Ottawa Has So Much To Offer
by Scott A. Sumner
Thunder Bay Business
In Canada you usually think of cities like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver or perhaps Calgary as somewhere you’d like to visit. After spending some time in Ottawa, our nations capital, I think we should all add this beautiful city to our list. For me it had been a long time since I had been in Ottawa and it was really fun to explore this urban setting with so much history.
The population of Ottawa proper is 800,00 but when you add in the adjacent Hull and Gatineau, Quebec on the other side of the Ottawa River the population totals over 1 million people. Known as the Capital Region government is the number one employer with technology second and tourism number three. There are 7.2 million visitors each year with over 1.1 million people coming to skate on the Rideau Canal.
When I drove into Ottawa from the airport the first thing I noticed was the Rideau Canal skateway which is 7.8 km in length and now a Unesco World Heritage site, named so in June 2007. The largest skating rink in the world, the Skateway starts at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel with is in the heart of downtown and winds it’s way to the man made Dows Lake. The Rideau Canal itself extends a further 208 kms to Kingston.
“ A lot of visitors come from the Quebec City to Windsor corridor. We have had a decline in US visitors but higher numbers from the UK. Skating is the lure but there is also Wintertide which takes place for 3 weeks each winter. Skiing is in Gatineau Park at Camp Fortune, a 15
minute drive from Ottawa downtown,” stated Misty Wade Hovey of Ottawa Tourism. “ You can also zipline through the trees in the summer where you are harnessed in and go through a playground in the trees. There is canoeing, hiking and we have one of the most extensive bike pathways in North America. From May to September we have Sunday bike days where
they close off the road near the Rideau Canal, promoting an outside lifestyle.
“ Everyone knows we have the Parliament Buildings, the Supreme Court of Canada and the RCMP musical. We are also are home to a dozen or so national institutions that range from the Canadian Museum of Civilization- which is the most visited museum in Canada, the Canadian War Museum- recently opened in 2005 that houses our military vehicles within a breathtaking architecture building, the National Gallery of Canada- the largest collection of Canadian and Innuit Art and the National Arts Centre- which produces dance productions and musicals in both languages”, smiles Misty. “ There are also festivals galore in Ottawa such as the Canadian Tulip Festival, the Jazz Festival July 20 to July 1st with big names like Herbie Hancock. Canada Day is the biggest birthday celebration you will ever see with big fireworks the streets are blocked off with big stages and jumbo screens. If you have the pride of the maple leaf you have to do it once in your life time. Out Bluesfest is the largest in Canada and second only to the Chicago bluesfest. It is huge and for the first time being produced on the
Canadian War Museum Grounds and now it is even bigger. We have the Folk Festival and the Chamber Music Festival, the largest in the world so we have a variety of festivals outdoors.”
For information on special travel packages go to Ottawa tourism.ca
Melissa Muduuli was my guide at Canadian War Museum which was constructed over a 3 year period and opened on May 8th 2005 which was the 60th anniversary of victory in Europe Day. It is a very large facility which houses four permanent exhibits from - 5000 years ago to
1885,- the South African conflict from 1889 to WW1 in1931,- WW 11 til August 1945 and the Cold War starting September ,1945 and ending in recent conflicts. In the middle is the Wall of Honour of our soldiers from 5000 years ago to today. Down the stairs there is the automotive
Breton Gallery from the 16th century to the 20th century. You could spend a lot of time at the Canadian War Museum. A special place is the Memorial Hall when on Nov 11 the sun shines in at 11am on the tombstone of the unknown soldier. Admission to the Canadian War Museum is $10 adults, $ 8 seniors and $6 for a child.
Ralph Brassard was my guide at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. This striking facility was constructed from 1983 to 1989 and has 1 million square feet of exhibit and storage space.There are 1.4 million visitors a year at the Canadian Museum of Civalization.It costs $10 to see with tour guides everywhere.
“ Ottawa was chosen our nations capital in 1857 by Queen Victoria. This was a logging town on the Ottawa and Gatineau Rivers. The French Canadians were from Lower Canada- Quebec and the English and Irish were from Upper Canada which is Ontario,” stated Ralph Brassard. “ The people who work here at the museum are passionate about what they do, our environment we work in because we have diversify of different people who come though from all over the world. Everyone has a story to tell and I enjoy meeting them. Anyone who comes here will find
something from their childhood. If they leave finding out something about themselves my job is done.”
