933. The hottest daily low temperature was 25.0 °C (77 °F) on 9 July 1955. The
coldest daily high temperature was −32 °C (−26 °F) on the same day as the record low. The
hottest month on record was July 1921, averaging 25.0 °C (77 °F). The coldest month on record
was February 1934, averaging −21 °C (−6 °F)
showClimate data for Ottawa (Central Experimental Farm), 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1872–present[
showClimate data for Ottawa International Airport, 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1938–present
Neighbourhoods and outlying communities[edit]
Further information:  List of neighbourhoods in Ottawa

Map of Ottawa showing urban areas and names of historical communities

Ottawa is bounded on the east by the United Counties of Prescott and Russell; by Renfrew
County and Lanark County in the west; on the south by the United Counties of Leeds and
Grenville and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry; and on the north by
the Regional County Municipality of Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais and the City of Gatineau.
[110]
 Modern Ottawa is made up of eleven historic townships, ten of which are from Carleton
County and one from Russell.[111]
The city has a main urban area but many other urban, suburban and rural areas exist within the
modern city's limits.[112] The main suburban area extends a considerable distance to the east, west
and south of the centre,[112] and it includes the former cities of Gloucester, Nepean and Vanier,
the former village of Rockcliffe Park (a high-income neighbourhood which is adjacent to the
Prime Minister's official residence at 24 Sussex and the Governor General's residence), and the
communities of Blackburn Hamlet and Orléans.[113] The Kanata suburban area includes the
former village of Stittsville to the southwest.[113] Nepean is another major suburb which also
includes Barrhaven.[113] The communities of Manotick and Riverside South are on the other side
of the Rideau River, and Greely, southeast of Riverside South.[113] A number of rural
communities (villages and hamlets) lie beyond the greenbelt but are administratively part of the
Ottawa municipality.[112] Some of these communities are Burritts
Rapids; Ashton; Fallowfield; Kars; Fitzroy Harbour; Munster; Carp; North
Gower; Metcalfe; Constance Bay and Osgoode and Richmond.[113] Several towns are within the
federally defined National Capital Region but outside the city of Ottawa municipal boundaries;
[112]
 including the urban communities of Almonte, Carleton
Place, Embrun, Kemptville, Rockland, and Russell.[113]

Ottawa above the Ottawa River in May, left to right— Alexandra Bridge · National Gallery of

Canada · Byward Market · Fairmont Château Laurier · Rideau Canal Locks · Parliament
Hill with Library of Parliament and Peace Tower · Downtown Ottawa towers · Supreme Court of
Canada
Demographics[edit]
Main article: Demographics of Ottawa
In 2016, the populations of the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa–Gatineau census metropolitan
area (CMA) were 934,243 and 1,323,783 respectively. The city had a population density of
334.8/km2 (867/sq mi) in 2016, while the CMA had a population density of
195.6/km2 (507/sq mi).[114][115] It is the second-largest city in Ontario, fourth-largest city in the
country, and the fourth-largest CMA in the country.[116]
Ottawa's median age of 40.1 is both below the provincial and national averages as of 2016.
Youths under 15 years constituted 16.7% of the total population in 2016, while those of
retirement age (65 years and older) made up 15.4%.[114]
As of 2016, over 20 percent of the city's population is foreign-born, with the most common non-
Canadian countries of origin being China (8.0% of those foreign-born), United Kingdom (7.3%),
and Lebanon (5.1%). About 6.8% of residents are not Canadian citizens.[114]
Religion[edit]
Around 65% of Ottawa residents describe themselves as Christian as of 2011,
with Catholics accounting for 38.5% of the population and members of Protestant churches 25%.
Non-Christian religions are also very well established in Ottawa, the largest
being Islam (6.7%), Hinduism (1.4%), Buddhism (1.3%), and Judaism (1.2%). Those with no
religious affiliation represent 22.8%.[117]
Ethnicity[edit]
As of 2016, approximately 69.1% of Ottawa's population was European, while 4.6% were
aboriginal and 26.3% were visible minorities (higher than the national percentage of 22.3%).
Approximately 23.6% of Ottawa's population is also considered to be immigrants. Below is a
breakdown of the demographics.[118]

69.1% White
6.6% Black
5.1% East Asian (4.5% Chinese, 0.3% Japanese, 0.3% Korean)
4.6% Aboriginal (3.2% First Nations, 1.4% Métis, 0.2%  Inuit)
4.5% Arab
4.2% South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Sri Lankan)
2.6% Southeast Asian (1.3% Filipino)
2.3% Multiracial (including 1.4% Métis, also listed above)
1.2% Latin American
0.3% West Asian
0.3% Other
Language[edit]
Distribution map from the 2001 census showcasing the percentage of individuals whose mother
tongue is French
Bilingualism became official policy for the conduct of municipal business in 2002,[119] and 37.6%
of the population can speak both languages as of 2016, making it the largest city in Canada with
both English and French as co-official languages.[120] Those who identify their mother tongue
as English constitute 62.4 percent, while those with French as their mother tongue make up 14.2
percent of the population. In terms of respondents' knowledge of one or both official languages,
59.9 percent and 1.5 percent of the population have knowledge of English only and French only,
respectively; while 37.2 percent have a knowledge of both official languages. The overall
Ottawa–Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA) has a larger proportion of French speakers
than Ottawa itself, since Gatineau is overwhelmingly French speaking. An additional 20.4
percent of the population list languages other than English and French as their mother tongue.
These include Arabic (3.2%), Chinese (3.0%), Spanish (1.2%), Italian (1.1%), and many others.
[117]

Economy[edit]
See also: Economy of Ontario

Developed in the early 1950s, Tunney's Pasture is an area that holds several federal government
buildings. The federal government is the city's largest employer.
As of 2015, the region of Ottawa-Gatineau has the sixth highest total household income of all
Canadian metropolitan areas ($82,052).[121] The median household income after taxes is $73,745
which is higher than the national median of $61,348.[122] The unemployment rate in Ottawa in
2016 was 7.2%, lower than the national rate of 7.7%.[122] In 2019 Mercer ranks Ottawa with the
third highest quality of living of any Canadian city, and 19th highest in the world. [123] It is also
rated the second cleanest city in Canada, and third cleanest city in the world.[124]
Ottawa's primary employers are the Public Service of Canada and the high-tech industry,
although tourism and healthcare also represent increasingly sizeable economic activities. The
Federal government is the city's largest employer, employing over 110,000 individuals from the
National Capital region.[125] The national headquarters for many federal departments are in
Ottawa, particularly throughout Centretown and in the Terrasses de la Chaudière and Place du
Portage complexes in Hull. The National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa is the main command
centre for the Canadian Armed Forces and hosts the Department of National Defence.[126] The
Ottawa area includes CFS Leitrim and the former CFB Rockcliffe. During the summer, the city
hosts the Ceremonial Guard, which performs functions such as the Changing the Guard.[127] As
the national capital of Canada, tourism is an important part of Ottawa's economy, particularly
after the 150th anniversary of Canada which was centred in Ottawa. The lead-up to the festivities
saw much investment in civic infrastructure, upgrades to tourist infrastructure and increases in
national cultural attractions. The National Capital Region annually attracts an estimated
7.3 million tourists, who spend about 1.18 billion dollars.[128]

Kanata Research Park is home to many companies, mostly in high-tech industries.

In addition to the economic activities that come with being the national capital, Ottawa is an
important technology centre; in 2015, its 1800 companies employed approximately 63,400
people.[129] The concentration of companies in this industry earned the city the nickname of
"Silicon Valley North".[71] Most of these companies specialize in telecommunications, software
development and environmental technology. Large technology companies such as Nortel,
Corel, Mitel, Cognos, Halogen Software, Shopify and JDS Uniphase were founded in the city.
[130]
 Ottawa also has regional locations for Nokia, 3M, Adobe Systems, Bell
Canada, IBM and Hewlett-Packard.[131] Many of the telecommunications and new technology are
in the western part of the city (formerly Kanata). The "tech sector" was doing particularly well in
2015/2016.[132][133]

The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) is a major children's and teaching hospital.

The health sector is another major employer in Ottawa.
Another major employer is the health sector, which employs over 18,000 people. [134] Four active
general hospitals are in the Ottawa area: Queensway Carleton Hospital, The Ottawa
Hospital, Montfort Hospital, and Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Several specialized
hospital facilities are also present, such as the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and the Royal
Ottawa Mental Health Centre.[135] Nordion, i-Stat and the National Research Council of Canada
and OHRI are part of the growing life science sector.[136][137] Business, finance, administration,
and sales and service rank high among types of occupations. [138] Approximately ten percent of
Ottawa's GDP is derived from finance, insurance and real estate whereas employment in goods-
producing industries is only half the national average.[139] The City of Ottawa is the second
largest employer[140][141] with over 15,000 employees.[141][142]
In 2006, Ottawa experienced an increase of 40,000 jobs over 2001 with a five-year average
growth that was relatively slower than in the late 1990s.[143] While the number of employees in
the federal government stagnated, the high-technology industry grew by 2.4%. The overall
growth of jobs in Ottawa-Gatineau was 1.3% compared to the previous year, down to sixth place
among Canada's largest cities. In 2016, the unemployment rate in Ottawa was 7.2%, which was
below the national unemployment rate of 7.7%.[144] The economic downturn resulted in an
increase in the unemployment rate between April 2008 and April 2009 from 4.7 to 6.3%. In the
province, this rate increased over the same period from 6.4 to 9.1%.[145]
Ottawa already has the largest rural economy among Canada's major cities. [146] In Ottawa, the
rural economy contributes over $1 billion to the GDP. Agriculture alone accounts for $400
million, $136.7 million of which is farm-gate sales.[147] Rural economic activity includes such
things as agriculture, retail sales, construction, forestry and mining (aggregates), tourism,
manufacturing, personal and business services, and transportation, to name a few. Rural
employment expanded by a healthy 18% from 1996 to 2001.[146]

Culture[edit]
See also: List of festivals in Ottawa

ByWard Market has been a focal point for culture in Ottawa.

Traditionally the ByWard Market (in Lower Town), Parliament Hill and the Golden
Triangle (both in Centretown – Downtown) have been the focal points of the cultural scenes in
Ottawa.[148] Modern thoroughfares such as Wellington Street, Rideau Street, Sussex Drive, Elgin
Street, Bank Street, Somerset Street, Preston Street, Richmond Road in Westboro, and Sparks
Street are home to many boutiques, museums, theatres, galleries, landmarks and memorials in
addition to eating establishments, cafes, bars and nightclubs.[149]

People on ice slides during Winterlude, an annual winter festival held in Ottawa

Ottawa hosts a variety of annual seasonal activities—such as Winterlude, the largest festival in
Canada,[150] and Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill and surrounding downtown area, as
well as Bluesfest, Canadian Tulip Festival, Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, Ottawa International
Jazz Festival, Fringe Festival and Folk Music Festival, that have grown to become some of the
largest festivals of their kind in the world.[151][152] In 2010, Ottawa's Festival industry received
the IFEA "World Festival and Event City Award" for the category of North American cities with
a population between 500,000 and 1,000,000.[153]
As Canada's capital, Ottawa has played host to a number of significant cultural events
in Canadian history, including the first visit of the reigning Canadian sovereign—King George
VI, with his consort, Queen Elizabeth—to his parliament, on 19 May 1939.[154] VE Day was
marked with a large celebration on 8 May 1945,[155] the first raising of the country's new national
flag took place on 15 February 1965,[156] and the centennial of Confederation was celebrated on 1
July 1967.[157] Elizabeth II was in Ottawa on 17 April 1982, to issue a royal proclamation of the
enactment of the Constitution Act.[158] In 1983, Prince Charles and Diana Princess of Wales came
to Ottawa for a state dinner hosted by then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.[159] In 2011, Ottawa
was selected as the first city to receive Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine,
Duchess of Cambridge during their tour of Canada.
Architecture[edit]

Completed in 1913, the Connaught Building was constructed in a Gothic Revival style. In the

following decades, new government buildings abandoned the style in favour
of formalism and functionalism.
Main article: Architecture of Ottawa
Influenced by government structures, much of the city's architecture tends to
be formalistic and functional; the city is also marked by Romantic and Picturesque styles of
architecture such as the Parliament Buildings' gothic revival architecture. [160] Ottawa's domestic
architecture is dominated by single family homes, but also includes smaller numbers of semi-
detached houses, rowhouses, and apartment buildings. Many domestic buildings are clad in
brick, with small numbers covered in wood, stone, or siding of different materials; variations are
common, depending on neighbourhoods and the age of dwellings within them.
The skyline has been controlled by building height restrictions originally implemented to keep
Parliament Hill and the Peace Tower at 92.2 m (302 ft) visible from most parts of the city.
[161]
 Today, several buildings are slightly taller than the Peace Tower, with the tallest on Albert
Street being the 29-storey Place de Ville (Tower C) at 112 m (367 ft).[162] Federal buildings in the
National Capital Region are managed by Public Works Canada, while most of the federal land in
the region is managed by the National Capital Commission; its control of much undeveloped
land gives the NCC a great deal of influence over the city's development.[163]
Museums and performing arts[edit]

The Canadian Museum of Nature is a natural history and natural science museum. The institution

is one of several national museums in Ottawa.

National Gallery of Canada

Further information:  List of attractions in Ottawa
Amongst the city's national museums and galleries is the National Gallery of Canada; designed
by famous architect Moshe Safdie, it is a permanent home to the Maman sculpture.
[164]
 The Canadian War Museum houses over 3.75 million artifacts and was moved to an
expanded facility in 2005.[165] The Canadian Museum of Nature was built in 1905, and underwent
a major renovation between 2004 and 2010.[166] Across the Ottawa River in Gatineau is the most
visited museum in Canada, the Canadian Museum of History.[167] Designed by Canadian
Aboriginal architect Douglas Cardinal, the curving-shaped complex, built at a cost of US$340
million, also houses the Canadian Children's Museum, the Canadian Postal Museum and a
3D IMAX theatre.[168]
The city is also home to the Canada Agriculture Museum, the Canada Aviation and Space
Museum, the Canada Science and Technology Museum, Billings Estate Museum, Bytown
Museum, Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, the Bank of Canada Museum, and
the Portrait Gallery of Canada.[169]
The Ottawa Little Theatre, originally called the Ottawa Drama League at its inception in 1913, is
the longest-running community theatre company in Ottawa.[170] Since 1969, Ottawa has been the
home of the National Arts Centre, a major performing arts venue that houses four stages and is
home to the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra and Opera Lyra
Ottawa.[171] Established in 1975, the Great Canadian Theatre Company specializes in the
production of Canadian plays at a local level.[172]
Historic and heritage sites[edit]
The National War Memorial and Château Laurier are both designated as National Historic Sites
of Canada.
Main articles:  List of National Historic Sites of Canada in Ottawa and List of designated
heritage properties in Ottawa
The Rideau Canal is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America, and in
2007, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[173] In addition, 24 other National
Historic Sites of Canada are in Ottawa, including the Central Chambers, the Central
Experimental Farm, the Château Laurier, Confederation Square, the former Ottawa Teachers'
College, Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council, Laurier House and the Parliament
Buildings. Many other properties of cultural value have been designated as having "heritage
elements" by the City of Ottawa under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.[174]
Sports[edit]
Further information:  Sport in Ottawa  and List of Ottawa parks

TD Place Stadium is an outdoor stadium that is home to the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks and

the CPL’s Atlético Ottawa.
Sport in Ottawa has a history dating back to the 19th century. Ottawa is home to six professional
sports teams. The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team playing in the National
Hockey League. The Senators play their home games at the Canadian Tire Centre.
[175]
 The Ottawa Redblacks are a professional Canadian Football team playing in the Canadian
Football League.[176] A professional soccer club, Atlético Ottawa, play in the Canadian Premier
League, following the dissolution of Ottawa Fury FC. The Redblacks and Atlético both play their
home games at TD Place Stadium. The city is once again home to a professional basketball team,
with the Ottawa Blackjacks beginning to play in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, out of
the TD Place Arena.[177] Previously, Ottawa was home to the Ottawa SkyHawks basketball team,
of the National Basketball League of Canada. The Ottawa Titans play professional baseball in
the Frontier League at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Park. Previously, Ottawa was home to
the Ottawa Champions baseball team, of the Can-Am League.
Several non-professional teams also play in Ottawa, including the Ottawa 67's junior ice
hockey team.[178]
Collegiate teams in various sports compete in U Sports. The Carleton Ravens are nationally
ranked in basketball,[179] and the Ottawa Gee-Gees are nationally ranked in football and
basketball. Algonquin College has also won numerous national championships. The city is home
to an assortment of amateur organized team sports such as soccer,
basketball, baseball, curling, rowing, hurling, and horse racing.[180] Casual recreational activities,
such as skating, cycling, hiking, sailing, golfing, skiing, and fishing/ice fishing are also popular.
[180]

Professional teams[edit]

Professiona
League Sport Venue Established Championships
l Team

National Canadian
Ottawa Ice
Hockey Tire 1990 0[b]
Senators hockey
League (NHL) Centre

Canadian
Ottawa TD Place
Football Football 2010 1
Redblacks Stadium
League (CFL)

Canadian
Atlético TD Place
Premier Soccer 2020 0
Ottawa Stadium
League (CPL)

Canadian Elite
Ottawa TD Place
Basketball Basketball 2019 0
Blackjacks Arena
League (CEBL)

Ottawa Titans Frontier Baseball Raymond 2020 0

League (FL) Chabot
Grant
Thornton
 Professiona
League Sport Venue Established Championships
l Team

Park

Government[edit]
Further information: List of Ottawa municipal elections, Canadian federal election results in
Ottawa, and List of embassies and high commissions in Ottawa

Ottawa City Hall houses the seat of the local government.

The City of Ottawa is a single-tier municipality, meaning it is in itself a census division and has
no county or regional municipality government above it.[181] As a single-tier municipality, Ottawa
has responsibility for all municipal services, including fire, emergency medical
services, police, parks, roads, sidewalks, public transit, drinking water, storm water, sanitary
sewage and solid waste. Ottawa is governed by the 24-member Ottawa City Council consisting
of 23 councillors each representing one ward and the mayor Jim Watson,[182] elected in a citywide
vote.
Along with being the capital of Canada, Ottawa is politically diverse in local politics. Most of the
city has traditionally supported the Liberal Party.[183] Perhaps the safest areas for the Liberals are
the ones dominated by Francophones, especially in Vanier and central Gloucester. [183] Central
Ottawa is usually more left-leaning, and the New Democratic Party have won ridings there.
Some of Ottawa's suburbs are swing areas, notably central Nepean and, despite its francophone
population, Orléans.[183] The southern and western parts of the old city of Ottawa are generally
moderate and swing to the Conservative Party.[183] The farther one goes outside the city centre
like to Kanata and Barrhaven and rural areas, the voters tend to be increasingly conservative,
both fiscally and socially.[183] This is especially true in the former Townships of West
Carleton, Goulbourn, Rideau and Osgoode, which are more in line with the conservative areas in
the surrounding counties.[183] Rural parts of the former township of Cumberland, with a large
number of Francophones, traditionally support the Liberal Party, though their support has
recently weakened.[183]
At present, Ottawa is host to 130 embassies.[184] A further 49 countries accredit their embassies
and missions in the United States to Canada.[184]
Transportation[edit]
See also: OC Transpo, List of airports in the Ottawa area,  List of Ottawa roads, List of
numbered roads in Ottawa, and  List of bridges in Ottawa

Map of Intercity Transport Hubs in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

An O-Train crossing the Rideau River. The O-Train is a light rail public transportation service

provided by OC Transpo.
Air[edit]
Ottawa is served by a number of airlines that fly into the Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier
International Airport (IATA: YOW, ICAO: CYOW), as well as two main regional
airports Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport, and the Ottawa/Carp Airport.[185]
Inter-city trains and buses[edit]
Ottawa station (IATA: XDS) is the main inter-city train station operated by Via Rail. It is located
4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the east of downtown in Eastway Gardens (adjacent to O-
Train Tremblay station) and serves Via Rail's Corridor Route.[186][187] The city is also served by
inter-city passenger rail service at Fallowfield station in the southwestern suburban community
of Barrhaven.[188]
Intercity bus services are currently provided by a number of carriers at various stops throughout
the city, following the closure of the former Ottawa Central Station bus terminal on June 1st
2021. Major carriers include:

 Megabus, at St-Laurent station Stop E (to Kingston, Scarborough and Toronto)

 Ontario Northland, at Ottawa station and Terry Fox station Stop 3A (to North
Bay and Sudbury)
  Autobus Gatineau, at 265 Catherine Street and various stops downtown (to Grand
Remous).[189][190][191]
Greyhound Canada no longer serves Ottawa after having ceased all Canadian operations on May
13th, 2021.[192]
Bus and rail transit[edit]
OC Transpo, a department of the city, operates the public transit system.[193] OC Transpo operates
an integrated, multi-modal Rapid Transit system which includes:

 Line 1,[194] also known as the Confederation Line, which operates medium-capacity

trains which travel under the city's downtown core,
 Line 2, also known as the Trillium Line, which is a north-south light rail transit
corridor connecting the airport and south end of Ottawa to Line 1,[195] and
 a vast system of over 190 bus routes[196] served by a fleet of ordinary, articulated and
double-decker buses along grade-separated, transit-only corridors with long distances
between stops and full station amenities (including platforms, walkways, ticket
booths, elevators and convenience stores), which connects Ottawa's suburbs to the
inner city.
The Rapid bus service network operates all day, 7 days a week, reaching Kanata to the West,
Barrhaven to the South-West, Orléans to the East, and South Keys to the South.[196] There are
also several night bus routes that cover Line 1's downtown stations while it is shut off for the
night, and backup service to downtown while the train is delayed.
Both OC Transpo and the Quebec-based Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) operate bus
services between Ottawa and Gatineau.
OC Transpo also operates a door-to-door bus service for disabled individuals known as
ParaTranspo.[193]
Construction was recently completed on the Confederation Line, a 12.5-kilometre (7.8 mi) light-
rail transit line (LRT), which includes a 2.5-kilometre (1.6 mi) tunnel through the downtown area
featuring three underground stations. The project broke ground in 2013, and opened in
September 2019.[197][198] A further 30 km (19 mi) and 19 stations will be built by 2023, referred to
as the Stage 2 plan.[199] There is a proposed LRT system that could link Ottawa with Gatineau.[200]

The Capital Pathway is a multi-use trail interlinking many parks, waterways, and sites

throughout the National Capital Region.
Freeways and roads[edit]
The city is served by two freeway corridors. The primary corridor is east-west and consists of
provincial Highway 417 (designated as the Queensway) and Ottawa-Carleton Regional Road
174 (formerly Provincial Highway 17); a north-south corridor, Highway 416 (designated as
Veterans' Memorial Highway), connects Ottawa to the rest of the 400-Series Highway network
in Ontario at the 401. Highway 417 is also the Ottawa portion of the Trans-Canada Highway.
The city also has several scenic parkways (promenades), such as Colonel By Drive, Queen
Elizabeth Driveway, the Sir John A. MacDonald Parkway, the Rockcliffe Parkway and
the Aviation Parkway and has a freeway connection to Autoroute 5 and Autoroute 50, in
Gatineau. In 2006, the National Capital Commission completed aesthetic enhancements
to Confederation Boulevard, a ceremonial route of existing roads linking key attractions on both
sides of the Ottawa River.[201]
Cycling and by foot[edit]
Numerous paved multi-use trails, mostly operated by the National Capital Commission, wind
their way through much of the city, including along the Ottawa River, Rideau River, and Rideau
Canal. These pathways are used for transportation, tourism, and recreation. Because many streets
either have wide curb lanes or bicycle lanes, cycling is a popular mode of transportation
throughout the year.[202] As of 31 December 2015, 900 km (560 mi) of cycling facilities are found
in Ottawa, including 435 km (270 mi) of multi-use pathways, 8 km (5.0 mi) of cycle tracks,
200 km (120 mi) of on-road bicycle lanes, and 257 km (160 mi) of paved shoulders.[203] 204 km
(127 mi) of new cycling facilities were added between 2011 and 2014.[203] A downtown street
that is restricted to pedestrians only, Sparks Street was turned into a pedestrian mall in 1966.
[204]
 On Sundays (since 1960) and selected holidays and events, additional avenues and streets are
reserved for pedestrian and/or bicycle use only.[205] In May 2011, the NCC introduced the Capital
Bixi bicycle-sharing system.[206]

Education[edit]

Established in 1848, the University of Ottawa is the oldest post-secondary institution in the city.

La Cité collégiale is the largest French-language college in Ontario.

Further information:  List of schools in Ottawa
Ottawa is known as one of the most educated cities in Canada, with over half the population
having graduated from college and/or university.[207] Ottawa has the highest per capita
concentration of engineers, scientists, and residents with PhDs in Canada.[208]
The city has two main public universities:

 Carleton University was founded in 1942 to meet the needs of returning World War
II veterans and later became Ontario's first private, non-denominational college. Over
time, Carleton transitioned into the public university it is today. In recent years,
Carleton has become ranked highly among comprehensive universities in Canada.
[209]
 The university's campus sits between Old Ottawa South and Dow's Lake.
 The University of Ottawa (originally named the "College of Bytown") was the first
post-secondary institution established in the city in 1848. The university later grew to
become the largest English-French bilingual university in the world.[210] It is also a
member of the U15, a group of highly respected research-intensive universities in
Canada.[211] The university's campus is in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood, just adjacent
to the city's downtown core.
Ottawa also has two main public colleges – Algonquin College and La Cité collégiale. It also has
two Catholic universities – Dominican University College and Saint Paul University. Other
colleges and universities in nearby areas (namely, the neighbouring city of Gatineau) include
the University of Quebec en Outaouais, Cégep de l'Outaouais, and Heritage College.
Four main public school boards exist in Ottawa: English, English-Catholic, French, and French-
Catholic. The English-language Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) is the largest
board with 147 schools,[212] followed by the English-Catholic Ottawa Catholic School Board with
85 schools.[213] The two French-language boards are the French-Catholic Conseil des écoles
catholiques du Centre-Est with 49 schools,[214] and the French Conseil des écoles publiques de
l'Est de l'Ontario with 37 schools.[215] Ottawa also has numerous private schools which are not
part of a board.
The Ottawa Public Library was created in 1906 as part of the famed Carnegie library system.
[216]
 The library system had 2.3 million items as of 2008.[217]

Media[edit]
Further information:  Media in Ottawa–Gatineau
Three main daily local newspapers are printed in Ottawa: two English newspapers, the Ottawa
Citizen established as the Bytown Packet in 1845 and the Ottawa Sun, and one French
newspaper, Le Droit.[218] Multiple Canadian television broadcast networks and systems, and an
extensive number of radio stations, broadcast in both English and French.
In addition to the market's local media services, Ottawa is home to several national media
operations, including CPAC (Canada's national legislature broadcaster)[219] and the parliamentary
bureau staff of virtually all of Canada's major newsgathering organizations in television, radio
and print. The city is also home to the head office of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation,
although it is not the primary production location of most CBC radio or television programming.