Ottawa[a] is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core of the Ottawa–Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA) and the National Capital Region (NCR).[13] As of 2021,[update] Ottawa had a city population of 1,017,449 and a metropolitan population of 1,488,307, making it the fourth-largest city and fourth-largest metropolitan area in Canada.[14][15]
OttawaFederal capital cityCity of OttawaVille d'Ottawa (French)
Centre Block on Parliament Hill
Rideau Canal
Rideau Hall
Château Laurier
National Gallery of Canada
Downtown Ottawa
Flag
Coat of arms
LogoNicknames: Bytown[1][2]"O-town"[3]Motto(s): "Advance-Ottawa-En Avant"Written in the two official languages.[4]OpenStreetMap
OttawaShow map of Canada
OttawaShow map of North AmericaCoordinates: 45°25′29″N 75°41′42″W / 45.42472°N 75.69500°W / 45.42472; -75.69500 (Ottawa)[5]CountryCanadaProvinceOntarioEstablished1826 as Bytown[6]Incorporated1855 as City of Ottawa[6]Amalgamated1 January 2001Government • TypeSingle-tier municipality with a Mayor–council system • MayorMark Sutcliffe • City councilOttawa City Council • Federalrepresentation
List of MPs
Mark Carney (LPC)Bruce Fanjoy (LPC)Mona Fortier (LPC)Marie-France Lalonde (LPC)Did McGuinty (LPC)Yasir Naqvi (LPC)Jenna Sudds (LPC)Anita Vandenbeld (LPC)
• Provincialrepresentation
List of MPPs
Stephen Blais (OLP)Lucille Collard (OLP)George Darouze (PC)John Fraser (OLP)Karen McCrimmon (OLP)Catherine McKenney (NDP)Chandra Pasma (NDP)Tyler Watt (OLP)
Area[7][8][9] • Federal capital city2,790.31 km2 (1,077.34 sq mi) • Land2,788.20 km2 (1,076.53 sq mi) • Urban549.49 km2 (212.16 sq mi) • Metro8,046.99 km2 (3,106.96 sq mi)Elevation70 m (230 ft)Population (2021)[7][8][9] • Federal capital city1,017,449 (4th) • Density364.9/km2 (945/sq mi) • Urban1,068,821 • Urban density1,945.1/km2 (5,038/sq mi) • Metro1,488,307 (4th) • Metro density185.0/km2 (479/sq mi) • Demonym[10][11]OttawanTime zoneUTC−05:00 (EST) • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)Postal code spanK0A-K4C[4]Area codes613, 343, 753GDP (Ottawa–Gatineau CMA)CA$89.9 billion (2020)[12]GDP per capita (Ottawa–Gatineau CMA)CA$60,414 (2020)Websiteottawa.ca 
Ottawa is the political centre of Canada and the headquarters of the federal government. The city houses numerous foreign embassies, key buildings, organizations, and institutions of Canada's government; these include the Parliament of Canada, the Supreme Court, the residence of Canada's viceroy, and Office of the Prime Minister.[16]
Founded in 1826 as Bytown, and incorporated as Ottawa in 1855,[17] its original boundaries were expanded through numerous annexations and were ultimately replaced by a new city incorporation and amalgamation in 2001. The municipal government of Ottawa is established and governed by the City of Ottawa Act of the Government of Ontario. It has an elected city council across 24 wards and a mayor elected city-wide, each elected using the first-past-the-post voting election system.[18]
Ottawa has the highest proportion of university-educated residents among Canadian cities[19] and is home to several colleges and universities, research and cultural institutions, including the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, Algonquin College, Collège La Cité, the National Arts Centre, the National Gallery of Canada; and numerous national museums, monuments, and historic sites.[20] It is one of the most visited cities in Canada, with over 11 million visitors annually.[21][22]
Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2.1 Early history 2.2 European exploration and early development 2.3 Selection as capital 2.4 Post-Confederation 2.5 Post–Second World War 3 Geography 3.1 Districts and neighbourhoods 3.1.1 Old Ottawa 3.1.2 Suburbs and outlying communities 3.2 Architecture 3.3 Climate 3.4 Physical geography 3.5 Built environment 4 Demographics 4.1 Race and ethnicity 4.2 Religion 4.3 Language 5 Economy 5.1 Media 6 Education 6.1 Primary and secondary education 6.2 Higher education and research 7 Culture and contemporary life 7.1 Landmarks 7.2 Arts 7.2.1 Performing and visual arts 7.3 Cuisine 7.4 Festivals 8 Sports 8.1 Professional sports 8.2 Collegiate sports 8.3 Non-professional and amateur sports 9 Government and politics 10 Transportation 10.1 Public transportation 10.2 Airports 10.3 Inter-city transportation 10.4 Streets and highways 10.5 Cycling and pedestrian network 11 Notable people 12 See also 13 Footnotes 14 References 15 Bibliography 16 External links Etymology editThe city name Ottawa was chosen in 1855 in reference to the Ottawa River, whose name is itself derived from the Algonquin adawe, meaning "to trade."[23][24] In modern Algonquin, the city is known as Odàwàg.[25]
History edit Main article: History of Ottawa For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Ottawa history. Early history edit The Champlain SeaThe Ottawa Valley became habitable around 10,000 years ago, following the natural draining of the Champlain Sea.[26][27] Archaeological findings of arrowheads, tools and pottery indicate that Indigenous populations first settled in the area about 6,500 years ago.[28][29] These findings suggest that these Algonquin people were engaged in foraging, hunting and fishing, but also trade and trel. Three major rivers meet within Ottawa, making it an important trade and trel area for thousands of years.[28] The Algonquins are a broad Indigenous people who are closely related to the Odawa and Ojibwe peoples.[30][31] This period ended with the arrival of settlers and colonization of North America by Europeans during and after the 15th century.[32]
European exploration and early development editIn 1610, Étienne Brûlé became the first documented European to nigate the Ottawa River, passing what would become Ottawa on his way to the Great Lakes.[33] Three years later, Samuel de Champlain wrote about the waterfalls in the area and about his encounters with the Algonquin people.[34]
The first non-Indigenous settlement in the area was created by Philemon Wright, a New Englander. Wright founded a lumber town in the area on 7 March 1800 on the north side of the river, across from the present-day city of Ottawa in Hull.[35][36] He, with five other families and twenty-five labourers, also created an agricultural community, which was named Wright's Town.[37][38] 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.[39]
In 1826, news of the British military's impending construction of the Rideau Canal led to land speculators founding a community on the south side of the Ottawa River.[40] The following year, the town was named after British military engineer Colonel John By who was responsible for the entire Rideau Waterway construction project.[41] The Rideau canal provided a secure route between Montreal and Kingston on Lake Ontario. It bypassed a 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.[42]
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.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 mostly French, Irish and Catholic.[43]
Bytown's population grew to 1,000 as the Rideau Canal was completed in 1832.[44][45] Bytown's early pioneer period saw Irish labour unrest during the Shiners' War from 1835 to 1845[46] and political dissension that was evident in the 1849 Stony Monday Riot, when Tories objected to consideration of Bytown as the capital of the Province of Canada.[47] In 1855, Bytown was renamed Ottawa and incorporated as a city.[24] William Pittman Lett was installed as the first city clerk, serving from 1844 to 1891, guiding Ottawa through 36 years of development, leading the hiring of key municipal roles, founding civic organizations, and proposing a set of by-laws for the city.[48][49][50]
Selection as capital editThe selection of Ottawa as a capital city predates the Confederation of Canada. The choice was contentious and not straightforward, with the parliament of the United Province of Canada holding more than 200 votes over several decades to attempt to settle on a legislative solution to the location of its capital.[51]
The governor-general of the province designated Kingston as the capital in 1841. However, the major population centres of Toronto and Montreal, as well as the former capital of Lower Canada, Quebec City, all had legislators dissatisfied with Kingston as the capital. Anglophone merchants in Quebec were the leading group supportive of the Kingston arrangement.[52] In 1842, a vote rejected Kingston as the capital,[53] and study of potential candidates included the then-named Bytown, but that option proved less popular than Toronto or Montreal.[54] In 1843, a report of the Executive Council recommended Montreal as the capital as a more fortifiable location and commercial centre; however, the governor-general refused to execute a move without a parliamentary vote.[55] In 1844, the Queen's acceptance of a parliamentary vote moved the capital to Montreal.[56]
In 1849, after an Orange mob burned the Parliament building in Montreal, several votes were held on a permanent location. Kingston and Bytown were again considered potential capitals. However, the winning proposal was for two cities to share capital status and the legislature to alternate sitting in each: Quebec City and Toronto, in a policy known as perambulation.[57][58] Logistical difficulties made this an unpopular arrangement,[59] and an 1856 vote passed for the lower house of parliament to relocate permanently to Quebec City. However the upper house refused to approve funding.[60]
The funding impasse led to the ending of the legislature's role in determining the seat of government. The legislature requested the Queen determine the seat of government. The Queen then acted on the advice of her governor general Edmund Head,[61] who, after reviewing proposals from various cities, selected the recently renamed Ottawa. The Queen sent a letter to colonial authorities selecting Ottawa as the capital, effective 31 December 1857. George Brown, briefly a co-premier of the Province of Canada, attempted to reverse this decision but was unsuccessful. The Parliament ratified the Queen's choice in 1859, with Quebec serving as interim capital from 1859 to 1865.[51][62] The relocation process began in 1865, with the first session of Parliament held in the new buildings in 1866. The buildings were generally well received by legislators.[63]
Ottawa in 1859, before construction on Parliament Hill. Two years prior, Queen Victoria selected the city as the permanent capital of the Province of Canada.Ottawa was chosen as the capital in 1857 for two primary reasons.[64] First, Ottawa's isolated location, surrounded by dense forest far from the Canada–US border and situated on a cliff face, would make it more defensible from attack.[65][66] Second, Ottawa was on the border between Canada West and Canada East, making the selection an important political compromise.[67][68]
Other minor considerations included that despite Ottawa's regional isolation, there was water transportation access from spring to fall, both to Montreal via the Ottawa River, and to Kingston via the Rideau Waterway.[69] Additionally, by 1854 it also had a modern all-season railway (the Bytown and Prescott Railway) that carried passengers, lumber and supplies the 82 kilometres (50 miles) to Prescott on the Saint Lawrence River and beyond.[37][65] Ottawa's small size was also thought to be less prone to politically motivated mob violence, as had happened in the previous Canadian capitals.[70] Finally, the government already owned the land that eventually became Parliament Hill, which it thought would be an ideal location for the Parliament buildings.[67]
The original Parliament buildings, which included the Centre, East and West Blocks, were constructed between 1859 and 1866 in the Gothic Revival style.[71] 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 for the relatively shallow-lying bedrock and had to redesign architectural drawings, leading to delays. The Library of Parliament and Parliament Hill landscaping were completed in 1876.[72]
Post-Confederation edit LeBreton Flats after the 1900 Hull–Ottawa fire. The fire destroyed one-fifth of Ottawa and two-thirds of neighbouring Hull, Quebec.Starting in the 1850s, entrepreneurs known as lumber barons began to build large sawmills, which became some of the largest mills in the world.[73] Rail lines built in 1854 connected Ottawa to areas south and, from 1886 to the transcontinental rail network via Hull and Lachute, Quebec.[74] By 1885 Ottawa was the only city in Canada whose downtown street-lights were powered entirely by electricity.[75] In 1889, the Government developed and distributed 60 "water leases" (still in use) to mainly local industrialists which ge them permission to generate electricity and operate hydroelectric generators at Chaudière Falls.[76] Public transportation began in 1870 with a horsecar system,[77] overtaken in the 1890s by a vast electric streetcar system that operated until 1959.[78]
The Hull–Ottawa fire of 1900 destroyed two-thirds of Hull, including 40 percent of its residential buildings and most of the buildings of its largest employers along the waterfront.[79] It began as a chimney fire in Hull on the north side of the river, but due to wind, spread rapidly throughout the widespread wooden buildings. In Ottawa, it destroyed about one-fifth of the buildings from the Lebreton Flats south to Booth Street and down to Dow's Lake.[80][81] The fire had a disproportionate effect on west-end lower-income neighbourhoods. It had also spread among many lumber yards, a major part of Ottawa's economy. The fire destroyed approximately 3200 buildings and caused an estimated $300 million in damage (in 2020 Canadian dollars).[82] An estimated 14% of Ottawans were left homeless.[83]
Ottawa Post Office, located in Confederation Square, pictured in the early 20th centuryOn 1 June 1912, the Grand Trunk Railway opened both the Château Laurier hotel and its neighbouring downtown Union Station.[84][85] On 3 February 1916, the Centre Block of the Parliament buildings was destroyed by a fire.[86] The House of Commons and Senate was temporarily relocated to the recently constructed Victoria Memorial Museum, now the Canadian Museum of Nature[87] until the completion of the new Centre Block in 1922. The centrepiece of the new Parliament Buildings is a dominant Gothic Revival-styled structure known as the Peace Tower.[88]
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, including the Parliament buildings. It was redeveloped as a ceremonial centre in 1938 as part of the City Beautiful Movement. It became the site of the National War Memorial in 1939 and was designated a National Historic Site in 1984.[89] 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.[90]
Post–Second World War edit V-Day, downtown Ottawa in 1945, to mark the end of World War II Greber plan's National Capital Greenbelt surrounding the urban core The John G. Diefenbaker Building was Ottawa's fourth city hall, from 1958 until 2001.Ottawa's former industrial appearance was vastly altered by the 1950 Greber Plan.[91] 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 a location more befitting for Canada's political centre.[92][93] Greber's plan included the creation of the National Capital Greenbelt, the Kichi Zibi Mikan and the Queensway highway system. His plan also called for changes in institutions such as moving 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. The plan also recommended the creation of the Rideau Canal and Ottawa River pathways.[92][94][95]
In 1958, the National Capital Commission was established as a Crown Corporation through the National Capital Act. The commission's original mission was to implement the Greber Plan recommendations conducted during the 1960s and 1970s.[96] This marked the creation of a permanent political infrastructure for managing the capital region. Prior attempts to do so in the previous 50 years had been temporary. These included plans from 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 with a 16-year mandate.[97][98]
From 1931 to 1958, City Hall had been at the Transportation Building adjacent to Union Station (now part of the Rideau Centre). In 1958, a new City Hall opened on Green Island near Rideau Falls, where urban renewal had recently transformed this industrial location into a green space.[99] In 2001, Ottawa City Hall returned downtown to a 1990 building on 110 Laurier Avenue West, the 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.[100] This new city hall complex also contained an adjacent 19th-century restored heritage building formerly known as the Ottawa Normal School.[99]
From the 1960s to the 1980s, there was a large increase in construction in the National Capital Region,[101] which was followed by large growth in the high-tech industry during the 1990s and 2000s.[102] 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 companies led to newer firms such as Newbridge Networks, Mitel and Corel.[103][104]
In 1991, provincial and federal governments responded to a land claim submitted by the Algonquins of Ontario regarding the unceded status of the land on which Ottawa is situated.[105] Negotiations he been ongoing, with an eventual goal to sign a treaty that would release Canada from claims for misuse of land under Algonquin title, affirm rights of the Algonquins, and negotiate conditions of the title transfer.[106]
Ottawa's city limits he expanded over time, including a large expansion effective 1 January 2001, when the province of Ontario amalgamated all the constituent municipalities of the Regional Municipality of Ottawa–Carleton into a single city.[107] Regional Chair Bob Chiarelli was elected as the new city's first mayor in the 2000 municipal election, defeating Gloucester mayor Claudette Cain.[108] 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 O-Train Line 2, 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.[109] 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.[110] Jim Watson, the last mayor of Ottawa before amalgamation, was re-elected in the 2010 election.[111]
In October 2012, the 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.[112][113] 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.[114]
Geography edit Main article: Geography of Ottawa Districts and neighbourhoods edit Further information: List of neighbourhoods in OttawaThe present-day city of Ottawa consists of the historic main urban area, as well as other urban, suburban and rural areas within the city's post-amalgamation limits.[115]
Old Ottawa editOld Ottawa refers to the former pre-amalgamation city, as well as the former city of Vanier, a densely populated, historically francophone, working class encle, and the former village of Rockcliffe Park, a wealthy residential neighbourhood adjacent to the Prime Minister's official residence at 24 Sussex and the Governor General's residence.[116][117] The old city includes the downtown core and older neighbourhoods to the east, west, and south. These vibrant neighbourhoods include the bustling commercial and cultural areas of Old Ottawa South, Centretown, Lower Town, and Sandy Hill, the affluent tree-lined neighbourhoods of The Glebe, Westboro, and New Edinburgh, and the historically blue-collar communities of Hintonburg, Mechanicsville, Carlington, and LeBreton Flats, with a mixture of housing types, artist lofts, and industrial uses. The old city also includes the ethnic encles of Chinatown and Little Italy.
Suburbs and outlying communities edit Map of Ottawa showing urban areas and names of historical communitiesModern Ottawa is made up of eleven historic townships, ten of which are from the former Carleton County and one from the former Russell County.[118] Ottawa city limits are 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.[119][120]
The main suburban areas extend a considerable distance to the east, west and south of the inner-city.[121][122] These areas also include the former cities of Cumberland, Gloucester (with the large suburban district of Orleans outside the greenbelt split between them), Kanata, and Nepean.[123] The towns of Stittsville and Richmond within the former Goulbourn Township are to the southwest.[116][124] Nepean as a suburb also includes Barrhen.[116][125] The communities of Manotick and Riverside South are on the other side of the Rideau River, and Greely, southeast of Riverside South.[116]
A number of rural communities (villages and hamlets) are also part of the City of Ottawa.[121] Some of these communities are Burritts Rapids; Ashton; Fallowfield; Kars; Fitzroy Harbour; Munster; Carp; North Gower; Metcalfe; Constance Bay and Osgoode.[116] Several towns are within the federally defined National Capital Region but outside of Ottawa's municipal boundaries;[121] these include communities of Almonte, Carleton Place, Embrun, Kemptville, Rockland, and Russell.[116]
Ottawa above the Ottawa River in 2017, left to right— Byward Market · Fairmont Château Laurier · National Gallery of Canada · Parliament Hill with Library of Parliament and Peace Tower · Alexandra Bridge · Downtown Ottawa towers · Supreme Court of Canada Architecture edit Main article: Architecture of Ottawa Completed in 1913, the Connaught Building was constructed in a Gothic Revival style.Influenced by government structures, much of the city's architecture tends to be formal and functional; the city is also marked by Romantic and Picturesque styles of architecture such as the Parliament Buildings' gothic revival architecture.[126] Ottawa's domestic architecture contains single-family homes, but also includes smaller numbers of semi-detached houses, rowhouses, and apartment buildings.[127] Many domestic buildings in Centretown are clad in red brick, with trim in wood, stone, or metal; variations are common, depending on the cultural heritage of the neighbourhoods and the time they were built.[128]
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.[129] Today, several buildings are slightly taller than the Peace Tower, with the tallest being the Claridge Icon at 143 metres (469 ft).[130] Many federal buildings in the National Capital Region are managed by Public Works Canada, which leads to heritage conservation in its renovations and management of buildings, such as the renovation of the Senate Building.[131][132] Most of the federal land in the region is managed by the National Capital Commission; its control of much undeveloped land and appropriations powers gives the NCC a great deal of influence over the city's development.[133][134][135]
Climate editOttawa has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb, Trewartha Dcbo/Dcbc)[136] with four distinct seasons and is between Zones 5a and 5b on the Canadian Plant Hardiness Scale.[137] The erage July maximum temperature is 26.7 °C (80 °F). The erage January minimum temperature is −14.0 °C (6.8 °F).[138] The highest temperature ever recorded in Ottawa was 37.8 °C (100 °F) on 4 July 1913, 1 August 1917 and 11 August 1944.[139][138]
Summers are generally warm and humid in Ottawa. On erage, there are 13.4 days across the three summer months of June, July and August that he temperatures exceeding 30 °C (86 °F).[138] Periods of hotter weather are normally accompanied by high humidity levels.[138]
Snow and ice are dominant during the winter season. On erage, almost every day of January, February and March has more than 5 cm of snowpack (29, 28, and 23 days, respectively), and on erage, approximately 13 days a year see 5 cm or more of snowfall, with 5 of those hing over 10 cm.[138]
An erage of 15 days of the year experience temperatures below −20 °C (−4 °F).[138] Spring and fall are variable, prone to extreme changes in temperature and conditions. The month of May, for example, on erage gets a day below freezing at night every other year, conversely a day surpassing 30 °C [138]
Annual rainfall erages around 772mm per year, total precipitation 938mm[138] spread throughout the year, with some variation. May through November are the months more likely to see significant precipitation events, with each month hing an erage of 3 days of over 10 mm of precipitation, with December through April seeing on erage 1–2 days. May through November he, on erage, over 80 mm of rainfall per month, with peaks of approximately 90 mm in June and July. December through April he less than 80 mm, with February being the driest month at an erage of 5 cm of precipitation.[138]
Ottawa experiences about 2,080 hours of erage sunshine annually (45% of possible).[140] Predominate wind direction in Ottawa is from the West, Easterly air flow is more common during periods of wet weather as well as localized river/lake-effect cells on summer afternoons.[141] Windspeed is on erage higher during the winter, with northerly winds predominating during cold wes.[139][141]
Climate data for Ottawa (Central Experimental Farm), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1872–present[b][142] Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high humidex 12.9 12.0 28.4 35.3 39.7 44.1 45.7 49.9 41.6 36.1 24.3 18.3 49.9 Record high °C (°F) 15.6(60.1) 15.1(59.2) 26.5(79.7) 31.2(88.2) 35.2(95.4) 36.7(98.1) 37.8(100.0) 37.8(100.0) 36.7(98.1) 30.3(86.5) 23.3(73.9) 17.0(62.6) 37.8(100.0) Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −5.2(22.6) −3.3(26.1) 2.5(36.5) 11.2(52.2) 19.4(66.9) 24.2(75.6) 26.7(80.1) 25.6(78.1) 21.1(70.0) 13.3(55.9) 5.8(42.4) −1.5(29.3) 11.7(53.1) Daily mean °C (°F) −9.6(14.7) −8.1(17.4) −2.2(28.0) 6.2(43.2) 13.8(56.8) 18.8(65.8) 21.3(70.3) 20.1(68.2) 15.6(60.1) 8.8(47.8) 2.0(35.6) −5.1(22.8) 6.8(44.2) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −14.0(6.8) −12.9(8.8) −6.9(19.6) 1.1(34.0) 8.0(46.4) 13.3(55.9) 15.8(60.4) 14.6(58.3) 10.1(50.2) 4.1(39.4) −1.8(28.8) −8.7(16.3) 1.9(35.4) Record low °C (°F) −37.8(−36.0) −38.3(−36.9) −36.7(−34.1) −20.6(−5.1) −7.2(19.0) 0.0(32.0) 3.3(37.9) 1.1(34.0) −4.4(24.1) −12.8(9.0) −30.6(−23.1) −38.9(−38.0) −38.9(−38.0) Record low wind chill −40.6 −42.8 −40.1 −20.8 −8.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 −1.0 −9.6 −25.6 −41.3 −42.8 Average precipitation mm (inches) 65.2(2.57) 52.4(2.06) 61.6(2.43) 81.3(3.20) 80.1(3.15) 95.1(3.74) 92.3(3.63) 87.4(3.44) 87.0(3.43) 90.2(3.55) 72.0(2.83) 73.6(2.90) 938.1(36.93) Average rainfall mm (inches) 27.0(1.06) 17.0(0.67) 32.5(1.28) 72.2(2.84) 80.0(3.15) 95.1(3.74) 92.3(3.63) 87.4(3.44) 87.0(3.43) 88.6(3.49) 57.1(2.25) 35.3(1.39) 771.5(30.37) Average snowfall cm (inches) 44.5(17.5) 41.0(16.1) 30.9(12.2) 7.5(3.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 1.7(0.7) 16.1(6.3) 42.7(16.8) 184.5(72.6) Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) 17(6.7) 25(9.8) 20(7.9) 2(0.8) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 1(0.4) 8(3.1) 6(2.4) Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 15.2 12.0 11.3 12.5 13.5 12.9 12.2 11.5 11.9 14.5 13.9 15.6 157.0 Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 4.5 3.1 5.6 11.1 13.5 12.9 12.2 11.5 11.9 14.3 10.5 6.3 117.4 Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 13.0 10.1 7.1 2.3 0.07 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.38 4.6 11.4 48.9 Average relative humidity (%) (at 15:00 LST) 70.6 63.5 57.6 51.2 51.0 55.1 54.3 55.7 58.1 63.9 68.1 75.5 60.4 Mean monthly sunshine hours 99.3 131.3 167.1 189.8 229.8 254.2 279.0 249.3 177.6 139.4 84.3 82.6 2,083.7 Percentage possible sunshine 35.0 44.9 45.3 46.9 49.9 54.3 58.9 57.1 47.1 41.0 29.4 30.3 45.0 Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada (sun 1981–2010)[138][140][143] Climate data for Ottawa International Airport, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1938–present[142] Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high humidex 13.9 15.1 30.0 35.1 41.8 44.0 47.2 47.0 42.5 33.9 26.1 18.4 47.2 Record high °C (°F) 12.9(55.2) 15.7(60.3) 27.4(81.3) 31.1(88.0) 35.8(96.4) 36.1(97.0) 36.9(98.4) 37.8(100.0) 35.1(95.2) 30.9(87.6) 23.9(75.0) 17.9(64.2) 37.8(100.0) Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −5.5(22.1) −3.6(25.5) 2.4(36.3) 11.3(52.3) 19.6(67.3) 24.4(75.9) 27.0(80.6) 25.8(78.4) 21.0(69.8) 13.0(55.4) 5.8(42.4) −1.9(28.6) 11.6(52.9) Daily mean °C (°F) −10.0(14.0) −8.5(16.7) −2.4(27.7) 5.9(42.6) 13.6(56.5) 18.7(65.7) 21.2(70.2) 20.1(68.2) 15.3(59.5) 8.2(46.8) 1.7(35.1) −5.8(21.6) 6.5(43.7) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −14.3(6.3) −13.2(8.2) −7.1(19.2) 0.5(32.9) 7.5(45.5) 12.9(55.2) 15.4(59.7) 14.3(57.7) 9.6(49.3) 3.4(38.1) −2.4(27.7) −9.6(14.7) 1.4(34.5) Record low °C (°F) −35.6(−32.1) −36.1(−33.0) −30.6(−23.1) −16.7(1.9) −5.6(21.9) −0.1(31.8) 5.0(41.0) 2.6(36.7) −3.0(26.6) −8.0(17.6) −21.7(−7.1) −34.4(−29.9) −36.1(−33.0) Record low wind chill −47.8 −47.6 −42.7 −26.3 −10.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 −6.4 −13.3 −29.5 −44.6 −47.8 Average precipitation mm (inches) 70.4(2.77) 49.5(1.95) 66.3(2.61) 81.3(3.20) 74.8(2.94) 96.8(3.81) 88.5(3.48) 79.0(3.11) 89.6(3.53) 87.4(3.44) 73.9(2.91) 72.4(2.85) 929.8(36.61) Average rainfall mm (inches) 29.3(1.15) 14.5(0.57) 34.6(1.36) 69.6(2.74) 74.5(2.93) 96.8(3.81) 88.5(3.48) 79.0(3.11) 90.6(3.57) 84.7(3.33) 60.5(2.38) 34.7(1.37) 757.2(29.81) Average snowfall cm (inches) 59.2(23.3) 48.5(19.1) 38.8(15.3) 12.2(4.8) 0.2(0.1) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 2.7(1.1) 20.7(8.1) 49.6(19.5) 231.9(91.3) Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 16.7 13.0 12.6 12.1 13.4 13.9 12.1 11.2 12.4 14.1 14.4 16.7 162.7 Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 4.9 3.7 6.8 11.0 13.4 13.9 12.1 11.2 12.3 13.6 10.5 6.6 120.0 Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 16.4 12.9 8.6 3.2 0.13 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.87 6.5 13.9 62.3 Average relative humidity (%) (at 15:00) 68.4 62.0 57.0 49.5 49.5 53.5 54.2 55.3 58.4 61.6 66.9 72.3 59.1 Mean monthly sunshine hours 122.4 114.1 168.5 187.5 210.5 274.0 301.4 231.9 211.5 148.8 92.4 68.8 2,131.7 Percentage possible sunshine 43.1 39.0 45.7 46.3 45.7 58.6 63.7 53.1 56.1 43.7 32.2 25.2 46.0 Source: Environment Canada (sunshine 1981–2010)[139][144][145][146][147] Physical geography edit Downtown Ottawa is situated on the south bank of the Ottawa River with neighbouring Gatineau in the background across the river.Ottawa is situated on the south bank of the Ottawa River and contains the mouths of the Rideau River and Rideau Canal.[148] The Rideau Canal (Rideau Waterway) first opened in 1832 and is 202 km (126 mi) long.[149] It connects the Saint Lawrence River on Lake Ontario at Kingston to the Ottawa River near Parliament Hill. It was able to bypass the unnigable 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.
Ottawa is situated in a lowland on top of Paleozoic carbonate and shale and is surrounded by more craggy Precambrian igneous and metamorphic formations. Ottawa has had fluvial deposition of till and sands, leading to the widespread formation of eskers. There are limited distinct features arising from glacial deposits, but Ottawa was affected by the Late Wisconsian advance. Before the draining of the Champlain Sea, the area had high salinity. After the draining of the sea, the area had pine-dominated forests.[150] Ottawa is located within the Western Quebec Seismic Zone, and while relatively inactive, the city does occasionally experience earthquakes.[151][152][153][154][155]
Built environment editDuring 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).[156] On 29 June 2007, the Rideau Canal was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[157]
The older part of the city (including what remains of Bytown) is known as Lower Town,[158] and occupies an area between the canal and the rivers. Across the canal to the west lie both Centretown and Downtown Ottawa, which share a border along Gloucester Street.[159] These core neighbourhoods contain streets such as Elgin and Bank, which fill the role of commercial main streets in the region.[160]
Centretown is next to downtown, which includes a substantial economic and architectural government presence across multiple branches of government. The legislature's work takes place in the parliamentary precinct, which includes buildings on Parliament Hill and others downtown, such as the Senate of Canada Building.[161] Important buildings in the executive branch include the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council as well as many civil service buildings.[162][163] The Supreme Court of Canada building can also be found in this area.[164]
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.[165] Although formally and administratively separate cities in two different provinces, Ottawa and Gatineau (along with several nearby municipalities) collectively constitute the National Capital Region, which is considered a single metropolitan area.[166] One federal Crown corporation, the National Capital Commission, or NCC, has significant land holdings in both cities, including sites of historical and touristic importance.[166] The NCC, through its responsibility for planning and development of these lands, has a crucial role in shaping the development of the city.[167] Around the main urban area is an extensive greenbelt, administered by the NCC for conservation and leisure, and comprising mostly forest, farmland and marshland.[168]
Demographics edit Main article: Demographics of Ottawa Ottawa population pyramid in 2021 Historic PopulationYearPop.±%1901101,102— 1911123,417+22.1%1921152,868+23.9%1931174,056+13.9%1941206,367+18.6%1951246,298+19.3%1956287,244+16.6%1961358,410+24.8%1966413,695+15.4%1971471,931+14.1%1976520,533+10.3%1981546,849+5.1%1986606,639+10.9%1991678,147+11.8%1996721,136+6.3%2001774,072+7.3%2006812,129+4.9%2011883,391+8.8%2016934,243+5.8%20211,017,449+8.9%Note: Population figures are extrapolated for current municipal boundaries Sources:[169][170][171][172][173][c][175][7]Chart formatIn the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Ottawa had a population of 1,017,449 living in 407,252 of its 427,113 total private dwellings, a change of 8.9% from its 2016 population of 934,243. With a land area of 2,788.2 km2 (1,076.5 sq mi), it had a population density of 364.9/km2 (945.1/sq mi) in 2021.[176]
As of 2021 the Ottawa-Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA) had a population of 1,488,307 living in 604,721 of its 638,013 total private dwellings, a change of 8.5% from its 2016 population of 1,371,576. With a land area of 8,046.99 km2 (3,106.96 sq mi), it had a population density of 185.0/km2 (479.0/sq mi) in 2021.[177]
Ottawa's median age of 40.1 is below the provincial and national erages as of 2016. Youths under 15 constituted 16.7% of the total population in 2016, while those of retirement age (65 years and older) made up 15.4%.[178]
The 2021 census reported that immigrants (individuals born outside Canada) comprise 259,215 persons or 25.9% of the total population of Ottawa. Of the total immigrant population, the top countries of origin were China (20,320 persons or 7.8%), India (16,200 persons or 6.2%), United Kingdom (14,760 persons or 5.7%), Lebanon (11,900 persons or 4.6%), Philippines (10,505 persons or 4.1%), United States of America (8,795 persons or 3.4%), Haiti (6,710 persons or 2.6%), Syria (6,370 persons or 2.5%), Vietnam (6,155 persons or 2.4%), and Iran (6,000 persons or 2.3%).[179]
Race and ethnicity editAs of 2021, approximately 64.9% of Ottawa's population were white or European, while 2.6% were Indigenous, and 32.5% were visible minorities (higher than the national percentage of 26.5%).[180]
Religion editAccording to the 2021 census, religious groups in Ottawa included:[179]
Christianity (528,700 persons or 52.8%) Irreligion (316,740 persons or 31.6%) Islam (98,920 persons or 9.9%) Hinduism (20,300 persons or 2.0%) Buddhism (10,800 persons or 1.1%) Judaism (10,600 persons or 1.1%) Sikhism (6,375 persons or 0.6%) Indigenous Spirituality (445 persons or