View source for Ottawa

{{Short description|Capital city of Canada}}
{{Hatnote group|
{{About-distinguish|the capital of Canada|Odawa|Ottawan|Outaouais|Oshawa|Otawa|Ottoa|Ottumwa (disambiguation){{!}}Ottumwa}}
{{Other uses}}
}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Ottawa
| official_name = City of Ottawa<br/>''Ville d'Ottawa'' (French)
| native_name = 
| settlement_type = City and [[federal capital]]
| government_type = [[List of municipalities in Ontario#Single-tier municipalities|Single-tier municipality]] with a [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–council system]]
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border            = infobox
| perrow            = 1/2/2/1
| total_width       = 280
| caption_align     = center
| image1            = Parliament-Ottawa.jpg
| caption1          = [[Centre Block|Centre Block on Parliament Hill]]
| image2            = Rideau Canal at downtown Ottawa.JPG
| caption2          = [[Rideau Canal]]
| image3            = 10 Rideau Hall P1350151.jpg
| caption3          = [[Rideau Hall]]
| image4            = View of west elevation of Château Laurier Hotel, Ottawa;.jpg
| caption4          = [[Château Laurier]]
| image5            = Major's Hill Park(3).jpg
| caption5          = [[National Gallery of Canada]]
}}
| imagesize = 
| image_caption = 
| image_flag = Flag of Ottawa, Ontario.svg
| flag_size = 120x80px
| image_shield = Coat of arms of Ottawa, Ontario.svg
| shield_size = 120x90px
| image_blank_emblem = Ottawa, City of.svg
| blank_emblem_type = Logo
| blank_emblem_size = 140px
| nickname = {{hlist|"O-town"<ref>{{cite news |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/music/jazzblog/o-town-originals |title=O-Town Originals |author=Peter Hum |newspaper=[[Ottawa Citizen]] |publisher=[[Postmedia Network]] |date=9 November 2009 |access-date=4 January 2015 |archive-date=4 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150104114439/http://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/music/jazzblog/o-town-originals |url-status=live}}</ref>}}
| motto = {{force singular}} "Advance-Ottawa-En Avant"<br />Written in the [[Bilingualism in Ottawa|two official languages]].<ref name="Montague">{{cite book |url=http://www.bookofeverything.com/website/docs/OttawaBOE_Essentials.pdf |title=Ottawa Book of Everything |author=Art Montague |publisher=MacIntyre Purcell Publishing |year=2008 |access-date=14 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426063702/http://www.bookofeverything.com/website/docs/OttawaBOE_Essentials.pdf |archive-date=26 April 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 5
| mapframe-marker = city
| pushpin_map = Ontario#Canada#North America
| pushpin_relief = yes
| coordinates = {{coord|45|25|29|N|75|41|42|W|region:CA-ON_type:city(1,000,000)|name=Ottawa|notes=<ref name=cgndbott>{{Cite cgndb|FEVNT|Ottawa}}</ref>|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = Canada
| subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Province]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Ontario]]
| established_title = Established
| established_date = 1826 as [[Bytown]]<ref name="EdwardsIvison2005">{{cite book |author1=Justin D. Edwards |author-link1=Justin D. Edwards |author2=Douglas Ivison |title=Downtown Canada: Writing Canadian Cities |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0bD75NCOS18C&pg=PA35 |year=2005 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-0-8020-8668-6 |page=35 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520011646/https://books.google.com/books?id=0bD75NCOS18C&pg=PA35 |archive-date=20 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| established_title1 = Incorporated as town (Bytown)
| established_date1 = 1 January 1850 <ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/ottawacapitalofc0000wood/page/116/mode/2up?q=1850 |title=Ottawa, the Capital of Ottawa|publisher=DoubleDay Canada|year=1980 |access-date=17 March 2026 }}</ref>
| established_title2 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date2 = 1855 as City of Ottawa<ref name="EdwardsIvison2005"/>
| established_title3 = [[Amalgamation (politics)|Metropolitan Amalgamation]]
| established_date3 = 1 January 2001<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_99c14e_e.htm#BK3 |title=City of Ottawa Act, 1999, Chapter 14, Schedule E |publisher=Service Ontario/Legislative Assembly of Ontario |year=2010 |access-date=29 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110808101635/http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_99c14e_e.htm#BK3 |archive-date=8 August 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| leader_title = [[Mayor of Ottawa|Mayor]]
| leader_name = [[Mark Sutcliffe]]
| leader_title1 = [[City council]]
| leader_name1 = [[Ottawa City Council]]
| area_footnotes = <ref name=CityPop/><ref name=UAPop/><ref name=CMAPop/>
| area_magnitude = 
| area_total_km2 = 2790.31
| area_total_sq_mi = 
| area_land_km2 = 2788.20
| area_land_sq_mi = 
| area_water_km2 = 
| area_water_sq_mi = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_urban_km2 = 549.49
| area_urban_sq_mi = 
| area_metro_km2 = 8046.99
| area_metro_sq_mi = 
| elevation_m = 70
| elevation_ft = 230
| population_total = 1,017,449 ([[List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population|4th]])
| population_as_of = 2021
| population_footnotes = <ref name=CityPop>{{cite web |title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2021 and 2016 censuses – 100% data |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv!recreate.action?pid=9810000202&selectedNodeIds=1D2628&checkedLevels=1D1&refPeriods=20210101,20210101&dimensionLayouts=&vectorDisplay=false|publisher=Statistics Canada |date=9 February 2022 |access-date=24 February 2026}}</ref><ref name=UAPop>{{cite web |title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and population centres, 2021 and 2016 censuses – 100% data |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv!recreate.action?pid=9810001101&selectedNodeIds=1D582,1D583,1D584,1D1049,1D1050,1D1051,1D1052,1D1053,1D1054,1D1055,1D1056,1D1057,1D1058,1D1059,1D1060&checkedLevels=1D1&refPeriods=20210101,20210101&dimensionLayouts=layout3,layout2,layout2&vectorDisplay=false |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=26 February 2026 |access-date=26 February 2026}}</ref><ref name=CMAPop>{{cite web |title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations, 2021 and 2016 censuses – 100% data |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv!recreate.action?pid=9810000501&selectedNodeIds=1D85,1D86&checkedLevels=1D1&refPeriods=20210101,20210101&dimensionLayouts=layout3,layout2,layout2&vectorDisplay=false |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=26 February 2026 |access-date=26 February 2026}}</ref>
| population_density_km2 = 364.9
| population_density_sq_mi = 
| population_urban = 1,068,821
| population_density_urban_km2 = 1945.1
| population_density_urban_sq_mi = 
| population_metro = 1,488,307 ([[List of census metropolitan areas and agglomerations in Canada|4th]])
| population_density_metro_km2 = 185.0
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = 
| population_blank1_title = [[Demonym]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ottawa.ca/residents/public_consult/lansdowne_partnership/urban_park/proposed_designs/c_en.html |title=City of Ottawa – Design C |publisher=Ottawa.ca |date=20 May 2010 |access-date=26 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118093823/http://ottawa.ca/residents/public_consult/lansdowne_partnership/urban_park/proposed_designs/c_en.html |archive-date=18 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/occ/2011/08-25/fedco/01%20-%20ACS2011-OCM-CMR-0003%20-%202010%20Report%20on%20FLS%20ENG.htm |title=Rapport au / Report to |publisher=Ottawa.ca |year=2011 |access-date=26 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118170026/http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/occ/2011/08-25/fedco/01%20-%20ACS2011-OCM-CMR-0003%20-%202010%20Report%20on%20FLS%20ENG.htm |archive-date=18 January 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| population_blank1 = Ottawan
| population_note = 
| demographics_type2 = GDP {{Nobold|(Nominal, 2022)}}
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=November 27, 2024 |title=Gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices, by census metropolitan area (CMA) |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610046801 |access-date=November 29, 2024 |website=www150.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = Metro 
| demographics2_info1 = CA${{FXConvert|CAN|88.0|b|lk=on}}
| demographics2_title2 = Per capita
| demographics2_info2 = CA${{FXConvert|CAN|65061|lk=on}}
| postal_code_type = Postal code span
| postal_code = K0A-K4C<ref name="autogenerated1"/>
| area_codes = [[Area codes 613, 343, and 753|613, 343, 753]]
| unemployment_rate = 
| website = {{Official URL}}
| footnotes = 
| leader_title2 = <!--Listing MPs under government in the infobox implies that they are part of the City of Ottawa administration. MPs are federal representatives.--> [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|Federal<br />representation]]
| leader_name2 = {{Collapsible list
| title = List of MPs
| frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;
| title_style =
| list_style = text-align:left;
| 1 = [[Mark Carney]] ([[Liberal Party of Canada|LPC]])
| 2 = [[Bruce Fanjoy]] ([[Liberal Party of Canada|LPC]])
| 3 = [[Mona Fortier]] ([[Liberal Party of Canada|LPC]])
| 4 = [[Marie-France Lalonde]] ([[Liberal Party of Canada|LPC]])
| 5 = [[David McGuinty]] ([[Liberal Party of Canada|LPC]])
| 6 = [[Yasir Naqvi]] ([[Liberal Party of Canada|LPC]])
| 7 = [[Jenna Sudds]] ([[Liberal Party of Canada|LPC]])
| 8 = [[Anita Vandenbeld]] ([[Liberal Party of Canada|LPC]])
}}
| leader_title3 = <!--Listing MPPs under [[government]] in the infobox implies that they are part of the City of Ottawa administration. MPPs are provincial representatives-->{{Nowrap|[[Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario)|Provincial<br />representation]]}}
| leader_name3 = {{Collapsible list
| title = List of MPPs
| frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;
| title_style =
| list_style = text-align:left; 
| 1 = [[Stephen Blais]] ([[Ontario Liberal Party|OLP]])
| 2 = [[Lucille Collard]] ([[Ontario Liberal Party|OLP]])
| 3 = [[George Darouze]] ([[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|PC]])
| 4 = [[John Fraser (Ontario MPP)|John Fraser]] ([[Ontario Liberal Party|OLP]])
| 5 = [[Karen McCrimmon]] ([[Ontario Liberal Party|OLP]])
| 6 = [[Catherine McKenney]] ([[Ontario New Democratic Party|NDP]])
| 7 = [[Chandra Pasma]] ([[Ontario New Democratic Party|NDP]])
| 8 = [[Tyler Watt]] ([[Ontario Liberal Party|OLP]])
}}
| timezone = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset = −05:00
| timezone_DST = [[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST = −04:00
}}

'''Ottawa''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=Ottawa.ogg|ˈ|ɒ|t|ə|w|ə}}, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɒ|t|ə|w|ɑː}}; {{IPA|fr|ɔtawɑ|label=Canadian French:}}) is the [[capital city]] of [[Canada]]. It is located in the [[Southern Ontario|southeastern]] portion of the province of [[Ontario]], at the confluence of the [[Ottawa River]] and the [[Rideau River]]. Ottawa borders [[Gatineau|Gatineau, Quebec]], and forms the core of the Ottawa–Gatineau [[census metropolitan area]] (CMA) and the [[National Capital Region (Canada)|National Capital Region]] (NCR).<ref>{{cite web |date=22 June 2011 |title=National Capital Act (R. S. C., 1985, c. N-4) |url=http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/PDF/N-4.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811020955/http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/PDF/N-4.pdf |archive-date=11 August 2011 |access-date=8 July 2011 |publisher=Department of Justice |page=13 Schedule (Section 2) 'Description of National Capital Region'}}</ref> {{As of|2021|post=,}} Ottawa had a city population of 1,017,449 and a metropolitan population of 1,488,307, making it the [[list of the largest municipalities in Canada by population|fourth-largest]] city and [[list of census metropolitan areas and agglomerations in Canada|fourth-largest]] metropolitan area in Canada.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&GENDERlist=1&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0&DGUIDlist=2021A00053506008&SearchText=ottawa |title=Census Profile, 2021 Census Ottawa, &#91;City Census subdivision&#93;, Ontario |access-date=9 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209152508/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&GENDERlist=1&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0&DGUIDlist=2021A00053506008&SearchText=ottawa |archive-date=9 February 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2022-02-09 |title=Population and dwelling counts: Census metropolitan areas, census agglomerations and census subdivisions (municipalities) |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000301 |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=www150.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=9 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209181811/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000301 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ottawa is the political centre of Canada and the headquarters of the federal government. The city houses numerous [[List of diplomatic missions in Ottawa|foreign embassies]], key buildings, organizations, and institutions of [[Government of Canada|Canada's government]]; these include the [[Parliament of Canada]], the [[Supreme Court of Canada Building|Supreme Court]], the [[Rideau Hall|residence of Canada's viceroy]], and the [[Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council|Office of the Prime Minister]].<ref>{{Cite book |editor-last1=Bosc |editor-first1=Marc |editor-last2=Gagnon |editor-first2=André |chapter=Ottawa as the Seat of Government |chapter-url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-3/ch_06_1-e.html |title=House of Commons Procedure and Practice |year=2017 |edition=3rd |access-date=20 July 2022 |archive-date=2 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502121452/https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-3/ch_06_1-e.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Founded in 1826 as "[[Bytown]]", [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] in 1850, and renamed "Ottawa" in 1855,<ref>{{cite web |title=A Brief History of Bytown |url=https://www.runottawa.ca/a-brief-history-of-bytown |website=Run Ottawa |access-date=2 May 2021 |archive-date=2 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502205416/https://www.runottawa.ca/a-brief-history-of-bytown |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Ottawa |url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/ottawa-ont/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213081108/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/ottawa-ont/ |archive-date=2013-12-13 |access-date=2026-03-17 |work=The Canadian Encyclopedia |language=en}}</ref> its original boundaries were expanded through numerous annexations and were ultimately replaced by a new city incorporation and amalgamation in 2001. The [[City of Ottawa|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 of Ottawa|mayor]] elected city-wide, each elected using the [[first-past-the-post voting]] election system.<ref>2022 official results https://app06.ottawa.ca/election/2022_en.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250626022404/https://app06.ottawa.ca/election/2022_en.html |date=26 June 2025 }} accessed June 5, 2025</ref>

Ottawa has the highest proportion of university-educated residents among Canadian cities<ref name='natpost'>{{cite news |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/is-ottawa-canadas-smartest-city-capital-edges-toronto-calgary-in-university-educated-population |title=Is Ottawa Canada's smartest city? Capital edges Toronto, Calgary in university-educated population |access-date=26 June 2013 |work=National Post |agency=[[Postmedia News]] |archive-date=5 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105223456/https://nationalpost.com/category/news/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and is home to several colleges, universities, and research and cultural institutions, including the [[University of Ottawa]], [[Carleton University]], [[Algonquin College]], [[Collège La Cité]], the [[National Arts Centre]], and the [[National Gallery of Canada]], as well as [[list of museums in Ottawa|numerous national museums]], monuments, and historic sites.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ottawa's Seven National Museums |url=https://ottawatourism.ca/en/ottawa-insider/ottawa-s-seven-national-museums |website=Ottawa Tourism |publisher=Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority, Inc |access-date=2 May 2021 |archive-date=2 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502212124/https://ottawatourism.ca/en/ottawa-insider/ottawa-s-seven-national-museums |url-status=live}}</ref> It has a generally high standard of living<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rodrigues |first=Janice |date=2024-12-14 |title=Canadian cities rank among best in the world for quality of life in 2024 {{!}} CIC News |url=https://www.cicnews.com/2024/12/canadian-cities-rank-among-best-in-the-world-for-quality-of-life-in-2024-1249531.html |access-date=2026-02-21 |language=en-US}}</ref> and is one of the most visited cities in Canada, with over 11&nbsp;million visitors annually, including over 6 million vacationers.<ref name='citynews'>{{cite news |url=https://ottawa.citynews.ca/local-news/canadas-third-consecutive-record-breaking-year-in-tourism-in-2019-a-win-for-ottawa-2112684 |title=Canada's third consecutive record-breaking year in tourism in 2019 a win for Ottawa |access-date=23 July 2022 |work=City News |agency=Rogers Sports & Media |archive-date=31 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031043455/https://ottawa.citynews.ca/local-news/canadas-third-consecutive-record-breaking-year-in-tourism-in-2019-a-win-for-ottawa-2112684 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name='citizennews'>{{cite news |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/the-future-of-ottawa-tourism-will-rely-on-the-citys-residents |title=Ottawa attracts more than 11 million visitors each year |access-date=23 July 2022 |work=Ottawa Citizen |agency=Post Media |archive-date=6 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106073742/https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/the-future-of-ottawa-tourism-will-rely-on-the-citys-residents |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2025-07-29 |title=The great big see, from sea to sea to sea: A snapshot of vacations in Canada |url=https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/8364-great-big-see-sea-sea-sea-snapshot-vacations-canada |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=www.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
The city name "Ottawa" was chosen in 1855 in reference to the [[Ottawa River]], whose name is itself derived from the [[Algonquin language|Algonquin]] {{lang|alq|adawe}}, meaning "to trade".<ref name="Rayburn2001">{{cite book |author=Alan Rayburn |author-link=Alan Rayburn |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aiUZMOypNB4C&pg=PA231 |title=Naming Canada: Stories About Canadian Place Names |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-8020-8293-0 |page=231 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520061253/https://books.google.com/books?id=aiUZMOypNB4C&pg=PA231 |archive-date=20 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Ottawa (ON) |encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ottawa-ont |access-date=24 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213081108/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/ottawa-ont/ |archive-date=13 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> In modern Algonquin, the city is known as {{lang|alq|Odàwàg}}.<ref>The Algonquin Way, Dictionary, "Odàwàg" [https://thealgonquinway.ca/English/word-e.php?word=219 Link] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714034213/https://thealgonquinway.ca/English/word-e.php?word=219|date=14 July 2022}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Ottawa}}

{{For timeline|Timeline of Ottawa history}}

=== Early history ===
[[File:Champlain Sea 1.png|thumb|upright=1.2|The [[Champlain Sea]]]]

The [[Ottawa Valley]] became habitable around 10,000 years ago, following the natural draining of the [[Champlain Sea]].<ref name="Miller2015">{{cite book |author=William J. Miller |title=Geology: The Science of the Earth's Crust (Illustrations) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XwWYBwAAQBAJ&pg=PT37 |year=2015 |publisher=P. F. Collier & Son Company |page=37 |id=GGKEY:Y3TD08H3RAT |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510005752/https://books.google.com/books?id=XwWYBwAAQBAJ&pg=PT37 |archive-date=10 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=15 April 2013 |title=The Champlain Sea: here yesterday, gone tomorrow |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/wat-on-earth/news/champlain-sea-here-yesterday-gone-tomorrow |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=Wat on Earth |language=en |archive-date=14 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714034215/https://uwaterloo.ca/wat-on-earth/news/champlain-sea-here-yesterday-gone-tomorrow |url-status=live}}</ref> The first evidence of human presence in the Ottawa Valley were spearpoints dated 8000-8500 years before present. By 6000 years before present, there were robust trading and communications networks. Approximately 3000-3500 years before present, there is definitive evidence of continuously existing settlements, including likely hearths and heavy tools. In closer proximity to the modern bounds of the City of Ottawa, there has been documentation of specific settlements at the mouth of the Gatineau River dating back to 3000-3500 years prior to post-Columbian contact.<ref name="Pilon">{{cite web |last1=Pilon |first1=Jean-Luc |title=Ancient History of the Lower Ottawa River Valley |url=http://www.ottawariver.org/pdf/04-ch2-2.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304112029/http://www.ottawariver.org/pdf/04-ch2-2.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=9 November 2015 |website=Ottawa River Heritage Designation Committee |publisher=Ontario Archaeology – Canadian Museum of Civilization}}</ref> These findings suggest that these [[Algonquin people]] were engaged in foraging, hunting and fishing, but also trade and travel. Three major rivers meet within Ottawa, making it an important trade and travel area for thousands of years.<ref name="Pilon" /> This period ended with the arrival of settlers and [[European colonization of the Americas|colonization]] of North America by Europeans during and after the 15th century.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 April 2018 |title=Warfare In Pre-Columbian North America |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/military-history/history-heritage/popular-books/aboriginal-people-canadian-military/warfare-pre-columbian-north-america.html |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=National Defence - Government of Canada |archive-date=24 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220324062210/https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/military-history/history-heritage/popular-books/aboriginal-people-canadian-military/warfare-pre-columbian-north-america.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

===European exploration and early development===

In 1610, [[Étienne Brûlé]] became the first documented European to navigate the [[Ottawa River]], passing what would become Ottawa on his way to the [[Great Lakes]].{{sfn|Woods|1980|p=5}} Three years later, [[Samuel de Champlain]] wrote about the waterfalls in the area and about his encounters with the Algonquin people.{{sfn|Woods|1980|p=7}}

The first non-Indigenous settlement in the area was created by [[Philemon Wright]], a [[New England]]er. 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, Quebec|Hull]].{{sfn|Van de Wetering|1997|p=123}}{{sfn|Lee|2006|p=16}} He, with five other families and twenty-five [[Laborer|labourers]], also created an agricultural community, which was named [[Wright's Town, Lower Canada|Wright's Town]], which would later become [[Gatineau]].{{sfn|Taylor|1986|p=11}}{{sfn|Lee|2006|p=20}} Wright pioneered the [[Ottawa River timber trade|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]].{{sfn|Van de Wetering|1997|p=11}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bond |first=Courtney C. J. |title=Where Rivers Meet: An Illustrated History of Ottawa |date=1984 |publisher=Windsor Publications |isbn=0-89781-111-9}}</ref>

In 1820s, news of the British military's impending construction of the [[Rideau Canal]] led to land speculation by John Le Breton, a local businessman who bought a land lot on the prediction of the upcoming construction, which led to an alternative canal course being selected.{{sfn|Woods|1980|p=48-52}} A town was established in 1826, and in 1827, was named after the British military engineer Colonel, [[John By]], who was responsible for the Rideau Waterway construction project.<ref>{{Cite book |last=De Jonge |first=James A. |url=http://parkscanadahistory.com/series/mf/109.pdf#page=65 |title=The Military Establishment at Bytown, 1826-1856 |date=1983 |year=1983 |pages=65}}</ref><ref name=":18">[[Justin D. Edwards]]; Douglas Ivison (2005). ''Downtown Canada: Writing Canadian Cities''. University of Toronto Press. p. 35. {{ISBN|978-0-8020-8668-6}}. Archived from the original on 20 May 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2015.</ref> The Rideau canal provided a secure route between [[Montreal]] and [[Kingston, Ontario|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]].{{sfn|Legget|1986|pp=22–24}}

[[File:First camp by By.jpg|thumb|right|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.{{sfn|Taylor|1986|p=31}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca |url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8446 |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=www.historicplaces.ca |archive-date=15 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115073539/https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8446 |url-status=live }}</ref> Bytown's early pioneer period saw Irish labour unrest during the [[Shiners' War]] from 1835 to 1845.<ref name="whc-cpo">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Shiners' Wars |encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/shiners-wars |access-date=14 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215065855/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/shiners-wars |archive-date=15 December 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=James |title=The Shiners&#39; War - The Historical Society of Ottawa |url=https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/momentous-events-in-the-city-s-life/the-shiners-war |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca |language=en-gb |archive-date=4 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604122803/https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/momentous-events-in-the-city-s-life/the-shiners-war |url-status=live }}</ref> 

Bytown's population grew to 1,000 as the Rideau Canal was completed in 1832.<ref name="BytownMuseum">{{cite web |year=2010 |title=Timeline – Know your Ottawa! |url=http://www.bytownmuseum.com/EN/timeline.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130118191714/http://www.bytownmuseum.com/EN/timeline.html |archive-date=18 January 2013 |access-date=2 July 2011 |publisher=Bytown Museum}}</ref>{{sfn|Mika|Mika|1982|p=114}}  The settlement was incorporated as a town in 1850.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Ottawa |url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/ottawa-ont/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213081108/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/ottawa-ont/ |archive-date=2013-12-13 |access-date=2026-03-17 |work=The Canadian Encyclopedia |language=en}}</ref> In 1855, Bytown was renamed ''Ottawa'' and obtained city status.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":18" /> [[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.<ref name="Cook2015">{{cite book |author=Bryan D. Cook |title=Introducing William Pittman Lett: Ottawa's first city clerk and bard (1819–1892) |publisher=B.D.C. Ottawa Consulting |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-771363-42-6 |page=412}}</ref><ref>Ottawa City Council, 31 May 1875, ''Motion Concerning Compensation to Mrs Sowdon'', moved by Aldermen Rocque ans Pratte.</ref><ref>Lett, W. P. ''Proposal to the City Constitution Committee 10 August 1877'', City of Ottawa Archives /MG 037-8-1 p. 77.</ref>

Starting in the 1850s, entrepreneurs known as lumber barons began to build large sawmills, which produced tens of millions of board feet of timber, such as producing 39 million in 1855 after the USA began accepting imports, against approximately 480 million board feet imported from across Canada in Britain a decade earlier, and eventually rising to 613 million in the early 20th century.{{sfn|Woods|1980|p=107}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gatineau Valley Historical Society |url=https://www.gvhs.ca/ |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=www.gvhs.ca |language=en |archive-date=10 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250710144644/https://www.gvhs.ca/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=James |title=The Last Timber Raft - The Historical Society of Ottawa |url=https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/momentous-events-in-the-city-s-life/the-last-timber-raft |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca |language=en-gb |archive-date=3 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251103183924/https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/momentous-events-in-the-city-s-life/the-last-timber-raft |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Bytown and Prescott Railway|Rail lines]] built in 1854 connected Ottawa to areas south and, from 1886 to the transcontinental rail network via Hull and [[Lachute]], Quebec.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ottawa History – 1886–1890 |url=http://www.bytownmuseum.com/EN/fifteen-3.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102042325/http://www.bytownmuseum.com/EN/fifteen-3.html |archive-date=2 January 2013 |access-date=10 August 2011 |publisher=Bytown Museum}}</ref> By 1885 Ottawa was the only city in Canada whose downtown street-lights were powered entirely by electricity.<ref>''Ottawa, An Illustrated History'', John H. Taylor .Page 102. Jame Lorimer and Company Publishing.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-10-15 |title=Electricity |url=https://todayinottawashistory.wordpress.com/tag/electricity/ |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=Today in Ottawa's History |language=en |archive-date=17 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917011507/https://todayinottawashistory.wordpress.com/tag/electricity/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Selection as capital ===
The selection of Ottawa as a capital city predates the [[Canadian Confederation|confederation of Canada]]. The choice was contentious and not straightforward, with the parliament of the [[Province of Canada|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.<ref name=":6" /> In Ottawa, political dissension was evident in the 1849 [[Stony Monday Riot]], when [[Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942)|Tories]] objected to consideration of Bytown as the capital of the Province of Canada.{{sfn|Martin|1997|p=22}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=James |date=2018-09-17 |title=Remember This? Stony Monday Riot |url=https://ottawa.citynews.ca/2018/09/17/remember-this-stony-monday-riot-1050118/ |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=CityNews Ottawa |language=en}}</ref>

The governor-general of the Province of Canada designated [[Kingston, Ontario|Kingston]] as the capital in 1841. This was controversial: the cities of [[Toronto]] and [[Montreal]], as well as the former capital of Lower Canada, [[Quebec City]], all had legislators dissatisfied with Kingston as the capital, although anglophone merchants in Quebec were the leading group supportive of the Kingston arrangement.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Knight |first=David B |title=Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system |publisher=Carleton university Press |year=1991 |pages=47–50}}</ref> In 1842, a vote rejected Kingston as the capital,<ref>Gordon, D.L.A., & Osborne, B. (2004). Constructing national identity in Canada's capital, 1900–2000: Confederation Square and the National War Memorial. ''Journal of Historical Geography 30, (4)'':618-642</ref> and study of potential candidates included the then-named Bytown, but that option proved less popular than Toronto or Montreal.<ref>Knight, David B (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton university Press. pp.&nbsp;71.</ref> 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.<ref>Knight, David B (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton university Press. pp. 74–86</ref> In 1844, the [[Queen Victoria|Queen]]'s acceptance of a parliamentary vote moved the capital to Montreal.<ref>Knight, David B (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton university Press. pp.&nbsp;88.</ref>

In 1849, after an [[Orange Order in Canada|Orange]] mob [[Burning of the Parliament Buildings in Montreal|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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 November 2017 |title=Toronto's Bid to Be the Capital of Canada |url=https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/history-art-culture/online-exhibits/web-exhibits/web-exhibits-significant-events/the-earliest-known-photographs-of-toronto/torontos-bid-to-be-the-capital-of-canada/ |access-date=10 August 2022 |website=City of Toronto |language=en-CA |archive-date=4 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804190343/https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/history-art-culture/online-exhibits/web-exhibits/web-exhibits-significant-events/the-earliest-known-photographs-of-toronto/torontos-bid-to-be-the-capital-of-canada/ |url-status=live |last1=Toronto |first1=City of }}</ref><ref>Knight, David B (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton university Press. pp. 208</ref> Logistical difficulties made this an unpopular arrangement,<ref>Knight, David B (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton university Press. pp. 129</ref> and an 1856 vote passed for the lower house of parliament to relocate permanently to Quebec City. The move did not proceed as the [[Legislative Council of the Province of Canada|upper house]] refused to approve funding for the relocation.<ref>Knight, David B (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton university Press. pp. 156–164</ref>

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 Walker Head|Edmund Head]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Head, Sir Edmund National Historic Person |url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=1254 |access-date=14 July 2022 |website=www.pc.gc.ca |language=en |archive-date=14 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714034214/https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=1254 |url-status=live}}</ref> 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 (Canadian politician)|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.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=James |title=Queen Victoria Chooses Ottawa |url=https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/momentous-events-in-the-city-s-life/queen-victoria-chooses-ottawa |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122175907/https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/momentous-events-in-the-city-s-life/queen-victoria-chooses-ottawa |archive-date=22 November 2021 |access-date=14 July 2022 |website=The Historical Society of Ottawa |language=en-gb}}</ref><ref>Knight, David B (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton university Press. pp. 1</ref> 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.<ref>Knight, David B (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton university Press. pp. 1, 334–335</ref>

[[File:View of Parliament Hill and Chaudière Falls. "City of Ottawa, Canada West", ca. 1859, by Stent and Laver..jpg|thumb|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 for two primary reasons:<ref name=reasons>{{cite web |title=A Capital in the Making |url=http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc_web_content_page.asp?cid=16297-24515-24516-25146&lang=1 |publisher=[[National Capital Commission]] |access-date=24 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070108134234/http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc_web_content_page.asp?cid=16297-24515-24516-25146&lang=1 |archive-date=8 January 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 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.<ref name="McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP">{{cite book |last1=Northey |last2=Knight |title=Choosing Canada's Capital: Conflict Resolution in a Parliamentary System |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zPY3hRG0a-EC&pg=PA236 |edition=Revised |series=Issue 168 of Carleton Library Series, ISSN 0576-7784 |year=1991 |publisher=McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP |isbn=978-0-88629-148-8 |page=236 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502153916/https://books.google.com/books?id=zPY3hRG0a-EC&pg=PA236 |archive-date=2 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Cohen2003">{{cite book |author=Saul Bernard Cohen |title=Geopolitics of the world system |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QkMD8HKRlgoC&pg=PA122 |year=2003 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-8476-9907-0 |page=122 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424133740/https://books.google.com/books?id=QkMD8HKRlgoC&pg=PA122 |archive-date=24 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Second, Ottawa was on the border between [[Canada West]] and [[Canada East]], making the selection an important political compromise.<ref name=":12">{{cite web |title=Why Was Ottawa Chosen as the Federal Capital City? |url=http://www.ottawagraphy.ca/answers/why-was-ottawa-chosen-federal-capital-city |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202235657/http://www.ottawagraphy.ca/answers/why-was-ottawa-chosen-federal-capital-city |archive-date=2 February 2011 |access-date=25 November 2014}}</ref><ref>Knight, David B. (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton University Press. pp. 1, 243</ref> Other minor considerations also favoured Ottawa. Despite the city'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]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rideau Canal |url=https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/important-public-and-private-buildings-in-the-city/tag/Rideau%20Canal |access-date=14 July 2022 |publisher=The Historical Society of Ottawa |language=en-gb |archive-date=14 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714034214/https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/important-public-and-private-buildings-in-the-city/tag/Rideau%20Canal |url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, by 1854 it also had a modern all-season railway (the [[Bytown and Prescott Railway]]) that carried passengers, lumber and supplies {{convert|82|km|abbr=off}} to [[Prescott, Ontario|Prescott]] on the [[Saint Lawrence River]] and beyond.{{Sfn|Taylor|1986|p=11}}<ref name="McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP" /> Ottawa's small size was also thought to be less prone to politically motivated mob violence, as had happened in the [[burning of the Parliament Buildings in Montreal|previous Canadian capitals]].<ref name=":12" /> Finally, the government already owned the land that eventually became [[Parliament Hill]], which it thought would be an ideal location for the Parliament buildings.<ref name=":12" />

The original Parliament buildings, which included the Centre, East and West Blocks, were constructed between 1859 and 1866 in the [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival style]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Parliament Buildings |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/Publications/ParliamentBuildings/ParlBlgs-e.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151113114107/http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/Publications/ParliamentBuildings/parlblgs-e.asp |archive-date=13 November 2015 |access-date=3 December 2018 |work=parl.gc.ca}}</ref> [[Public Works Canada]] and its architects were not initially well prepared for the relatively shallow-lying bedrock involved in construction, and as a result had to redesign architectural drawings, leading to delays.<ref name=":19" /> The [[Library of Parliament]] and Parliament Hill landscaping were completed in 1876.<ref name=":19">{{cite web |title=Construction, 1859–1916 |url=http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/collineduparlement-parliamenthill/batir-building/hist/1859-1916-eng.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228212113/http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/collineduparlement-parliamenthill/batir-building/hist/1859-1916-eng.html |archive-date=28 December 2014}}</ref>

===Post-Confederation===

[[File:Lebreton Flats after 1900 fire.jpg|thumb|[[LeBreton Flats]] after the [[1900 Hull–Ottawa fire]]. The fire destroyed one-fifth of Ottawa and two-thirds of neighbouring [[Hull, Quebec|Hull]], [[Quebec]].]]

In 1889, the Government developed and distributed 60 "water leases" to mainly local industrialists which gave them permission to generate electricity and operate hydroelectric generators at [[Chaudière Falls]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Chaudière Falls |url=http://energyottawa.com/generation/chaudiere-falls/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228212928/http://energyottawa.com/generation/chaudiere-falls/ |archive-date=28 December 2014 |access-date=28 December 2014}}</ref> Public transportation began in 1870 with a [[horsecar]] system,{{sfn|Van de Wetering|1997|p=28}} overtaken in the 1890s by an [[Ottawa Electric Railway|electric streetcar system]] that operated until 1959 and peaked at trackage of 90.5km, including an extension to Hull.<ref>{{Cite web |last=CBC News Ottawa |title=Ottawa's original LRT: 68 years of streetcars in the capital |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-streetcar-archives-photos-lrt-1.5372302 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714034218/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-streetcar-archives-photos-lrt-1.5372302 |archive-date=14 July 2022 |access-date=10 July 2022}}</ref>

The [[1900 Hull–Ottawa fire|Hull–Ottawa fire of 1900]] destroyed two-thirds of Hull, including major lumber employers and main street buildings.<ref>{{cite web |title=Report of the Ottawa and Hull Fire Relief Fund, 1900, Ottawa |publisher=The Rolla L. Crain Co (Archive CD Books Canada) |url=http://www.archivecdbooks.ca/Samples/CA0188_Samp.pdf |pages=5–12 |date=31 December 1900 |access-date=7 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706164645/http://www.archivecdbooks.ca/Samples/CA0188_Samp.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2011}}</ref> 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]].{{sfn|Van de Wetering|1997|p=57}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ottawa and Hull Fire Relief Fund |url=http://archive.org/details/cihm_11661 |title=Report of the Ottawa and Hull Fire Relief Fund, 1900 [microform] |date=1900 |publisher=[Ottawa? : s.n.] |others=Canadiana.org |isbn=978-0-665-11661-2}}</ref> 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).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Remember This? Hull and Ottawa in flames |url=https://ottawa.citynews.ca/remember-this/remember-this-hull-and-ottawa-in-flames-2267155 |access-date=14 July 2022 |website=CityNews Ottawa |date=20 April 2020 |language=en |archive-date=18 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518022810/https://ottawa.citynews.ca/remember-this/remember-this-hull-and-ottawa-in-flames-2267155 |url-status=live}}</ref> An estimated 14% of Ottawans and 40% of Hull residents were left homeless.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Globerman |first=Danny |date=14 May 2017 |title=Ottawa's past in pictures: Disasters that shook the city |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-s-past-in-pictures-disasters-that-shook-the-city-1.4099327 |access-date=14 July 2022 |archive-date=18 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118223928/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-s-past-in-pictures-disasters-that-shook-the-city-1.4099327 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Ottawa Old Post Office Confederation Square.jpg|alt=A sepia photograph from the fourth floor of a building, overlooking a triangular public plaza, many old cars with canvas tops are parked in the square. Neo-gothic buildings make up two borders of the square, and a set of tram tracks comprise the third|thumb|Ottawa Post Office, located in Confederation Square, pictured in the early 20th century]]
On 1 June 1912, the [[Grand Trunk Railway]] opened both the [[Château Laurier]] hotel and its neighbouring downtown [[Union Station (Ottawa)|Union Station]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/Ottawa+train+station+year+timeline/6690930/story.html |title=Ottawa's old train station: a 100-year timeline |work=Ottawa Citizen |access-date=27 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806194422/http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Ottawa+train+station+year+timeline/6690930/story.html |archive-date=6 August 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Van de Wetering|1997|p=41}} On 3 February 1916, the [[Centre Block]] of the Parliament buildings was [[Parliament Hill#Fire, incidents and renovations|destroyed by a fire]].{{sfn|Hale|2011|p=108}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fire! |url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/PublicWebsite/default/en_CA/About/Overview/Fire |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=lop.parl.ca |archive-date=3 February 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260203071709/https://lop.parl.ca/sites/PublicWebsite/default/en_CA/About/Overview/Fire? |url-status=live }}</ref> The House of Commons and Senate was temporarily relocated to the recently constructed Victoria Memorial Museum, now the [[Canadian Museum of Nature]]<ref name="Mullington2005">{{cite book |author=Dave Mullington |title=Chain of office: biographical sketches of the early mayors of Ottawa (1847–1948) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SKxwbOUKZYEC&pg=PA120 |year=2005 |publisher=General Store Publishing House |isbn=978-1-897113-17-2 |page=120 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428124057/https://books.google.com/books?id=SKxwbOUKZYEC&pg=PA120 |archive-date=28 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> until the completion of the new Centre Block in 1927. The centrepiece of the new [[Parliament Hill|Parliament Buildings]], is a dominant Gothic Revival-styled structure known as the [[Peace Tower]].<ref name="(Canada)2004">{{cite book |author=Reader's Digest Association (Canada) |title=The Canadian atlas: our nation, environment and people |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vDR7hrnO1aYC&pg=PP40 |year=2004 |publisher=Reader's Digest Association (Canada) |isbn=978-1-55365-082-9 |page=40 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629143040/https://books.google.com/books?id=vDR7hrnO1aYC&pg=PP40 |archive-date=29 June 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca |url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=4675&pid=0 |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=www.historicplaces.ca}}</ref>

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 (Canada)|National War Memorial]] in 1939 and was designated a [[National Historic Sites of Canada|National Historic Site]] in 1984.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=12073 |title=Confederation Square National Historic Site of Canada |publisher=HistoricPlaces.ca |access-date=16 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316080543/http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=12073 |archive-date=16 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> A new [[Central Post Office (Ottawa)|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.<ref>{{Cite web |work=The Montreal Gazette |title=Old Ottawa Post Office Building Razed After Service of 62 Years |date=24 June 1938 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19380624&id=0b00AAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZKgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5524,3172428 |access-date=10 July 2022 |via=Google News Archive Search |archive-date=10 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710161519/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19380624&id=0b00AAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZKgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5524,3172428 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Central Post Office (Ottawa Postal Station B) |url=https://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/disclaimer/index.html?dest=/100/205/301/pco-bcp/website/11-04-20/pco-bcp/www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp@lang=eng&page=dyk-svq |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=Privy Council Office}}</ref>
[[File:Ottawa, Canada's Capital City (1938).ogg|thumb|Short film by [[Canadian Government]] [[1938]]]]

===Post–Second World War===
[[File:VEDaySparksStreet1945.jpg|V-Day, downtown Ottawa in 1945, to mark the end of [[World War II]]|thumb]]
[[File:Ottawagreenbelt.PNG|Gréber plan's [[National Capital Greenbelt]] surrounding the urban core|thumb]]
[[File:John G. Diefenbaker Building 2014 p3.jpg|thumb|The [[John G. Diefenbaker Building]] was Ottawa's fourth city hall, from 1958 [[Ottawa City Hall|until 2001.]]]]

Ottawa's former industrial appearance was vastly altered by the 1950 [[Greber Plan|Gréber Plan]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=James |title=Ottawa the Beautiful: The Gréber Report |url=https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/changes-in-the-city-s-landscape/ottawa-the-beautiful-the-greber-report |access-date=14 July 2022 |website=The Historical Society of Ottawa |language=en-gb |archive-date=2 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202082900/https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/changes-in-the-city-s-landscape/ottawa-the-beautiful-the-greber-report |url-status=live}}</ref> Prime Minister [[Mackenzie King]] hired French architect-planner [[Jacques Greber|Jacques Gréber]] 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.<ref name="The Gréber Report">{{cite web |title=The Gréber Report |url=http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/arts-culture-and-community/museums-and-heritage/witness-change-visions-andrews-newton-7 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006075840/http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/arts-culture-and-community/museums-and-heritage/witness-change-visions-andrews-newton-7 |archive-date=6 October 2014 |work=ottawa.ca}}</ref> Gréber's plan included the creation of the [[National Capital Greenbelt]],<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=Gréber Report |url=https://ncc-website-2.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Plan-For-The-National-Capital-General-Report-Jacques-Gr%C3%A9ber-1950-NCC.pdf#page229 |website=National Capital Commission |page=229}}</ref> National Arts Centre,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gréber Report |url=https://ncc-website-2.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Plan-For-The-National-Capital-General-Report-Jacques-Gr%C3%A9ber-1950-NCC.pdf#page289 |website=National Capital Commission |page=289 |access-date=21 February 2026 |archive-date=12 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251212083325/https://ncc-website-2.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Plan-For-The-National-Capital-General-Report-Jacques-Gr%C3%A9ber-1950-NCC.pdf#page289 |url-status=live }}</ref> the [[Kichi Zibi Mikan]] parkway<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gréber Report |url=https://ncc-website-2.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Plan-For-The-National-Capital-General-Report-Jacques-Gr%C3%A9ber-1950-NCC.pdf#page307 |website=National Capital Commission |page=307}}</ref> and [[Queensway (Ottawa)|Queensway]] highway system.<ref name=":7" /> His plan also called the moving of downtown Union Station (now the [[Senate of Canada Building]]) to the suburbs,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gréber Report |url=https://ncc-website-2.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Plan-For-The-National-Capital-General-Report-Jacques-Gr%C3%A9ber-1950-NCC.pdf#page236 |website=National Capital Commission |page=236}}</ref> the removal of the street car system, the decentralization of selected government offices, and the relocation of industries and removal of substandard housing from the downtown.{{sfn|Keshen|St-Onge|2001|p=360}} While not every recommendation in the Grébér Plan was actioned, such as a city hall on the east side of the canal,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gréber Report |url=https://ncc-website-2.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Plan-For-The-National-Capital-General-Report-Jacques-Gr%C3%A9ber-1950-NCC.pdf#page=292 |website=National Capital Commission |page=292}}</ref> the plan's open space recommendations did lead to the creation spaces such as the Rideau Canal and Ottawa River pathways.<ref name="Erickson2006">{{cite book |author=Donna L. Erickson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LR5iIX__3OoC&pg=PA113 |title=MetroGreen: connecting open space in North American cities |publisher=Island Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-55963-843-2 |page=113 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512190337/https://books.google.com/books?id=LR5iIX__3OoC&pg=PA113 |archive-date=12 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> A major precondition to the creation of the Rideau Canal pathway was the elimination of direct rail service into downtown, leading to the abandonment of the [[Senate of Canada Building|Ottawa Train Station]] as the main train station for the city.<ref name="The Gréber Report" />

In 1959, the [[National Capital Commission]] was established as a [[Crown Corporation]] through the 1958 National Capital Act.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/about-us |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260201045237/https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/about-us |archive-date=1 February 2026 |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=National Capital Commission |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Stories of Our Past |url=https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/blog/stories-of-our-past |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250806210807/https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/blog/stories-of-our-past |archive-date=6 August 2025 |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=National Capital Commission |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> This marked the creation of a permanent political infrastructure for managing the [[capital region]]. 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). The National Capital Commission's structure supplanted the Federal District Commission, which was established in 1927 with a 16-year funding commitment but was reliant on the voluntary transfer of municipal planning authorities from the district's municipalities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1054 THE ANNUAL REGISTER, 1927 Federal District Commission.—The Federal District Commission, replacing the Ottawa Improvement |url=http://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/1927-28/192710961054_p.%25201054.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221214912/https://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/1927-28/192710961054_p.%201054.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 December 2018 |access-date=13 August 2022 |website=www66.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Gréber Report |url=https://ncc-website-2.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Plan-For-The-National-Capital-General-Report-Jacques-Gr%C3%A9ber-1950-NCC.pdf#page=203 |website=National Capital Commission |page=203}}</ref>

From 1931 to 1958, City Hall had been at the [[Transportation Building (Ottawa)|Transportation Building]] adjacent to Union Station (now part of the [[CF Rideau Centre|Rideau Centre]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sorel |first=Theresa |last2=Barbe |first2=Serge |date=March 2023 |title=Ottawa’s second city hall |url=https://ottawa.ca/en/arts-heritage-and-events/city-ottawa-archives/exhibits-and-events/collection-spotlight/ottawas-second-city-hall |website=City of Ottawa}}</ref> In 1958, a new [[Old City Hall (Ottawa)|City Hall]] opened on Green Island near Rideau Falls, where urban renewal had recently transformed this industrial location into a green space.{{sfn|Taylor|1986|pp=186–194}}<ref>{{Cite news |title=Islands of Ottawa: Green Island a historical microcosm of the city |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/islands-of-ottawa-green-island-a-historical-microcosm-of-the-city |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250416044336/https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/islands-of-ottawa-green-island-a-historical-microcosm-of-the-city |archive-date=16 April 2025 |access-date=2026-02-21 |work=ottawacitizen |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> 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 City Hall (Ottawa)|first (1849–1877)]] and [[Second City Hall (Ottawa)|second (1877–1931)]] City Halls.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Islands of Ottawa: Green Island a historical microcosm of the city |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/islands-of-ottawa-green-island-a-historical-microcosm-of-the-city |access-date=14 July 2022 |website=ottawacitizen |language=en-CA |archive-date=26 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026060247/https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/islands-of-ottawa-green-island-a-historical-microcosm-of-the-city |url-status=live}}</ref> This new city hall complex also contained an adjacent 19th-century restored heritage building formerly known as the [[Ottawa Normal School]].{{sfn|Taylor|1986|pp=186–194}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=6. Ottawa Normal School {{!}} Heritage Ottawa |url=https://heritageottawa.org/en/50years/6-ottawa-normal-school |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=heritageottawa.org}}</ref>

From the 1960s to the 1980s, there was a large increase in construction in the National Capital Region,{{sfn|Hale|2011|p=217}} which was followed by large growth in the [[high-tech]] industry during the 1990s and 2000s.<ref name="Shavinina2004">{{cite book |author=Larisa V. Shavinina |title=Silicon Valley North: A High-tech Cluster of Innovation And Entrepreneurship |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cSjv-acTkoUC&pg=PR15 |year=2004 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-0-08-044457-4 |page=15 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504120907/https://books.google.com/books?id=cSjv-acTkoUC&pg=PR15 |archive-date=4 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Ottawa became one of Canada's largest high-tech cities and was nicknamed Silicon Valley North.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ghent Mallett |first=Jocelyn |url=https://www.emerald.com/books/edited-volume/14053/chapter-abstract/84930032/Silicon-Valley-North-The-Formation-of-the-Ottawa?redirectedFrom=fulltext |title=Silicon Valley North: The Formation of the Ottawa Innovation Cluster |publisher=Emerald Group Publishing Limited |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-84950-819-3 |editor-last=Shavinina |editor-first=Larisa V.}}</ref> By the 1980s, Bell Northern Research (later [[Nortel]]) employed thousands, and large federally assisted research facilities such as the [[National Research Council (Canada)|National Research Council]] contributed to an eventual technology boom. The early companies led to newer firms such as [[Newbridge Networks]], [[Mitel]] and [[Corel]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=National Research Council |date=19 March 2019 |title=NRC's innovative people profiles |url=https://nrc.canada.ca/en/corporate/history/nrcs-innovative-people-profiles |access-date=10 July 2022 |website=nrc.canada.ca |archive-date=1 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201030121/https://nrc.canada.ca/en/corporate/history/nrcs-innovative-people-profiles |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=CBC News Ottawa |date=29 June 2009 |title=Is Ottawa still Silicon Valley North? |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/is-ottawa-still-silicon-valley-north-1.801035 |access-date=13 August 2022 |archive-date=13 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813201230/https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/is-ottawa-still-silicon-valley-north-1.801035 |url-status=live}}</ref>

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.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |title=The Algonquin land claim |url=http://www.ontario.ca/page/algonquin-land-claim |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=ontario.ca |date=21 June 2013 |language=en |archive-date=26 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326095148/https://www.ontario.ca/page/algonquin-land-claim |url-status=live}}</ref> Negotiations have been ongoing, with an eventual goal to sign a treaty that would release Canada from claims for misuse of land under Algonquin [[Aboriginal title|title]], affirm rights of the Algonquins, and negotiate conditions of the title transfer, with an agreement in principle arranged in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Algonquins of Ontario |last2=Government of Ontario |last3=Government of Canada |title=Agreement in Principle |url=https://docs.ontario.ca/documents/4668/maa-proposed-aip-en.pdf |page=2.3.5 |access-date=13 July 2022 |archive-date=14 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714034324/https://docs.ontario.ca/documents/4668/maa-proposed-aip-en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":13" />

=== 21st Century ===
Ottawa's city limits have 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_99c14e_e.htm#BK3 |title=City of Ottawa Act, 1999, Chapter 14, Schedule E |publisher=Service Ontario/Legislative Assembly of Ontario |year=2010 |access-date=29 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110808101635/http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_99c14e_e.htm#BK3 |archive-date=8 August 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Regional Chair [[Bob Chiarelli]] was elected as the new city's first mayor in the [[2000 Ottawa municipal election|2000 municipal election]], defeating [[Gloucester, Ontario|Gloucester]] mayor Claudette Cain.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Canadian Municipal Elections |url=https://pdba.georgetown.edu/Elecdata/Canada/mun00.html |access-date=10 July 2022 |website=pdba.georgetown.edu |archive-date=20 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620035602/http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Elecdata/Canada/mun00.html |url-status=live}}</ref>  On 15 October 2001, a diesel-powered [[light rail transit]] (LRT) line was introduced on an experimental basis.<ref name=":14">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipwZTmaYsbY |title=Ottawa’s Original Light Rail Line: An Overview of Line 2 (Trillium Line) of Ottawa's O-Train |date=2022-11-21 |last=Rail Fans Canada |access-date=2026-02-21 |via=YouTube |archive-date=25 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260125103724/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipwZTmaYsbY&t=247s&pp=ygUVaGlzdG9yeSBsaW5lIDIgb3R0YXdh |url-status=live }}</ref> Known today as [[O-Train]] [[Line 2 (O-Train)|Line 2]], it was dubbed the O-Train and connected [[downtown Ottawa]] to the southern suburbs via [[Carleton University]].<ref name=":14" /> The decision to extend the O-Train, and to replace it with an electric light rail system, was a major issue in the [[2006 Ottawa municipal election|2006 municipal elections]], where Chiarelli was defeated by businessman [[Larry O'Brien (Canadian politician)|Larry O'Brien]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=CBC News Ottawa |date=13 November 2006 |title=O'Brien runs away with Ottawa mayoral race |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/o-brien-runs-away-with-ottawa-mayoral-race-1.573629 |url-status=live |access-date=10 July 2022 |archive-date=10 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310075902/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/o-brien-runs-away-with-ottawa-mayoral-race-1.573629}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=CBC news Ottawa |date=29 May 2007 |title=Transit task force to propose extensive LRT plan: source |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/transit-task-force-to-propose-extensive-lrt-plan-source-1.664972 |url-status=live |access-date=10 July 2022 |archive-date=10 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710161525/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/transit-task-force-to-propose-extensive-lrt-plan-source-1.664972}}</ref> 

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.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/final-lansdowne-deal-passed-by-council-1.1245290 |work=CBC News |title=Final Lansdowne deal passed by council |date=10 October 2012 |access-date=19 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130111093629/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2012/10/10/ottawa-lansdowne-waterfall-agreement.html |archive-date=11 January 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/Council+gives+final+ahead+Lansdowne+project/7369051/story.html |work=Ottawa Citizen |title=Council gives final go ahead to Lansdowne project |date=11 October 2012 |access-date=27 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705053632/http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Council+gives+final+ahead+Lansdowne+project/7369051/story.html |archive-date=5 July 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> In December 2012, City Council voted unanimously to move forward with the [[Line 1 (O-Train)|Confederation Line]], a {{cvt|12.5|km}} light rail transit line, which was opened on 14 September 2019.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-lrt-confederation-line-1.5258684 |title=4 key dates as Ottawa's LRT becomes a reality |work=CBC News |access-date=6 September 2019 |archive-date=3 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903005542/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-lrt-confederation-line-1.5258684 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2013 |title=Disclosure of executed contracts and reports: The Confederation Line – Ottawa’s Light Rail Transit (OLRT) Project |url=https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/open-transparent-and-accountable-government/public-disclosure/disclosure-executed-contracts-and-reports/confederation-line-ottawas-light-rail-transit-olrt-project |website=City of Ottawa}}</ref>

In 2020, the city saw a major change in the nature of work due to civil servants without necessary on-site functions moving to online work as a response to the [[COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19]] pandemic, with many government workers shifting to [[Remote work|online work]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vigliotti |first=Marco |date=2020-03-16 |title=Some federal departments not listening to TB advice on working remotely: PIPSC |url=https://www.ipolitics.ca/2020/03/16/some-federal-departments-not-listening-to-tb-advice-on-working-remotely-pipsc/ |access-date=2026-02-23 |website=iPolitics |language=en-US}}</ref> This arrangement continued until the gradual return to in-person work beginning in 2022, when federal workers returned to two mandatory days in office per week.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 16, 2022 |title=Government orders public service back to the office |url=https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2022/12/public-service-ordered-back-to-office/ |access-date=2026-02-23 |website=Policy Options |language=en-US |archive-date=4 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251204210819/https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2022/12/public-service-ordered-back-to-office/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2022, a movement protesting COVID-19 restrictions drew large numbers of Canadians, including those from outside Ottawa, and leading to the [[Canada convoy protest|occupation]] of [[Wellington Street (Ottawa)|Wellington Street]] in Canada's parliamentary precinct.<ref name=":17">{{Cite web |last=Lapointe |first=Mike |last2= |date=February 24, 2022 |title='Freedom Convoy' dominated downtown for more than three weeks; living and working in Ottawa's 'red zone' |url=https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2022/02/24/freedom-convoy-dominated-downtown-for-more-than-three-weeks-living-and-working-in-ottawas-red-zone/278660/ |access-date=2026-02-23 |website=The Hill Times |language=en-CA}}</ref> The movement had associations with the trucking social identity, and was preceded by a "Convoy to Ottawa" phase,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miljure |first=Ben |date=2022-01-23 |title=Truck convoy leaves Metro Vancouver en route to Ottawa vaccine mandate protest |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/truck-convoy-leaves-metro-vancouver-en-route-to-ottawa-vaccine-mandate-protest/ |access-date=2026-02-23 |website=CTVNews |language=en}}</ref> The occupation began on 29 January and lasted approximately three and a half weeks, ending after the federal government invoked the [[Emergencies Act]] on 14 February and pursued enforcement action against the protesters, such as [[debanking]] of over 250 protestor bank accounts and later carrying out arrests on 19 February.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tunney |first=Catharine |date=February 14, 2022 |title=Federal government invokes Emergencies Act for first time ever in response to protests, blockades |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-premiers-cabinet-1.6350734 |work=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] |archive-date=14 February 2022 |access-date=23 February 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214232029/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-premiers-cabinet-1.6350734 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Woolf |first=Marie |date=March 8, 2022 |title=RCMP gave banks police info on Ottawa protesters with a list of accounts to freeze |work=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lapierre |first=Matthew |date=Feb 19, 2022 |title=Police clear protesters from Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill, tow vehicles |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/police-clear-protesters-from-wellington-street-in-front-of-parliament-hill-tow-vehicles |work=Ottawa Citizen |archive-date=14 July 2025 |access-date=23 February 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250714010214/https://ottawacitizen.com/news/police-clear-protesters-from-wellington-street-in-front-of-parliament-hill-tow-vehicles |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Big rigs, passenger vehicles snarl downtown Ottawa as trucker convoy parks by Parliament - National {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8580547/trucker-convoy-freedom-covid-vaccine-mandate-ottawa/ |access-date=2026-02-23 |website=Global News |language=en-US |archive-date=4 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304095257/https://globalnews.ca/news/8580547/trucker-convoy-freedom-covid-vaccine-mandate-ottawa/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":17" />

==Geography==
[[File:Map of Ontario OTTAWA.svg|thumb|right|Ottawa is located in the southeastern part of Ontario.]]
{{main|Geography of Ottawa}}

=== Districts and neighbourhoods ===
{{further|List of neighbourhoods in Ottawa}}
The 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=City of Ottawa |title=Urban Sub-Areas of Ottawa |url=https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/documents/files/documents/urban-subareas-en.pdf |access-date=17 July 2022 |archive-date=1 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701200248/https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/documents/files/documents/urban-subareas-en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Central Ottawa, Ottawa West and Ottawa East ====
Central Ottawa and Ottawa East comprise a large portion of the pre-amalgamation city, including, the former city of [[Vanier, Ontario|Vanier]], a densely populated, historically francophone, working class enclave, and the former [[village]] of [[Rockcliffe Park, Ontario|Rockcliffe Park]], a wealthy residential neighbourhood adjacent to the Prime Minister's official residence at 24 Sussex and the Governor General's residence.<ref name="hoods">{{cite web |title=Ottawa Neighbourhoods |url=http://www.ottawarealestate.ca/neighbourhoods.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084643/http://www.ottawarealestate.ca/neighbourhoods.php |archive-date=19 August 2014 |access-date=15 August 2014 |publisher=Ottawa Real Estate.ca}}</ref> These areas the [[Downtown Ottawa|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, Ottawa|Sandy Hill]], the affluent tree-lined neighbourhoods of [[The Glebe]], [[Westboro, Ottawa|Westboro]], and [[New Edinburgh]], and the historically [[Blue-collar worker|blue-collar]] communities of [[Hintonburg]], [[Mechanicsville, Ottawa|Mechanicsville]], [[Carlington]], and [[LeBreton Flats]], with a mixture of housing types, artist lofts, and industrial uses. These areas also includes the [[ethnic enclave]]s of [[Chinatown, Ottawa|Chinatown]] and [[Little Italy, Ottawa|Little Italy]].<ref name="hoods" />

==== Suburbs and outlying communities ====
[[File:Newottawamap.png|thumb|Map of Ottawa showing urban areas and names of historical communities]]
Modern Ottawa is made up of eleven historic townships, ten of which are from the former [[Carleton County, Ontario|Carleton County]] and one from the former [[Russell County, Ontario|Russell County]].<ref>{{cite web |year=2002 |title=Ottawa Rural Communities |url=http://www.ruralcouncil.ca/ORC/background.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113220822/http://www.ruralcouncil.ca/ORC/background.htm |archive-date=13 November 2011 |access-date=2 June 2011 |publisher=The Rural Council of Ottawa-Carleton}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ontario |url=http://archive.org/details/statutesofprovin1968onta |title=Statutes of the Province of Ontario 1968 |date=1968 |publisher=Toronto : Queen's Printer |others=Robarts - University of Toronto}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Municipal Restructuring Activity Summary Table |url=http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=6212 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629124542/http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=6212 |archive-date=2011-06-29 |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=www.mah.gov.on.ca}}</ref> Ottawa city limits are bounded on the east by the [[Prescott and Russell United Counties, Ontario|United Counties of Prescott and Russell]]; by [[Renfrew County, Ontario|Renfrew County]] and [[Lanark County, Ontario|Lanark County]] in the west; on the south by the [[Leeds and Grenville United Counties|United Counties of Leeds and Grenville]] and the [[Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry United Counties, Ontario|United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry]]; and on the north by the [[Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais Regional County Municipality, Quebec|Regional County Municipality of Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais]] and the City of Gatineau.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Official road map of Ontario |url=http://www.ontario.ca/page/official-road-map-ontario |access-date=17 July 2022 |website=ontario.ca |date=24 March 2022 |language=en |archive-date=16 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816192401/https://www.ontario.ca/page/official-road-map-ontario |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ministère des Transports |title=Québec Official Road Map |url=https://www.quebec511.info/en/carte_routiere/index.asp |access-date=17 July 2022 |archive-date=17 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717212504/https://www.quebec511.info/en/carte_routiere/index.asp |url-status=live}}</ref>

The main suburban areas extend a considerable distance to the northeast, southwest and south of the inner-city.<ref name="gmap">{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Neighborhoods of Ottawa |url=https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=115838170672838983402.00043dad54fc8b7e8a93c |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127075543/http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=115838170672838983402.00043dad54fc8b7e8a93c |archive-date=27 November 2011 |access-date=2 June 2011 |publisher=Google Maps}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=City of Ottawa |title=Zoning Schedule A |url=https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/documents/files/schedule5_zbl_en.pdf |publication-date=2008 |access-date=25 July 2022 |archive-date=1 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001215829/https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/documents/files/schedule5_zbl_en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> These areas also include the former cities of Cumberland, Gloucester (with the large suburban district of [[Orleans, Ontario|Orleans]] outside the [[National Capital Greenbelt|greenbelt]] split between them), [[Kanata, Ontario|Kanata]], and Nepean.<ref>{{Cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=29 January 2018 |title=Orléans {{!}} Ottawa Lives Here |url=https://www.ottawaliveshere.com/orleans/ |access-date=22 October 2022 |language=en-US |archive-date=22 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022194548/https://www.ottawaliveshere.com/orleans/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The towns of [[Stittsville, Ontario|Stittsville]] and [[Richmond, Ontario|Richmond]], within the former [[Goulbourn Township, Ontario|Goulbourn Township]], are to the southwest.<ref name="hoods" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kanata Central |url=https://ottawatourism.ca/en/about-ottawa/neighbourhoods/kanata-central |access-date=17 July 2022 |website=Ottawa Tourism |language=en |archive-date=20 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520172223/https://ottawatourism.ca/en/about-ottawa/neighbourhoods/kanata-central |url-status=live}}</ref> Nepean, as a suburb, also includes [[Barrhaven, Ontario|Barrhaven]].<ref name="hoods" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Nepean {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/nepean |access-date=17 July 2022 |website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca |archive-date=17 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717215620/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/nepean |url-status=live}}</ref> The communities of [[Manotick, Ontario|Manotick]] and [[Riverside South, Ottawa|Riverside South]] are on the other side of the Rideau River, and [[Greely, Ontario|Greely]], southeast of Riverside South.<ref name="hoods" />

A number of rural communities (villages and [[hamlet (place)|hamlets]]) are also part of the City of Ottawa.<ref name="gmap" /> Some of these communities are [[Burritts Rapids, Ontario|Burritts Rapids]]; [[Ashton, Ontario|Ashton]]; [[Fallowfield, Ontario|Fallowfield]]; [[Kars, Ontario|Kars]]; [[Fitzroy Harbour, Ontario|Fitzroy Harbour]]; [[Munster, Ontario|Munster]]; [[Carp, Ontario|Carp]]; [[North Gower, Ontario|North Gower]]; [[Metcalfe, Ontario|Metcalfe]]; [[Constance Bay, Ontario|Constance Bay]] and [[Osgoode, Ontario|Osgoode]].<ref name="hoods" /> Several [[town]]s are within the federally defined National Capital Region but outside of Ottawa's municipal boundaries;<ref name="gmap" /> these include communities of [[Almonte, Ontario|Almonte]], [[Carleton Place, Ontario|Carleton Place]], [[Embrun, Ontario|Embrun]], [[Kemptville, Ontario|Kemptville]], [[Rockland, Ontario|Rockland]], and [[Russell, Ontario (community)|Russell]].<ref name="hoods" />
{{wide image|OttawaPanorama2017.jpg|1500px|align-cap=center|Ottawa above the [[Ottawa River]] in 2017, left to right{{mdash}} [[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 ===
{{Main|Architecture of Ottawa}}

[[File:Connaught Building (14579938218).jpg|thumb|right|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 [[Functionalism (architecture)|functional]]; the city is also marked by [[Romanticism|Romantic]] and [[Picturesque]] styles of architecture such as the Parliament Buildings' gothic revival architecture.<ref name="RickettsMaitland2004">{{cite book |author1=Shannon Ricketts |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-f2MYzP6IWAC&pg=PA73 |title=A guide to Canadian architectural styles |author2=Leslie Maitland |author3=Jacqueline Hucker |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-55111-546-7 |page=73 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502124236/https://books.google.com/books?id=-f2MYzP6IWAC&pg=PA73 |archive-date=2 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Ottawa's domestic architecture contains single-family homes, but also includes smaller numbers of [[semi-detached]] houses, [[rowhouse]]s, and [[apartment building]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Chris |date=21 June 2016 |title=Ottawa's Apartments, 1955 |url=https://www.historynerd.ca/2016/06/21/ottawas-apartments-1955/ |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=historynerd.ca |language=en-CA |archive-date=25 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725022940/https://www.historynerd.ca/2016/06/21/ottawas-apartments-1955/ |url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=City of Ottawa |date=2019 |title=Heritage Study for 58 Florence Street |url=http://webcast.ottawa.ca/plan/All_Image%20Referencing_Zoning%20Bylaw%20Amendment%20Application_Image%20Reference_2019-08-21%20-%20Cultural%20Heritage%20Impact%20Statement%20-%20D02-02-19-0089.PDF |page=14 |access-date=25 July 2022 |archive-date=26 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926165644/http://webcast.ottawa.ca/plan/All_Image%20Referencing_Zoning%20Bylaw%20Amendment%20Application_Image%20Reference_2019-08-21%20-%20Cultural%20Heritage%20Impact%20Statement%20-%20D02-02-19-0089.PDF |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=LTD |first=Merkley Supply |date=2024-09-12 |title=City Building: Ahead by a century |url=https://obj.ca/city-building-ahead-by-a-century/ |access-date=2026-02-21 |language=en-US}}</ref>

The [[skyline]] has been controlled by building height restrictions, originally implemented to keep Parliament Hill and the Peace Tower at {{convert|92.2|m}} visible from most parts of the city, and prevented construction of buildings exceeding 150 feet through at least the 1950s.{{sfn|Keshen|St-Onge|2001|p=455}} Today, [[List of tallest buildings in Ottawa-Gatineau|several buildings are slightly taller]] than the Peace Tower, with the tallest being the [[Claridge Icon]] at {{convert|143|m|ft}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Reaching for the stars: Claridge eyes plan to build 60-storey residential tower in Little Italy |url=https://www.obj.ca/article/real-estate/residential/reaching-stars-claridge-eyes-plan-build-60-storey-residential-tower |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=Ottawa Business Journal |language=en |archive-date=25 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725022939/https://www.obj.ca/article/real-estate/residential/reaching-stars-claridge-eyes-plan-build-60-storey-residential-tower |url-status=dead}}</ref> Many federal buildings in the National Capital Region are managed by [[Public Works and Government Services Canada|Public Works Canada]], which leads to [[Historic preservation|heritage conservation]] in its renovations and management of buildings, such as the renovation of the [[Senate of Canada Building|Senate Building]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Public Works and Government Services Canada |date=8 August 2014 |title=NPMS Procedure—Managing Projects for Heritage Properties - Specialized Areas - NPMS - Real Property - PSPC |url=https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/biens-property/sngp-npms/bi-rp/domaines-areas/pgpbp-pmphp-eng.html |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920171731/https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/biens-property/sngp-npms/bi-rp/domaines-areas/pgpbp-pmphp-eng.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Public Services and Procurement Canada |date=31 July 2015 |title=Restoring and modernizing the Senate of Canada Building - Canada.ca |url=https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/citeparlementaire-parliamentaryprecinct/rehabilitation/conference-eng.html |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca |archive-date=12 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512043412/https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/citeparlementaire-parliamentaryprecinct/rehabilitation/conference-eng.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Municipality Search: Directory of Federal Real Property |url=https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/dfrp-rbif/query_question/municipality-municipalite-eng.aspx |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=www.tbs-sct.gc.ca}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |date=10 October 2008 |title=Mandate and Mission |url=http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc_web_content_page.asp?cid=16302-22554-22561&lang=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110509190424/http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc_web_content_page.asp?cid=16302-22554-22561&lang=1 |archive-date=9 May 2011 |access-date=8 June 2011 |publisher=The National Capital Commission}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Adam: The NCC and LeBreton Flats — all talk, no action? |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/adam-the-ncc-and-lebreton-flats-all-talk-no-action |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=ottawacitizen |language=en-CA |archive-date=28 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128001012/https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/adam-the-ncc-and-lebreton-flats-all-talk-no-action |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Public Services and Procurement Canada |date=17 July 2020 |title=National Capital Commission: Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs—February 27, 2020 - PSPC |url=https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/trans/documentinfo-briefingmaterial/proc/2020_02_27/p17-eng.html |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca |archive-date=25 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725022940/https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/trans/documentinfo-briefingmaterial/proc/2020_02_27/p17-eng.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Climate ===
Ottawa has a [[humid continental climate|warm-summer humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Dfb'', [[Trewartha climate classification|Trewartha]] ''Dcbo'')<ref>{{Cite web |last=Secretariat |first=Treasury Board of Canada |title=Climatic Regions - Open Government Portal |url=https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/09ffaeb5-ec8f-5bb5-bdcb-3436ccf26f58 |access-date=17 July 2022 |website=open.canada.ca |archive-date=31 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031181102/https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/09ffaeb5-ec8f-5bb5-bdcb-3436ccf26f58 |url-status=live}}</ref> with four distinct seasons. The climate falls between Zones 5a and 5b on the Canadian Plant Hardiness Scale.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.planthardiness.gc.ca/?lang=en&m=24&speciesid=1000000&phz=phz1981-2010&bc=1 |title=phz1981-2010 |website=Canada's Plant Hardiness Site |publisher=Natural Resources Canada |access-date=14 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807130053/http://planthardiness.gc.ca/?lang=en&m=24&speciesid=1000000&phz=phz1981-2010&bc=1 |archive-date=7 August 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Winters are cold and snowy. In January, the coldest month, the average minimum temperature is -14.3°C (6°F). Temperatures generally stay below freezing, often for weeks at a time, and snowpack is therefore consistent. Snow is the dominant form of precipitation in the winter, though other forms of precipitation, including freezing rain, are also common. On average, 232 cm (91 in) of snow falls in a year, mainly from November through April. Snow is not unusual in May or October, but it is generally very light and does not accumulate.<ref name=CCN/> Outbreaks of polar air often cause frigid temperatures.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Yes, Ottawa, it's a polar vortex again |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/yes-ottawa-its-a-polar-vortex-again |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204165831/https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/yes-ottawa-its-a-polar-vortex-again |archive-date=4 December 2021 |access-date=2026-02-21 |work=ottawacitizen |language=en-CA |url-status=live }}</ref> On average, there are 16 nights in a year in which the temperature falls below -20°C (-4°F). Extremely low temperatures, below -30°C (-22°F), occur on average approximately once every two years.<ref name="CCN" /> Periods of snowfall are generally light, though occasional snowstorms have been known to significantly affect the city, such as in [[January 14–17, 2022 North American winter storm|January 2022]].

Summers are hot and humid. In July, the hottest month, the average maximum temperature is 27°C (81°F). On average, there are 15 days in a year that have temperatures exceeding 30°C (86°F). Heatwaves are common and may lead to temperatures in excess of 35°C (95°F).<ref name="CCN" /> Humidity is generally high at all times of the year, but is most noticeable in the summer. On average, there are 23 days in a year with thunderstorms, with the majority occurring in the summer.<ref name="CCN" /> 

Spring and autumn, while transitional, can see extremes in temperature. For example, it is not unusual for the month of May to have nights below freezing, nor is it for temperatures to exceed 30°C (86°F), with September sometimes seeing temperatures in excess of 30°C, October seeing temperatures below freezing, and November temperatures below -10°C.<ref name="CCN" />

On average, days with fog are seen 23 days per year, and they are likely to occur in all seasons.<ref name="CCN" /> 

Annual rainfall averages around 757 mm (29.8 in), while total precipitation averages 930 mm (36.6 in). Days with any precipitation is spread fairly evenly throughout the year, but high precipitation days are more common in late summer and early fall.<ref name="CCN" />

In a typical year, Ottawa experiences about 2,080 hours of sunshine annually (45% of possible), with June, July and August being the sunniest period after accounting for time between sunrise and sunset.<ref name="Ottawa CDA1981">{{cite web |publisher=Environment Canada |url=https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?searchType=stnProv&lstProvince=ON&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=4333&dispBack=0 |title=Ottawa CDA |work=Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 |date=25 September 2013 |access-date=6 April 2025 |archive-date=17 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250417132611/https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?searchType=stnProv&lstProvince=ON&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=4333&dispBack=0 |url-status=live }}</ref> Prevailing winds are generally from the [[Westerlies|West]].<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last1=Klock |first1=Ross |last2=Simard |first2=Gilles |last3=Mullock |first3=John |title=The Weather of Ontario and Quebec: Graphic Area Forecast 33 |url=https://www.navcanada.ca/en/lawm-ontario-quebec-en.pdf |publisher=Nav Canada |pages=92–94, 74–75 |access-date=17 July 2022 |archive-date=17 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717204139/https://www.navcanada.ca/en/lawm-ontario-quebec-en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> 

{{Ottawa Airport weatherbox|collapsed=collapsed}}

=== Physical geography ===
[[File:Downtown Ottawa 2022.jpg|thumb|[[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]].<ref name="RipleyDana1875">{{cite book |author1=George Ripley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KshPAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA733 |title=The American Cyclopaedia: a popular dictionary of general knowledge |author2=Charles Anderson Dana |publisher=Appleton |year=1875 |page=733 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528212025/https://books.google.com/books?id=KshPAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA733 |archive-date=28 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Rideau Canal (Rideau Waterway) first opened in 1832 and is {{convert|202|km}} long.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=17 April 2019 |title=History and culture - Rideau Canal National Historic Site |url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/histoire-history |access-date=13 August 2022 |website=www.pc.gc.ca |archive-date=19 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419032921/https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/histoire-history |url-status=live}}</ref> It connects the Saint Lawrence River on Lake Ontario at Kingston to the Ottawa River near Parliament Hill.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jess |date=2011-11-14 |title=Ottawa UnLOCKed: Finding the key to conquering Canada’s Capital City |url=https://globetrottergirls.com/ottawa-unlocked-rideau-canal/ |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=GlobetrotterGirls |language=en-US |archive-date=7 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251107220637/https://globetrottergirls.com/ottawa-unlocked-rideau-canal/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It was able to bypass the unnavigable sections of the [[Cataraqui River|Cataraqui]] and Rideau rivers and various small lakes along the waterway due to flooding techniques and the construction of 47 water transport [[Lock (water transport)|locks]] between Ottawa and [[Kingston Mills]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rideau Canal - Rideau Canal World Heritage Site, Ontario, Canada |url=https://www.rideau-info.com/canal/locks/index.html |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=www.rideau-info.com |archive-date=4 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260104192652/https://www.rideau-info.com/canal/locks/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

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 (geology)|deposition]] of [[till]] and sands, leading to the widespread formation of [[esker]]s. There are limited distinct features arising from glacial deposits, but Ottawa was affected by the [[Wisconsin glaciation|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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Natural Resources Canada |date=7 December 2015 |title=GEOSCAN Search Results: Fastlink |url=https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/starweb/geoscan/servlet.starweb?path=geoscan/fulle.web&search1=R=122374#:~:text=The%20Ottawa%20region%20is%20a,Precambrian%20igneous%20and%20metamorphic%20rocks. |access-date=13 August 2022 |website=geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca |archive-date=23 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923212910/https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/starweb/geoscan/servlet.starweb?path=geoscan/fulle.web&search1=R=122374#:~:text=The%20Ottawa%20region%20is%20a,Precambrian%20igneous%20and%20metamorphic%20rocks. |url-status=live}}</ref> Ottawa is located within the [[Western Quebec Seismic Zone]], and while relatively inactive, the city does occasionally experience earthquakes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Natural Resources Canada |title=Earthquake zones in Eastern Canada |url=https://earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/zones/eastcan-en.php#WQSZ |access-date=13 August 2022 |website=earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca |language=en |archive-date=1 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901035350/http://www.earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/zones/eastcan-en.php#WQSZ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Earthquake2000">{{cite web |title=Earthquakes (Ottawa) |url=http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/products-services/mapping-product/geoscape/ottawa/6174 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130408102203/http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/products-services/mapping-product/geoscape/ottawa/6174 |archive-date=8 April 2013 |access-date=4 April 2013 |publisher=Natural Resources Canada}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=24 February 2006 |title=Earthquake shakes Ottawa |newspaper=[[Ottawa Citizen]] |url=http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=24de3df5-eb4b-41de-8a31-9eb3ea0ed480&k=77474 |url-status=dead |access-date=17 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213171831/http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=24de3df5-eb4b-41de-8a31-9eb3ea0ed480&k=77474 |archive-date=13 February 2012}}</ref><ref name="Earthquake2010">{{cite web |date=23 June 2010 |title=Magnitude 5.5 – Ontario-Quebec Border Region, Canada |url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2010xwa7.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626024653/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2010xwa7.php |archive-date=26 June 2010 |access-date=23 June 2010 |publisher=USGS}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=17 May 2013 |title=Earthquake shakes Ottawa |publisher=[[CTV Television Network|CTV]] |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/earthquake-rattles-residents-in-ontario-quebec/ |url-status=live |access-date=17 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518200929/http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/earthquake-rattles-residents-in-ontario-quebec-1.1285923 |archive-date=18 May 2013}}</ref>

=== Built environment ===
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 {{convert|7.8|km|mi|adj=on}} transportation path to downtown for ice skaters (from Carleton University and Dow's Lake to the Rideau Centre and [[National Arts Centre]]).<ref>{{cite web |date=7 March 2011 |title=Rideau Canal Skateway – National Capital Commission:: |url=https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/rideau-canal-skateway |access-date=7 June 2011 |publisher=Canadian Heritage |archive-date=18 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200118140436/https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/rideau-canal-skateway |url-status=live}}</ref> On 29 June 2007, the Rideau Canal was recognized as a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Rideau Canal |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1221 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906172404/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1221 |archive-date=6 September 2011 |access-date=27 May 2011 |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre}}</ref>

The older part of the city (including what remains of Bytown) is known as [[Lower Town]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rodgers |first1=Richard |title=Ottawa's Lower Town |url=http://www.gta.igs.net/~rrodgers/lowertown/Lower_Town.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624122817/http://www.gta.igs.net/~rrodgers/lowertown/Lower_Town.htm |archive-date=24 June 2021 |access-date=2 May 2021 |publisher=IGS}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=City of Ottawa |title=Centretown Community Design Plan, Part 1 |url=https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/documents/files/documents/2centretowncdp_en.pdf |access-date=13 August 2022 |archive-date=14 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114194609/https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/documents/files/documents/2centretowncdp_en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> These core neighbourhoods contain streets such as [[Elgin Street (Ottawa)|Elgin]] and [[Bank Street (Ottawa)|Bank]], which fill the role of commercial [[High Street|main streets]] in the region.<ref>{{Cite web |last=City of Ottawa |date=20 July 2017 |title=Centretown Community Design Plan |url=https://ottawa.ca/en/centretown-community-design-plan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114194615/https://ottawa.ca/en/centretown-community-design-plan |archive-date=14 January 2022 |access-date=13 July 2022|pages=Document 2A Page: 13}}</ref>

Centretown is next to downtown, which includes a substantial economic and architectural government presence across multiple [[Separation of powers|branches of government]]. The [[Parliament of Canada|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]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Public Services and Procurement Canada |date=31 July 2015 |title=Discover the Parliamentary Precinct – Canada's Parliamentary Precinct - PSPC |url=https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/citeparlementaire-parliamentaryprecinct/decouvrez-discover/index-eng.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621125422/https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/citeparlementaire-parliamentaryprecinct/decouvrez-discover/index-eng.html |archive-date=21 June 2022 |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca}}</ref> Important buildings in the executive branch include the [[Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council]] as well as many civil service buildings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council |url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_fhbro_eng.aspx?id=2992 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220507065321/https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_fhbro_eng.aspx?id=2992 |archive-date=7 May 2022 |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=www.pc.gc.ca |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Panico |first=Giacomo |date=1 November 2019 |title=Sparks Street's great divide bad for business, merchants say |work=CBC News Ottawa |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/sparks-street-s-great-divide-bad-for-business-merchants-say-1.5339340 |url-status=live |access-date=13 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101003444/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/sparks-street-s-great-divide-bad-for-business-merchants-say-1.5339340 |archive-date=1 November 2020}}</ref> The [[Supreme Court of Canada]] building can also be found in this area.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Supreme Court of |date=1 January 2001 |title=Supreme Court of Canada - The Court - SCC Building |url=https://www.scc-csc.ca/court-cour/buil-edi-eng.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603161227/https://scc-csc.ca/court-cour/buil-edi-eng.aspx |archive-date=3 June 2022 |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=www.scc-csc.ca}}</ref>

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 (Quebec)|Hull]] and [[Aylmer (Quebec)|Aylmer]].<ref name="RazinSmith2006">{{cite book |author1=Eran Razin |url=https://archive.org/details/metropolitangove00smit |title=Metropolitan governing: Canadian cases, comparative lessons |author2=Patrick J. Smith |publisher=University of Alberta |year=2006 |isbn=978-965-493-285-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/metropolitangove00smit/page/79 79] |access-date=15 November 2015 |url-access=registration}}</ref> Although formally and administratively separate cities in two different provinces, Ottawa and Gatineau (along with several nearby municipalities) collectively constitute the [[National Capital Region (Canada)|National Capital Region]], which is considered a single metropolitan area.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=30 September 2013 |title=Consolidated federal laws of Canada, National Capital Act |url=https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/n-4/page-3.html#h-374470 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502032420/https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/n-4/page-3.html#h-374470 |archive-date=2 May 2022 |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=laws-lois.justice.gc.ca}}</ref> One federal [[Crown corporations of Canada|Crown corporation]], the National Capital Commission, or NCC, has significant land holdings in both cities, including sites of historical and touristic importance.<ref name=":4" /> The NCC, through its responsibility for planning and development of these lands, has a crucial role in shaping the development of the city.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Erickson |first=Donna L |date=2004 |title=The relationship of historic city form and contemporary greenway implementation: a comparison of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (USA) and Ottawa, Ontario (Canada) |journal=Landscape and Urban Planning |volume=68 |issue=2–3 |pages=206 |citeseerx=10.1.1.508.4274 |doi=10.1016/S0169-2046(03)00160-9 |bibcode=2004LUrbP..68..199E |s2cid=86215921 |issn=0169-2046}}</ref> Around the main urban area is the [[National Capital Greenbelt]], an extensive [[Green belt|greenbelt]], administered by the NCC for conservation and leisure, and comprising mostly forest, farmland and marshland.<ref name="BrownMitchell2005">{{cite book |title=The protected landscape approach: linking nature, culture and community |publisher=IUCN—The World Conservation Union |year=2005 |isbn=978-2-8317-0797-6 |editor1=Jessica Brown |page=195 |editor2=Nora J. Mitchell |editor3=Michael Beresford}}</ref>

== Demographics ==
{{main|Demographics of Ottawa}}

[[File:Ottawa population pyramid in 2021.svg|thumb|Ottawa population pyramid in 2021]]
{{Historical populations
|title = Historic Population
|align = right

|footnote = Note: Population figures are extrapolated for current municipal boundaries <br />Sources:<ref name="Census1901-1966">{{cite web |url=http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/get-know-your-city/statistics-and-economic-profile/data-handbook/population/4-population |title=Population Change, City of Ottawa, 1901–2006 |access-date=18 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522043711/http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/get-know-your-city/statistics-and-economic-profile/data-handbook/population/4-population |archive-date=22 May 2013}}</ref><ref name=Census1971>{{cite web |url=http://www.geologyontario.mndmf.gov.on.ca/mndmfiles/pub/data/imaging/OFR5218/OFR5218.pdf |title=Resources of construction aggregate in the regional municipality of Ottawa-Carleton |last1=Sado |first1=E. V. |last2=Vos |first2=M. A. |year=1976 |publisher=Ontario Division of Mines |access-date=9 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113838/http://www.geologyontario.mndmf.gov.on.ca/mndmfiles/pub/data/imaging/OFR5218/OFR5218.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Census1976>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/stream/1976928311978engfra/1976928311978engfra_djvu.txt |title=Population, land area and population density : census division and subdivisions = Population, superficie et densité de la population: divisions et subdivisions de recensement |website=Internet Archive |year=1978 |access-date=9 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317225430/http://archive.org/stream/1976928311978engfra/1976928311978engfra_djvu.txt |archive-date=17 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="StatCan1981-1991">{{cite web |title=Search Censuses |url=http://estat.statcan.gc.ca/cgi-win/cnsmcgi.pgm?Lang=E&ESTATFile=ESTAT/English/SC_RR-eng.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130115211843/http://estat.statcan.gc.ca/cgi-win/cnsmcgi.pgm?Lang=E&ESTATFile=ESTAT/English/SC_RR-eng.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 January 2013 |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=4 July 2012 |access-date=18 March 2013}}</ref><ref name=StatCan2001>{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3506008&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=Ottawa&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All |title=2001 Community Profiles – Ottawa, Ontario (City) |publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] |date=1 February 2007 |access-date=22 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207062620/http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3506008&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=Ottawa&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All |archive-date=7 December 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|In early 2001, the Province of Ontario dissolved the former City of Ottawa by amalgamating it with eleven other municipalities to form a new City of Ottawa. The 1996 adjusted population of the amalgamated city published in the 2001 census was 721,136,<ref name=StatCan2001/> while the population of the dissolved former City of Ottawa in 2001 was 337,031.<ref name=StatCan2001dissolved>{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3506014&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=ottawa&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |title=2001 Community Profiles – Ottawa, Ontario (City/Dissolved) |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=1 February 2007 |access-date=17 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015164432/http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3506014&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=ottawa&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |archive-date=15 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>|name=amalgamation|group="N"}}<ref name="StatCan2006">{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3506008&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=ottawa&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |title=Community Profiles from the 2006 Census – Ottawa, Ontario (City) |date=6 December 2010 |publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] |access-date=22 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918013647/http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3506008&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=ottawa&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |archive-date=18 September 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=CityPop /><br />[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ottawa_Census.png Chart format]
|1901|101102
|1911|123417
|1921|152868
|1931|174056
|1941|206367
|1951|246298
|1956|287244
|1961|358410
|1966|413695
|1971|471931
|1976|520533
|1981|546849
|1986|606639
|1991|678147
|[[Canada 1996 Census|1996]]|721136
|[[Canada 2001 Census|2001]]|774072
|[[Canada 2006 Census|2006]]|812129
|[[Canada 2011 Census|2011]]|883391
|[[Canada 2016 Census|2016]]|934243
|[[Canada 2021 Census|2021]]|1017449
}}

In the [[2021 Canadian census|2021 Census of Population]] conducted by [[Statistics Canada]], Ottawa had a population of {{val|1017449|fmt=commas}} living in {{val|407252|fmt=commas}} of its {{val|427113|fmt=commas}} total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:1017449-934243}}|934243|1}} from its 2016 population of {{val|934243|fmt=commas}}. With a land area of {{convert|2788.2|km2|sqmi}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|1017449|2788.2|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.<ref name="2021census">{{cite web |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000203&geocode=A000235 |title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Ontario |publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] |date=9 February 2022 |access-date=27 March 2022 |archive-date=12 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512141434/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000203&geocode=A000235 |url-status=live}}</ref>

As of 2021, the Ottawa-Gatineau [[census metropolitan area]] (CMA) had a population of {{val|1488307|fmt=commas}} living in {{val|604721|fmt=commas}} of its {{val|638013|fmt=commas}} total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:1488307-1371576}}|1371576|1}} from its 2016 population of {{val|1371576|fmt=commas}}. With a land area of {{cvt|8046.99|km2|sqmi}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|1488307|8046.99|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.<ref name="2021censusCMA">{{cite web |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000501 |title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations |publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] |date=9 February 2022 |access-date=28 March 2022 |archive-date=27 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327085922/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000501 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Ottawa's median age of 40.1 is below the provincial and national averages 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%.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2022-02-09 |title=Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Ottawa, City (CV) [Census subdivision], Ontario;Canada [Country] |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=9 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209134619/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Race, immigrant status and ethnicity ===
As of 2021, approximately 64.9% of Ottawa's population were white or European, while 2.6% were [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous]], and 32.5% were visible minorities (higher than the national percentage of 26.5%).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2022-02-09 |title=Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Ottawa, City (CV) [Census subdivision], Ontario;Canada [Country] |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=9 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209134619/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[2021 Canadian census|2021 census]] reported that [[Immigration to Canada|immigrants]] (individuals born outside Canada) number 259,215, 25.9% of the population of Ottawa. Of this 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%).<ref name="2021censusB" />

===Religion===
According to the [[2021 Canadian census|2021 census]], religious groups in Ottawa included:<ref name="2021censusB">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=26 October 2022 |title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0&DGUIDlist=2021A00053506008&SearchText=ottawa |access-date=9 November 2022 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=11 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111073843/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0&DGUIDlist=2021A00053506008&SearchText=ottawa |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Christianity in Canada|Christianity]] (528,700 persons or 52.8%)
* [[Irreligion in Canada|Irreligion]] (316,740 persons or 31.6%)
* [[Islam in Canada|Islam]] (98,920 persons or 9.9%)
* [[Hinduism in Canada|Hinduism]] (20,300 persons or 2.0%)
* [[Buddhism in Canada|Buddhism]] (10,800 persons or 1.1%)
* [[Judaism in Canada|Judaism]] (10,600 persons or 1.1%)
* [[Sikhism in Canada|Sikhism]] (6,375 persons or 0.6%)
* [[Mythologies of the indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indigenous Spirituality]] (445 persons or <0.1%)
* Other (8,055 persons or 0.8%)

{{As of|2011|alt=In 2011}}, around 65% of Ottawa residents described themselves as Christian, with [[Catholicism|Catholics]] accounting for 38.5% of the population and members of [[Protestantism|Protestant]] churches 25%. Other religions were also present in Ottawa, the most prominent being [[Islam]] (6.7%), [[Hinduism]] (1.4%), [[Buddhism]] (1.3%), and [[Judaism]] (1.2%). Those with no religious affiliation represented 22.8%.<ref name="www12.statcan.gc.ca">{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3506008&Data=Count&SearchText=Ottawa&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=All&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=3506008&TABID=1 |access-date=19 September 2014 |publisher=Statistics Canada |title=National Household Survey Profile, 2011 |date=8 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808104756/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3506008&Data=Count&SearchText=Ottawa&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=All&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=3506008&TABID=1 |archive-date=8 August 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Note: Religion is only asked on the census every ten years -->

===Language===
Those who identify their mother tongue as [[English language|English]] constitute 58.2 percent, while those with [[French language|French]] as their mother tongue make up 12.5 percent of the population.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2022-02-09 |title=Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Ottawa, City (CV) [Census subdivision], Ontario |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=9 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209134619/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E |url-status=live }}</ref> Regarding respondents' knowledge of one or both official languages, 60.6 percent and 1.4 percent of the population know English and French only, respectively, while 36.4 percent know both official languages.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2022-02-09 |title=Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Ottawa, City (CV) [Census subdivision], Ontario |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=9 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209134619/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Bilingualism in Ottawa|Bilingualism]] became official policy for the conduct of municipal business in 2002,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ottawa.ca/city_hall/policies/bilingualism_policy/index_en.html |title=Bilingualism Policy |publisher=City of Ottawa |year=2011 |access-date=22 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814023328/http://ottawa.ca/city_hall/policies/bilingualism_policy/index_en.html |archive-date=14 August 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> making it the largest city in Canada with both English and French as co-official languages, as Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto do not have official bilingualism policies. An additional 23.1 percent of the population list languages other than English and French as their mother tongue. These include [[Arabic language|Arabic]] (4.3%), [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]] (2.2%), [[Spanish language|Spanish]] (1.4%), [[Italian language|Italian]] (0.8%), and many others.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2022-02-09 |title=Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Ottawa, City (CV) [Census subdivision], Ontario |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=9 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209134619/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E |url-status=live }}</ref>

The overall Ottawa–Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA) has a larger proportion of French speakers than Ottawa since [[Gatineau]]'s population's first language is mostly French.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-07-25 |title=Ottawa-Gatineau, the national capital which language differences nearly split into two countries |url=https://www.citymonitor.ai/analysis/ottawa-gatineau-national-capital-which-language-differences-nearly-split-two-countries-3199/ |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=CityMonitor |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2022-02-09 |title=Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Ottawa, City (CV) [Census subdivision], Ontario;Ottawa - Gatineau [Census metropolitan area], Ontario/Quebec |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=9 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209134619/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E |url-status=live }}</ref> 

==Economy==
{{see also|Economy of Ontario}}
As of 2015, the region of Ottawa-Gatineau has the sixth-highest total household income of all Canadian metropolitan areas ($82,053), and the Ontario portion more directly overlapping the City of Ottawa has a higher household income ($86,451).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/inc-rev/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=102&PR=0&D1=1&RPP=25&SR=1&S=104&O=D |title=Income Highlight Tables, 2016 Census |publisher=Government of Canada |date=8 February 2017 |website=Statistics Canada |access-date=24 September 2019 |archive-date=30 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190930184727/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/inc-rev/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=102&PR=0&D1=1&RPP=25&SR=1&S=104&O=D |url-status=live}}</ref> The median household income after taxes in the City of Ottawa is $88,000 in 2020 was higher than the national median of $73,000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2022-02-09 |title=Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Ottawa, City (CV) [Census subdivision], Ontario;Canada [Country] |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=9 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209134619/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E |url-status=live }}</ref> Ottawa's unemployment rate has remained below the national and provincial unemployment rates since 2006, with a rate of 5.2% in April 2022, low compared to the decade preceding.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Labour Force & Employment |url=https://www.ottawainsights.ca/themes/employment-and-opportunity/employment/ |access-date=24 July 2022 |website=Ottawa Insights |language=en-US |archive-date=29 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529023344/https://www.ottawainsights.ca/themes/employment-and-opportunity/employment/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Big job gains in April produce record employment levels for the region |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ottawas-jobless-rate-falls-to-4-6-per-cent-in-april |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=ottawacitizen |language=en-CA |archive-date=17 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517012942/https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ottawas-jobless-rate-falls-to-4-6-per-cent-in-april |url-status=live}}</ref> Ottawa is ranked the best city in North America for quality of life by Numbeo, but falls short of other Canadian cities in other rankings such as Vancouver and Toronto in Mercer's rankings.<ref name="Quality2026">{{Cite web |date=10 January 2026 |title=Ottawa places first among North American cities in new quality of life rankings |url=https://www.cicnews.com/2026/01/ottawa-takes-top-spot-in-north-america-for-quality-of-life-0165651.html |access-date=11 January 2026 |website=CIC News |language=en }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rodrigues |first=Janice |date=2024-12-14 |title=Canadian cities rank among best in the world for quality of life in 2024 {{!}} CIC News |url=https://www.cicnews.com/2024/12/canadian-cities-rank-among-best-in-the-world-for-quality-of-life-in-2024-1249531.html |access-date=2026-02-19 |language=en-US |archive-date=15 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251215022207/https://www.cicnews.com/2024/12/canadian-cities-rank-among-best-in-the-world-for-quality-of-life-in-2024-1249531.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 

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 116,000 individuals from the National Capital Region.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=City of Ottawa |date=2016 |title=Employment Survey |url=https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/documents/files/employment_survey_2106_en.pdf |access-date=25 July 2022 |archive-date=31 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031194518/https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/documents/files/employment_survey_2106_en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> 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 (Canada)|National Defence Headquarters]] in Ottawa is the main command centre for the [[Canadian Armed Forces]]. It hosts the [[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Department of National Defence]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.macleans.ca/general/six-year-long-consolidation-of-national-defence-headquarters-given-green-light/ |work=Maclean's |title=Six-year consolidation of National Defence Headquarters given green light |agency=Canadian Press |date=13 December 2013 |access-date=20 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129114337/http://www.macleans.ca/general/six-year-long-consolidation-of-national-defence-headquarters-given-green-light/ |archive-date=29 November 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> During the summer, the city hosts the [[Ceremonial Guard (Canada)|Ceremonial Guard]], which performs functions such as the [[Changing the Guard]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.army-armee.forces.gc.ca/en/ceremonial-guard/about.page |access-date=19 September 2014 |title=About the Ceremonial Guard |publisher=Government of Canada |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140916233349/http://www.army-armee.forces.gc.ca/en/ceremonial-guard/about.page |archive-date=16 September 2014}}</ref>

As Canada's national capital, tourism is an important part of Ottawa's economy, particularly after the [[150th anniversary of Canada]], 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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sali |first=David |date=25 May 2018 |title=Ottawa Business Journal |url=https://www.obj.ca/article/armed-fresh-funding-ottawa-tourism-sector-avoiding-canada-150-hangover |access-date=25 July 2022 |archive-date=25 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725005221/https://www.obj.ca/article/armed-fresh-funding-ottawa-tourism-sector-avoiding-canada-150-hangover |url-status=dead}}</ref> Depending on methodology and source, the National Capital Region annually attracts an estimated 9.8 to 11 million tourists, who spend about 2.6 billion dollars and support approximately 23,000 jobs directly.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Economic impact study |url=https://ottawatourism.ca/en/destination-development/research/economic-impact-study |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=Ottawa Tourism |language=en |archive-date=25 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725005221/https://ottawatourism.ca/en/destination-development/research/economic-impact-study |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=interVISTAS |publisher=City of Ottawa |title=Economic Impact of Tourism in Ottawa |url=https://ottawatourism.ca/sites/default/files/media/documents/2020-06/Economic-Impact-of-Tourism-in-Ottawa-Executive-Summary.pdf |publication-date=2020 |access-date=25 July 2022 |archive-date=31 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031181102/https://ottawatourism.ca/sites/default/files/media/documents/2020-06/Economic-Impact-of-Tourism-in-Ottawa-Executive-Summary.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Intervistas |date=2024 |title=2024 Economic Impact of Tourism in Ottawa |url=https://ottawatourism.ca/sites/default/files/media/documents/Economic-Impact-of-Tourism-in-Ottawa-Executive-Summary-2024.pdf#page=2 |website=Ottawa Tourism |access-date=21 February 2026 |archive-date=12 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912211534/https://ottawatourism.ca/sites/default/files/media/documents/Economic-Impact-of-Tourism-in-Ottawa-Executive-Summary-2024.pdf#page=2 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="citizennews" />
[[File:KanataResearchPark.jpg|thumb|[[Kanata Research Park]] is Canada's largest technology park.]]
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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tech jobs near all-time high as Region's jobless rate hits 6.8% |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/business/Tech+jobs+near+time+high+Region+jobless+rate+hits/9819243/story.html |website=www.ottawacitizen.com |access-date=13 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117024433/http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Tech+jobs+near+time+high+Region+jobless+rate+hits/9819243/story.html |archive-date=17 November 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> The concentration of companies in this industry earned the city the nickname of "Silicon Valley North."<ref name="Shavinina2004" /> 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.<ref name="TreviñoDoutriaux2006j">{{cite book |author1=Leonel Corona Treviño |author2=Jérôme Doutriaux |author3=Sarfraz A. Mian |title=Building knowledge regions in North America: emerging technology innovation poles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Rjok73CxF4C&pg=PA101 |year=2006 |publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing |isbn=978-1-84542-430-5 |page=101 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430040144/https://books.google.com/books?id=_Rjok73CxF4C&pg=PA101 |archive-date=30 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Ottawa also has regional locations for [[Nokia]], [[Adobe Systems]], [[Bell Canada]] and [[IBM]].<ref name="NovakowskiTremblay2007x">{{cite book |author1=Nick Novakowski |author2=Rémy Tremblay |title=Perspectives on Ottawa's High-tech Sector |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g3EC4nqKcmIC&pg=PA43 |year=2007 |publisher=Peter Lang |isbn=978-90-5201-370-1 |pages=43–71 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513081027/https://books.google.com/books?id=g3EC4nqKcmIC&pg=PA43 |archive-date=13 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Many of the telecommunications and new technology are in the western part of the city (formerly Kanata). The "tech sector" was doing particularly prior to the dot-com burst, but remains generally strong as of 2016.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Allison |date=8 February 2017 |title=Canada Census 2016: Ontario growth still slowing, but those who went West might soon be back |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada-census-2016-ontario-growth-still-slowing-but-those-who-went-west-might-soon-be-back |newspaper=National Post |location=Toronto |access-date=8 February 2017 |archive-date=5 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105224008/https://nationalpost.com/category/news/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Demographics2002">{{cite web |title=2006 City of Ottawa Health Status Report |publisher=Ottawa Public Health |url=http://ottawa.ca/doc_repository/reports/hsr_2006_en.pdf |year=2006 |access-date=7 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118093314/http://ottawa.ca/doc_repository/reports/hsr_2006_en.pdf |archive-date=18 January 2012}}</ref><ref name=":9" />
[[Nordion]], [[Abbott Laboratories]] and the National Research Council of Canada and [[OHRI]] are part of the life science sector in Ottawa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/statistics/data_handbook/economics/table_40_en.html |title=City of Ottawa – 40. Major Employers in City of Ottawa, 2006 |publisher=Ottawa.ca |access-date=2 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128071342/http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/statistics/data_handbook/economics/table_40_en.html |archive-date=28 November 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ocri.ca/lifesciences |title=OCRI &#124; Life Sciences |publisher=Ocri.ca |access-date=2 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807095155/http://ocri.ca/lifesciences |archive-date=7 August 2011}}</ref>

The health sector is another major employer, which employs over 64,000 people in the city as of the 2020 census.<ref name=":3" />  The City of Ottawa is the second largest employer as of 2010,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.myjobsite.ca/images/CanaData_Labour_Market_Report.pdf |title=CanaData – The Industrial Structure of Canada's Major City Labour Markets |publisher=Reed Construction Data |date=November 2009 |access-date=5 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119050135/http://www.myjobsite.ca/images/CanaData_Labour_Market_Report.pdf |archive-date=19 January 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="OttawaCompensation">{{cite web |url=http://www.ottawa.ca/city_hall/financial/lrfp3/financial_profile/part_a/compensation_en.html |title=City of Ottawa – Compensation |publisher=ottawa.ca |access-date=5 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230190053/http://www.ottawa.ca/city_hall/financial/lrfp3/financial_profile/part_a/compensation_en.html |archive-date=30 December 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> with approximately 2,100 people employed by the Ottawa Police service as of 2022, and 13,300 full-time equivalent non-police employees as of 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Full-time Equivalent (FTE) Count - 2019 |url=https://open.ottawa.ca/documents/ottawa::full-time-equivalent-fte-count-2019/about |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=open.ottawa.ca |language=en-us |archive-date=25 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725005221/https://open.ottawa.ca/documents/ottawa::full-time-equivalent-fte-count-2019/about |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=12 April 2021 |title=About Us |url=https://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/About-Us.aspx |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=www.ottawapolice.ca |language=en |archive-date=11 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811165905/https://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/About-Us.aspx |url-status=dead}}</ref>

All major clusters tracked by the city saw increases in employment between 2014 and 2019.<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |last=City of Ottawa |date=2021 |title=2020 Annual Development Report |url=https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/documents/files/2020_devreport_en.pdf |access-date=25 July 2022 |archive-date=25 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725005216/https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/documents/files/2020_devreport_en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Major areas of growth in the 2010s included local and federal administration, finance and accommodation.<ref name=":9" /> Between 2008 and 2020, there was growth in the number of government employees and a reduction in high-tech jobs, a reversal of previous trends from 2003 to 2008.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |last=City of Ottawa |title=Annual Development Report 2008 |url=https://app06.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/pec/2009/06-23/ADR%202008.pdf |date=May 2009 |access-date=22 September 2019 |archive-date=6 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806033112/https://app06.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/pec/2009/06-23/ADR%202008.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":11" /> The city has experienced a weak labour market recovery in the years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Press |first=The Canadian |date=2025-12-05 |title=Region’s unemployment rate remains elevated at 7.4%, as national rate declines to 6.5% |url=https://obj.ca/region-unemployment-rate-remains-elevated-national-decline/ |access-date=2026-02-21 |language=en-US |archive-date=13 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260113101416/https://obj.ca/region-unemployment-rate-remains-elevated-national-decline/ |url-status=live }}</ref>  Ottawa has also seen above average disruption to the economy due to American tariff policy during the second term of President Donald Trump.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2026-02-16 |title=Ottawa has the worst job market in Canada, faring worse than cities with tariff-hit industries |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-ottawa-has-the-worst-job-market-in-canada-faring-worse-than-cities/ |access-date=2026-02-21 |work=The Globe and Mail |language=en-CA}}</ref>

Ottawa already has the largest rural economy among Canada's major cities. 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.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=City of Ottawa ups spending on its rural economy |url=https://obj.ca/article/city-ottawa-ups-spending-its-rural-economy |access-date=9 November 2020 |website=Ottawa Business Journal |date=9 March 2020 |archive-date=13 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113191956/https://obj.ca/article/city-ottawa-ups-spending-its-rural-economy |url-status=live}}</ref> Rural economic activity includes 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.<ref name=":2" />

=== Media ===
{{further|Media in Ottawa–Gatineau}}
Three two daily local newspapers are printed in Ottawa: two English newspapers, the ''[[Ottawa Citizen]]'' established as ''the Bytown Packet'' in 1845 and the ''[[Ottawa Sun]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ottawa Newspapers |url=https://www.all-about-ottawa.com/ottawa-newspapers/ |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=www.all-about-ottawa.com |archive-date=31 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031035121/https://www.all-about-ottawa.com/ottawa-newspapers/ |url-status=live}}</ref>''  The city's last French language daily, ''[[Le Droit]],'' has become an online only paper after a 2020-2023 run as a weekly.<ref>{{cite news |date=30 December 2023 |title=Le Droit goes digital after more than a century in print |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/le-droit-french-language-newspaper-prints-last-paper-copy-1.7071662 |work=[[CBC News]] |access-date=17 April 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404221443/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/le-droit-french-language-newspaper-prints-last-paper-copy-1.7071662 |archive-date=4 April 2024}}</ref> The city is also home to local stations of the television broadcast networks and systems [[CBC News|CBC]] and [[CTV Television Network|CTV]], as well as English and French radio stations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cjroradio {{!}} Ottawa {{!}} Community Radio station |url=https://www.cjroradio.com/about |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714034331/https://www.cjroradio.com/about |archive-date=14 July 2022 |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=cjroradio |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Nouvelles d'Ottawa-Gatineau, météo et plus {{!}} ICI Radio-Canada.ca |url=https://ici.radio-canada.ca/ottawa-gatineau |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712043745/https://ici.radio-canada.ca/ottawa-gatineau |archive-date=12 July 2022 |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=Radio-Canada |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Watch CTV News {{!}} Local Video {{!}} CTV News Ottawa |url=https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/video?binId=1.1164587 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705205547/https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/video?binId=1.1164587 |archive-date=5 July 2022 |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=ottawa.ctvnews.ca |language=en}}</ref>

In addition to the market's local media services, Ottawa is home to several national media operations, including [[CPAC (TV channel)|CPAC]] (Canada's national legislature broadcaster)<ref>{{cite web |title=About CPAC |url=http://www.cpac.ca/en/about-cpac/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720165531/http://www.cpac.ca/en/about-cpac/ |archive-date=20 July 2018 |access-date=20 July 2018 |website=[[CPAC (TV channel)|CPAC]]}}</ref> and the parliamentary bureau staff of various major newsgathering organizations in television, radio and print.<ref>{{Cite web |title=By Name - Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery |url=https://www.press-presse.ca/en/press-gallery-members/name |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=www.press-presse.ca |archive-date=19 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250319144329/https://www.press-presse.ca/en/press-gallery-members/name |url-status=live }}</ref> The city is also home to the head office of the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Canadian Broadcasting Centre {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canadian-broadcasting-centre |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130190404/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canadian-broadcasting-centre |archive-date=30 January 2022 |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca}}</ref>

== Education ==
{{Further|List of schools in Ottawa}}
[[File:UOttawa-Tabaret Hall-2008-05-05.jpg|thumb|Established in 1848, the [[University of Ottawa]] is the oldest post-secondary institution in the city.]]
[[File:CarletonUniversity2022.jpg|thumb|[[Carleton University]] in 2022]]
[[File:USP 2016.tif|thumb|[[Saint Paul University]]]]

=== Primary and secondary education ===
Ottawa has four main public school boards: English, English-Catholic, French, and French-Catholic. The English-language [[Ottawa-Carleton District School Board]] (OCDSB) is the largest board with 116 primary schools, 26 secondary schools, 5 alternative learning sites and 1 adult education school,<ref>Ottawa Carleton District School Board (2025). Annual Director's Report. https://www.ocdsb.ca/download/548396 pp. 6</ref>  followed by the English-Catholic [[Ottawa Catholic School Board]] with 90 schools.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2024-2025 Director's Annual Report |url=https://annualreport.ocsb.ca/ |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=OCSB Director's Annual Report |language=en-GB}}</ref> The two French-language boards are the French-Catholic ''[[Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est]]'' with 46 primary schools and 11 secondary schools,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trouver une école {{!}} Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est |url=https://www.ecolecatholique.ca/trouver-une-ecole |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=www.ecolecatholique.ca |language=fr |archive-date=14 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251214161236/https://www.ecolecatholique.ca/trouver-une-ecole |url-status=live }}</ref> and the French ''[[Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario]]'' with 44 schools.<ref>Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario (2020). Plan stratégique 2020-2026. https://cepeo.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2020-11-CEPEO-PlanStragegique-version2026-4.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250818090610/https://cepeo.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2020-11-CEPEO-PlanStragegique-version2026-4.pdf |date=18 August 2025 }} pp. 6</ref> Ottawa also has numerous [[private school]]s which are not part of a board.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ottawa Private Schools {{!}} Our Kids |url=https://www.ourkids.net/ottawa-private-schools.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803202954/https://www.ourkids.net/ottawa-private-schools.php |archive-date=3 August 2021 |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=www.ourkids.net |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Ottawa Public Library]] was created in 1906 as part of the [[Carnegie library]] system.<ref>{{cite web |title=Notes from the Ottawa Room... The Carnegie Library – Ottawa's First Public Library – 100 Years Old on April 30, 2006 |url=http://24369.vws.magma.ca/connect/research/local/carnegie_library_e.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706184950/http://24369.vws.magma.ca/connect/research/local/carnegie_library_e.html |archive-date=6 July 2011 |access-date=12 March 2011 |publisher=Ottawa Public Library}}</ref> As of 2026 the library system has 1.8 million items, down from 2.3 million in 34 branches and 2 mobile libraries in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |year=2008 |title=Strategic Directions and Priorities 2008–2011 |url=http://biblioottawalibrary.ca/archive/board/strat_plans/strategic_e.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607181537/http://biblioottawalibrary.ca/archive/board/strat_plans/strategic_e.pdf |archive-date=7 June 2011 |access-date=12 March 2011 |publisher=Ottawa Public Library}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=About OPL {{!}} Ottawa Public Library |url=https://about.biblioottawalibrary.ca/en/about-opl |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=about.biblioottawalibrary.ca}}</ref> Approximately 11.5 million loans were conducted in 2024,<ref name=":15">{{Cite web |title=OPL’s 2024 Annual Report Is Live — See What You Helped Us Achieve {{!}} Ottawa Public Library |url=https://collections.biblioottawalibrary.ca/en/blogs/opls-2024-annual-report-live-see-what-you-helped-us-achieve |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=collections.biblioottawalibrary.ca}}</ref> approximately 8.2 million physical loans and the remainder digital items.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025 |title=OPL’s Impact: Inspiring and Empowering Ottawa, 2024 Annual Report |url=https://about.biblioottawalibrary.ca/sites/default/files/2025-05/2024%20OPL%20Annual%20Report.pdf#page=14 |website=Ottawa Public Library}}</ref> In 2024, the library saw 3.5 million visits.<ref name=":15" />

=== Higher education and public research ===
Ottawa is known as the most educated city in Canada, with over half the population having graduated from college and/or university.<ref>{{cite web |title=Quick Facts About Ottawa |url=http://www.ottawa.ca/city_hall/glance/business_en.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305032251/http://www.ottawa.ca/city_hall/glance/business_en.html |archive-date=5 March 2010 |access-date=30 June 2010 |publisher=City of Ottawa}}</ref> As of 2007, Ottawa was claimed by the local business journal to have the highest per capita concentration of [[engineer]]s, [[scientist]]s, and residents with [[PhD]]s in Canada.<ref>{{cite news |last=Zakaluzny |first=Roman |title=Where must Ottawa's tech sector go from here? |work=Ottawa Business Journal |url=http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/290233008271272.php |access-date=16 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928061307/http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/290233008271272.php |archive-date=28 September 2007}}</ref> The city has two main public universities and two main public colleges.
* [[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 a comprehensive university that Maclean's ranks 4th out of 15 in its comprehensive category.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-14 |title=Canada’s Best Comprehensive Universities for 2026 |url=https://macleans.ca/education/university-rankings/canadas-best-comprehensive-universities-for-2026/ |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=Macleans.ca |language=fr-CA}}</ref> The university's campus sits between [[Old Ottawa South]] and the [[Central Experimental Farm]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=How to Get to Carleton University |url=https://carleton.ca/campus/directions/ |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=Our Campus |language=en-US |archive-date=17 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251217024156/https://carleton.ca/campus/directions/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 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.<ref name="Quick">{{cite web |title=University of Ottawa – Quick Facts 2014 |url=https://www.uottawa.ca/services/irp/docs/QF2014-EN-2.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029033641/http://www.uottawa.ca/services/irp/docs/QF2014-EN-2.pdf |archive-date=29 October 2014 |access-date=15 October 2014 |publisher=University of Ottawa}}</ref> It is also a member of the [[U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities|U15]], a group of highly respected research-intensive universities in Canada.<ref>{{cite web |date=18 February 2011 |title=U15 Submission to the Expert Review Panel on Research and Development |url=http://rd-review.ca/eic/site/033.nsf/vwapj/sub198.pdf/$file/sub198.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313024055/http://rd-review.ca/eic/site/033.nsf/vwapj/sub198.pdf/$file/sub198.pdf |archive-date=13 March 2012 |access-date=25 May 2012 |publisher=Review of Federal Support to R&D}}</ref> The university's main campus is in the [[Sandy Hill, Ottawa|Sandy Hill]] neighbourhood, just adjacent to the city's downtown core.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Campus maps |url=https://www.uottawa.ca/about-us/administration-services/facilities/campus-maps |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=About us |language=en |archive-date=17 February 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260217212711/https://www.uottawa.ca/about-us/administration-services/facilities/campus-maps |url-status=live }}</ref> The University of Ottawa's catholic [[Affiliated school|affiliated]] university college is [[Saint Paul University|St. Paul University]].
* [[Algonquin College]] is a college of applied arts and technology founded in 1967.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Algonquin College - 40th Anniversary |url=https://www7.algonquincollege.com/40th/history.htm |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=www7.algonquincollege.com |archive-date=24 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121124043539/http://algonquincollege.com/40th/history.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Its main campus is located in the [[City View, Ottawa|City View]] neighbourhood of [[College Ward]]. The college serves the [[National Capital Region (Canada)|National Capital Region]] and the outlying areas of [[Eastern Ontario]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Colleges in Ontario |url=https://www.ontariocolleges.ca/en/colleges |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=ontariocolleges.ca |language=en |archive-date=13 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713235037/https://www.ontariocolleges.ca/en/colleges |url-status=live}}</ref> The college has satellite campuses in [[Pembroke, Ontario|Pembroke]] and [[Perth, Ontario|Perth]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Technology |first=Algonquin College of Applied Arts and |title=Ottawa Campus |url=https://www.algonquincollege.com/maps/ottawa-campus/ |access-date=2026-02-21 |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Collège La Cité]] is the largest French-language college in Ontario.<ref>{{Cite web |title=La Cité |url=https://www.ontariocolleges.ca/fr/les-colleges/la-cite |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=Collèges de l'Ontario |language=fr |archive-date=20 February 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260220151520/https://www.ontariocolleges.ca/fr/les-colleges/la-cite |url-status=live }}</ref> Founded in 1989,<ref>{{Cite web |last=canadienne-française |first=Centre de recherche en civilisation |date=2017-07-20 |title=La Cité collégiale |url=https://www.viefrancaisecapitale.ca/pouvoir/la_cite_collegiale-fra |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=Vie française dans la capitale |language=fr}}</ref> its campus is located off the [[Aviation Parkway (Ottawa)|Aviation Parkway]] in the [[Carson Meadows]] neighbourhood.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Campus et installations |url=https://www.collegelacite.ca/campus |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=La Cité |language=fr-FR}}</ref> 

Other colleges and universities in the metropolitan area are located in the neighbouring suburb of Gatineau, including the [[Université du Québec en Outaouais|University of Quebec in Outaouais]], [[Cégep de l'Outaouais]], and [[Heritage College (Gatineau)|Heritage College]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Global Affairs |date=6 September 2018 |title=Map of colleges and universities |url=https://www.educanada.ca/programs-programmes/map-carte.aspx?lang=eng |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=www.educanada.ca |archive-date=19 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619221911/https://www.educanada.ca/programs-programmes/map-carte.aspx?lang=eng |url-status=live}}</ref>

The city is also home to many federal post-secondary associations, including those representing institutions like [[Polytechnics Canada]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-26 |title=Home |url=https://polytechnicscanada.ca/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=Polytechnics Canada |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Universities Canada]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Contact |url=https://univcan.ca/about-universities-canada/contact/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=Universities Canada |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Colleges and Institutes Canada]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Colleges and Institutes |title=Home |url=https://www.collegesinstitutes.ca/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=Colleges and Institutes Canada |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Accueil |url=https://acufc.ca/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=ACUFC |language=fr-CA |archive-date=18 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260118034707/https://acufc.ca/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the U15;<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-27 |title=Home - U15 Canada |url=https://u15.ca/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |language=en-US}}</ref> those representing educators, such as the [[Canadian Association of University Teachers]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=Homepage |url=https://www.caut.ca/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=CAUT |language=en-US |archive-date=18 February 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260218123554/https://www.caut.ca/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and those representing students, such as the [[Canadian Alliance of Student Associations]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Canadian Alliance of Student Associations |url=https://www.casa-acae.com/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=Canadian Alliance of Student Associations |language=en |archive-date=14 February 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260214113156/https://www.casa-acae.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Canadian Federation of Students]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Contact {{!}} Canadian Federation of Students |url=https://www.cfs-fcee.ca/connect/cfs-fcee.ca/connect/contact |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=www.cfs-fcee.ca |language=en}}</ref> and the National Educational Association of Disabled Students.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NEADS |url=https://www.neads.ca/en/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=www.neads.ca}}</ref>

Public research also occurs through government laboratories and research centres such as the [[National Research Council Canada|National Research Council]],<ref>{{Cite news |title=Boost for science: $1.5 billion in federal funding for two new Ottawa labs |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/science-federal-funding-ottawa-labs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250725101934/https://ottawacitizen.com/news/science-federal-funding-ottawa-labs |archive-date=25 July 2025 |access-date=2026-02-22 |work=ottawacitizen |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> various [[Health Canada]] laboratories<ref>{{Cite web |title=Facilities |url=https://profils-profiles.science.gc.ca/en/facilities?f%5B0%5D=field_organization%3A787 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914140612/https://profils-profiles.science.gc.ca/en/facilities?f%5B0%5D=field_organization%3A787 |archive-date=14 September 2022 |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=profils-profiles.science.gc.ca |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> or the [[Central Experimental Farm]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Agriculture and Agri-Food |date=2009-02-05 |title=Central Experimental Farm |url=https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/contact/central-experimental-farm |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=agriculture.canada.ca |archive-date=13 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251113220749/https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/contact/central-experimental-farm |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Public health ===
{{See also|List of hospitals in Ottawa}}
[[File:Civic Hospital, Ottawa.JPG|right|thumb|The [[Ottawa Civic Hospital|Civic Hospital]] is one of three main campuses of [[The Ottawa Hospital]].]]

There are six active general medical hospitals in the city of Ottawa: The [[Queensway Carleton Hospital]], [[The Ottawa Hospital]] ([[Ottawa Civic Hospital|Civic Hospital]], [[Ottawa General Hospital|General Hospital]], [[Riverside Hospital of Ottawa|Riverside Hospital]]), [[Montfort Hospital]], and the [[Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario]]. Several specialized hospital facilities are also present, such as the [[University of Ottawa Heart Institute]], the [[Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre]], and Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital.<ref>{{cite web |title=Finding healthcare |url=http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/public-health/healthcare/finding-healthcare#P46_1193 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101055713/http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/public-health/healthcare/finding-healthcare#P46_1193 |archive-date=1 November 2014 |access-date=20 September 2014 |publisher=City of Ottawa}}</ref> There are also several hospitals and major medical centres in neighbouring suburban communities and commuter towns.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-18 |title=General hospital locations {{!}} ontario.ca |url=http://www.ontario.ca/page/general-hospital-locations |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=www.ontario.ca |language=en}}</ref> The [[University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine]] operates [[teaching hospital]]s in conjunction with partners throughout the city.<ref name="uOttawa Med">{{cite web |title=Affiliated Teaching Hospitals |url=http://www.med.uottawa.ca/patho/eng/affiliated.html |access-date=11 August 2022 |website=uOttawa.ca |archive-date=11 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811040203/http://www.med.uottawa.ca/patho/eng/affiliated.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Ottawa is the headquarters of numerous major medical organizations and institutions such as [[Canadian Red Cross]], [[Canadian Blood Services]], [[Health Canada]], [[Canadian Medical Association]], [[Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada]], [[Canadian Nurses Association]], and the [[Medical Council of Canada]].

==Culture and contemporary life==
[[File:Byward Market Sunset.jpg|thumb|[[ByWard Market]] is a retail and entertainment district in Downtown Ottawa.]]
Traditionally, the [[ByWard Market]] (in Lower Town), Parliament Hill, [[Chinatown, Ottawa|Chinatown]], and the [[Golden Triangle (Ottawa, Canada)|Golden Triangle]] (in Centretown – Downtown) have been focal points of the cultural scenes in Ottawa.{{sfn|Hale|2011|pp=59–60}} Modern thoroughfares such as [[Wellington Street (Ottawa)|Wellington Street]], [[Rideau Street]], [[Sussex Drive]], [[Elgin Street (Ottawa)|Elgin Street]], [[Bank Street (Ottawa)|Bank Street]], [[Somerset Street (Ottawa)|Somerset Street]], [[Preston Street (Ottawa)|Preston Street]], Richmond Road in [[Westboro, Ottawa|Westboro]], and [[Sparks Street]] are home to many boutiques, museums, theatres, galleries, landmarks and memorials in addition to eating establishments, cafes, bars and nightclubs.{{sfn|Hale|2011|pp=61–68}}

As Canada's capital, Ottawa has played host to many significant cultural events in [[Canadian history]], including the first visit of the reigning [[Monarchy of Canada|Canadian sovereign]]—[[George VI|King George VI]], with [[List of royal consorts of Canada|his consort]], [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Elizabeth]]—[[1939 royal tour of Canada|to his parliament, on 19 May 1939]].<ref name="BousfieldToffoli1989">{{cite book |author1=Arthur Bousfield |author2=Garry Toffoli |title=Royal spring: the royal tour of 1939 and the Queen Mother in Canada |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Go5p_CN8UQC&pg=PA34 |year=1989 |publisher=Dundurn Press Ltd. |isbn=978-1-55002-065-6 |page=34 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425102153/https://books.google.com/books?id=1Go5p_CN8UQC&pg=PA34 |archive-date=25 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Victory in Europe Day|VE Day]] was marked with a large celebration on 8 May 1945,<ref name="Granatstein2005n">{{cite book |author=J. L. Granatstein |title=The last good war: an illustrated history of Canada in the Second World War, 1939–1945 |url=https://archive.org/details/lastgoodwarillus0000gran |url-access=registration |date=21 March 2005 |publisher=Douglas & McIntyre |isbn=978-1-55054-913-3 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/lastgoodwarillus0000gran/page/223 223]– |access-date=15 November 2015}}</ref> the first raising of [[Flag of Canada|the country's new national flag]] took place on 15 February 1965,<ref name="Solski2006">{{cite book |author=Ruth Solski |title=Big Book of Canadian Celebrations: Grades 4–6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8s7-m6yOnwC&pg=PA83 |year=2006 |publisher=S&S Learning Materials |isbn=978-1-55035-851-3 |page=83 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425091723/https://books.google.com/books?id=w8s7-m6yOnwC&pg=PA83 |archive-date=25 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Public Services and Procurement |date=2023-08-15 |title=Parliament Hill flags |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/public-services-procurement/services/infrastructure-buildings/parliamentary-precinct/discover/peace-tower/flags.html |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=www.canada.ca |archive-date=15 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250715234310/https://www.canada.ca/en/public-services-procurement/services/infrastructure-buildings/parliamentary-precinct/discover/peace-tower/flags.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[Canadian Centennial|centennial of Confederation]] was celebrated on 1 July 1967.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lindeman |first=Tracey |date=July 2, 2016 |title=As Canada turns 149, we still enjoy our centennial legacy |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canada-149-centennial-1967-1.3654458 |work=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]}}</ref> Queen [[Elizabeth II]] was in Ottawa on 17 April 1982, to issue a [[Proclamation|royal proclamation]] of the enactment of the [[Constitution Act, 1982|Constitution Act]].<ref name="Hayes2008">{{cite book |author=Derek Hayes |title=Canada: an illustrated history |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hrkq7t_4080C&pg=PA271 |year=2008 |publisher=Douglas & McIntyre |isbn=978-1-55365-259-5 |page=271 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505020500/https://books.google.com/books?id=hrkq7t_4080C&pg=PA271 |archive-date=5 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1983, the then [[Prince Charles]] and [[Diana, Princess of Wales]] came to Ottawa for a state dinner hosted by then Prime Minister [[Pierre Trudeau]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 13, 2019 |title=Charles and Diana's 1983 royal tour was capped by 2 birthdays |url=https://www.cbc.ca/archives/charles-diana-canada-visit-1983-1.5170991 |work=CBC |archive-date=26 September 2022 |access-date=22 February 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926184755/https://www.cbc.ca/archives/charles-diana-canada-visit-1983-1.5170991 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2011, Ottawa was selected as the first city to receive [[Prince William, Duke of Cambridge]], and [[Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge]] during their [[2011 royal tour of Canada|tour of Canada]].<ref name="2011-06-30-HCH">{{cite news |title=Royal tour begins with unhurried walkabout |url=http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/9021323.html |access-date=30 June 2011 |newspaper=The Chronicle-Herald |date=30 June 2011 |agency=The Canadian Press |location=Halifax NS |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110702195512/http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/9021323.html |archive-date=2 July 2011}}</ref>

Ottawa was featured in the short story collection ''[[For Your Eyes Only (short story collection)|For Your Eyes Only]]'', by [[Ian Fleming]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Andrew King: For Our Eyes Only, tracking Bond in Ottawa |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/andrew-king-for-our-eyes-only-tracking-bond-in-ottawa |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=ottawacitizen |language=en-CA |archive-date=16 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316053149/https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/andrew-king-for-our-eyes-only-tracking-bond-in-ottawa |url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:War Memorial Guards Ottawa.jpg|alt=The National War Memorial|thumb|upright|The [[National War Memorial (Canada)|National War Memorial]]]]

===Landmarks===
{{main|List of National Historic Sites of Canada in Ottawa|List of designated heritage properties in Ottawa}}

There is one [[World Heritage Site]] in Ottawa, the [[Rideau Canal]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2022-11-21 |title=UNESCO World Heritage Site |url=https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/histoire-history/pm-we |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=parks.canada.ca |archive-date=29 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260129104628/https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/histoire-history/pm-we |url-status=live }}</ref> along with 27 [[National Historic Site of Canada|National Historic Sites of Canada]] in Ottawa, including the Château Laurier, the [[Parliament of Canada]], Confederation Square, the former Ottawa Teachers' College and [[Laurier House]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parks Canada - DFHD - Search Results |url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/results-resultats_eng.aspx?p=1&m=100&q=&desCheck=NHS&c=Ottawa&ctl00$Main$PageSearch1$ddlProvince=&dey=&ctl00$Main$PageSearch1$ddlCustodian= |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=www.pc.gc.ca}}</ref> Additionally in 1990, Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica was designated as a National Historic Site.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 May 2025 |title=Notre-Dame Roman Catholic Basilica National Historic Site |url=https://parks.canada.ca/culture/designation/lieu-site/basilique-notre-dame-basilica}}</ref>  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]]''.<ref>{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Heritage Designation Program |url=http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/planning/built_heritage/designation/index_en.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110617044338/http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/planning/built_heritage/designation/index_en.html |archive-date=17 June 2011 |access-date=8 June 2011 |publisher=City of Ottawa}}</ref>

===Arts===
{{See also|List of attractions in Ottawa|List of museums in Ottawa}}
[[File:CanadianMuseumofNature2010-05-19.JPG|thumb|The [[Canadian Museum of Nature]] is Canada's national museum of [[natural history]] and [[natural science]].]]

==== Performing and visual arts ====
The [[Ottawa Little Theatre]], founded in 1913 as the Ottawa Drama League, is Ottawa's longest-running community theatre company.{{sfn|Hale|2011|p=60}} 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]], and formerly hosted the [[Opera Lyra Ottawa]] and the [[Ottawa Symphony Orchestra]] prior to their failure and move to Carleton University, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-10-14 |title=THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE REGRETS THE CLOSURE OF OPERA LYRA |url=https://nac-cna.ca/en/media/newsrelease/12742 |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=nac-cna.ca |language=en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=About 2 |url=https://ottawasymphony.com/history |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=Ottawa Symphony Orchestra |language=en-US |archive-date=23 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251223000335/https://ottawasymphony.com/history |url-status=live }}</ref>

Established in 1975, the [[Great Canadian Theatre Company]] specializes in the production of Canadian plays at a local level.<ref>{{cite web |date=13 January 2011 |title=Great Canadian Theatre Company |url=http://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Great%20Canadian%20Theatre%20Company |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204044118/http://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Great%20Canadian%20Theatre%20Company |archive-date=4 February 2012 |access-date=1 September 2011 |publisher=Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia}}</ref> The cities museum landscape is notable for containing six of Canada's nine national museums, the [[Canada Agriculture Museum|Canada Agriculture and Food Museum]], the [[Canada Aviation and Space Museum]], the [[Canada Science and Technology Museum]], Canadian Museum of Nature, [[Canadian War Museum]] and National Gallery of Canada.<ref>{{cite web |title=City of Ottawa – Museums and History |url=http://ottawa.ca/visitors/what_to_do/museums_history_en.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110530162324/http://www.ottawa.ca/visitors/what_to_do/museums_history_en.html |archive-date=30 May 2011 |access-date=7 June 2011 |publisher=City of Ottawa}}</ref> The [[National Gallery of Canada]]; designed by famous architect [[Moshe Safdie]], it is a permanent home to the [[Maman (sculpture)|''Maman'']] sculpture.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ottawatourism.ca/old/de/visitors/attractions/fast-facts-ottawa/366-fast-facts-national-gallery |title=National Gallery of Canada – Ottawa Tourism Official Site |publisher=Ottawatourism.ca |access-date=7 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006194316/http://www.ottawatourism.ca/old/de/visitors/attractions/fast-facts-ottawa/366-fast-facts-national-gallery |archive-date=6 October 2011}}</ref> The [[Canadian War Museum]] houses a collection comprised of approximately 600,000 artifacts, photos and books and was moved to an expanded facility in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.warmuseum.ca/about-us/corporation/about-the-corporation/about-the-canadian-museum-of-civilization-corporation/ |title=WarMuseum.ca – About the Museum – Mission |publisher=Civilization.ca |access-date=7 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027150013/http://www.warmuseum.ca/about-us/corporation/about-the-corporation/about-the-canadian-museum-of-civilization-corporation/ |archive-date=27 October 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>War Museum. Canadian War Museum Fact Sheet. https://www.warmuseum.ca/app/DocRepository/12/About_the_Museum/fastfactse.pdf</ref> The Victoria Memorial Museum Building, which houses the [[Canadian Museum of Nature]] commenced construction in 1905 and it opened as the National Museum of Natural Sciences in 1912, and underwent a major renovation between 2004 and 2010, leading to a centrepiece Blue Whale skeleton, and the creation of a monthly nightclub experience, ''Nature Nocturne''.<ref>{{cite web |author=Canada |url=http://nature.ca/en/about-us/history-buildings/museum-history |title=Museum History &#124; Canadian Museum of Nature |publisher=Nature.ca |date=19 January 2011 |access-date=7 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109032533/http://nature.ca/en/about-us/history-buildings/museum-history |archive-date=9 November 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=CBC News Ottawa |date=2012 |title=Museum of Nature to transform into nightclub |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/museum-of-nature-to-transform-into-nightclub-1.1242324 |access-date=25 July 2022 |archive-date=25 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725022939/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/museum-of-nature-to-transform-into-nightclub-1.1242324 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=4 June 2010 |title=Rare blue whale skeleton on display at Ottawa's Canadian Museum of Nature |url=https://www.thestar.com/life/travel/2010/06/04/rare_blue_whale_skeleton_on_display_at_ottawas_canadian_museum_of_nature.html |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=thestar.com |language=en |archive-date=25 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725022939/https://www.thestar.com/life/travel/2010/06/04/rare_blue_whale_skeleton_on_display_at_ottawas_canadian_museum_of_nature.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Cuisine===
Ottawa is home to several regional dishes. As a city with traditional [[French-Canadian cuisine|French-Canadian]] roots, staples such as [[poutine]] are served throughout the city. However, many consider [[shawarma]] a defining or especially common Ottawa dish;<ref>{{Cite news |title=Shawarma: the staple of Ottawa cuisine |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/shawarma-the-staple-of-ottawa-cuisine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241130022345/https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/shawarma-the-staple-of-ottawa-cuisine |archive-date=30 November 2024 |access-date=2026-02-22 |work=ottawacitizen |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Official dish">{{cite news |title=Ottawa's official food: What dish defines us? |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-official-food-donair-shawarma-1.3356996 |access-date=20 August 2022 |agency=CBC |publisher=CBC News |date=9 December 2015 |archive-date=20 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820051943/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-official-food-donair-shawarma-1.3356996 |url-status=live}}</ref> as the city contains more shawarma restaurants than anywhere else in Canada.<ref name="Shawarma Capital">{{cite web |last1=Deachman |first1=Bruce |title=Shawarma: the staple of Ottawa cuisine |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/shawarma-the-staple-of-ottawa-cuisine |publisher=Ottawa Citizen |access-date=20 August 2022 |archive-date=19 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119004455/https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/shawarma-the-staple-of-ottawa-cuisine |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2024, Ottawa City Council declared Ottawa as the "Shawarma Capital of Canada" in a unanimous motion<ref>{{Cite news |title=Ottawa is the 'Shawarma Capital of Canada,' Council Declares|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/ottawa-is-the-shawarma-capital-of-canada-council-declares/ |access-date=2026-04-14 |work=CTVNews |language=en }}</ref> [[Fried dough|Beaver tails]], a fried dough pastry, were first created in Ottawa in the 1970s. [[Le Cordon Bleu]] has a long-established culinary arts institute in the central Ottawa neighbourhood of Sandy Hill, the only Le Cordon Bleu campus in North America.<ref name="Le Cordon Bleu">{{cite web |title=Le Cordon Bleu |url=https://www.cordonbleu.edu/ottawa/en |website=Le Cordon Bleu |access-date=22 August 2022 |archive-date=16 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816035134/https://www.cordonbleu.edu/ottawa/en |url-status=live}}</ref> Ottawa style pizza is characterized as being greasy, having sweeter sauce, crispy, thick cheese, thick crust, and toppings under the cheese.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pizza Time! My Favorite [sic] Ottawa Pizza Joints|url=https://mindofaformerchef.com/pizza-time-my-favorite-ottawa-pizza-joints/|access-date=February 10, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250817124207/https://mindofaformerchef.com/pizza-time-my-favorite-ottawa-pizza-joints/|archive-date=17 August 2025|url-status=usurped}}</ref> Other food writers contend Ottawa-style pizza is inextricably linked with Ottawa's Lebanese pizza tradition<ref>{{cite web |last=Pizzuti|first=Jordan|title=The best pizza spots in Ottawa by neighbourhood, from city to suburbs (MAP)|url=https://www.narcity.com/ottawa/best-pizza-in-ottawa-by-neighbourhood-map|access-date=February 10, 2025}}</ref>. [[File:Ice slide Winterlude Ottawa 2007.jpg|thumb|[[Winterlude]] is an annual [[winter festival]] held in Ottawa.]]

===Festivals===
{{See also|List of festivals in Ottawa}}

Ottawa hosts a variety of annual seasonal activities—such as [[Winterlude]], the largest festival in Canada,<ref>{{cite web |last=Buckland |first=Jason |date=4 July 2010 |title=2. Winterlude – Biggest festivals in Canada |url=http://money.ca.msn.com/savings-debt/gallery/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=24740236&page=7 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009153634/http://money.ca.msn.com/savings-debt/gallery/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=24740236&page=7 |archive-date=9 October 2011 |access-date=13 July 2011 |publisher=Money.ca.msn.com}}</ref> and [[Canada Day]] celebrations on Parliament Hill and surrounding downtown area,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Strong-Boag |first=Veronica |date=2017-06-30 |title=Contesting Canada Day : A Tradition of Engagement, Challenges and Change |url=https://activehistory.ca/blog/2017/06/30/contestingcanadaday/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=Active History |language=en-CA |archive-date=17 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251017151237/https://activehistory.ca/blog/2017/06/30/contestingcanadaday/ |url-status=live }}</ref> as well as [[Ottawa Bluesfest|Bluesfest]], [[Canadian Tulip Festival]], [[Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival]], [[Ottawa International Jazz Festival]], [[Ottawa Fringe Festival|Fringe Festival]], [[Capital Pride (Ottawa)|Capital Pride]], and [[CityFolk Festival|CityFolk]], that have grown to become some of the largest festivals of their kind in the world.<ref>{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Ottawa Bluesfest |url=http://www.ottawa-information-guide.com/ottawa-bluesfest.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704093409/http://www.ottawa-information-guide.com/ottawa-bluesfest.html |archive-date=4 July 2011 |access-date=29 June 2011 |publisher=Ottawa-Information-Guide}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Clapperton |first1=Nina |title=Ottawa Tulip Festival |url=https://ninaoutandabout.ca/canadian-ottawa-tulip-festival/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410012548/https://ninaoutandabout.ca/canadian-ottawa-tulip-festival/ |archive-date=10 April 2022 |access-date=10 April 2022 |website=Nina Out and About}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival {{!}} Ottawa Tourism |url=https://ottawatourism.ca/en/event-calendar/tim-hortons-ottawa-dragon-boat-festival |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=ottawatourism.ca |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ottawa Jazz Festival {{!}} Ottawa Tourism |url=https://ottawatourism.ca/en/event-calendar/ottawa-jazz-festival |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=ottawatourism.ca |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Capital Pride {{!}} Ottawa Tourism |url=https://ottawatourism.ca/en/event-calendar/capital-pride |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=ottawatourism.ca |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=CityFolk {{!}} Ottawa Tourism |url=https://ottawatourism.ca/en/event-calendar/cityfolk |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=ottawatourism.ca |language=en}}</ref> In 2010, Ottawa's Festival industry received the [[International Festivals and Events Association|IFEA]] "World Festival and Event City Award" for the category of North American cities with a population between 500,000 and 1,000,000.<ref>{{cite web |date=16 September 2010 |title=2010 IFEA World Festival & Event City Award |url=http://www.ifea.com/joomla1_5/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=244&Itemid=476 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713003630/http://www.ifea.com/joomla1_5/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=244&Itemid=476 |archive-date=13 July 2011 |access-date=29 June 2011 |publisher=International Festivals and Events Association}}</ref>

== Sports ==
{{further|Sport in Ottawa|List of Ottawa parks}}
[[File:TD Place Canal.jpg|thumb|[[TD Place Stadium]] is home to the [[Canadian Football League|CFL]]'s [[Ottawa Redblacks]], the [[Canadian Premier League|CPL]]'s [[Atlético Ottawa]], and the [[Northern Super League|NSL]]'s [[Ottawa Rapid FC]].]]

=== Professional sports ===
[[Sport in Ottawa]] has a history dating back to the 19th century. The city is currently home to six professional sports teams. The [[Ottawa Senators]] are a professional ice hockey team playing in the [[National Hockey League]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Contact Us {{!}} Ottawa Senators |url=https://www.nhl.com/senators/team/contact-us |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref> The team shares the name with a [[Ottawa Senators (original)|previous franchise]] that won the [[Stanley Cup]] four times between 1920 and 1927.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Augustyn |first=Adam |date=5 March 2026 |title=Ottawa Senators |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ottawa-Senators |access-date=14 March 2026 |website=Britannica}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gretz |first=Adam |date=2014-09-17 |title=Remembering the original Ottawa Senators, the NHL’s 1st dynasty |url=https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2014/9/17/6165305/ottawa-senators-history-stanley-cup-silver-seven |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=SB Nation |language=en-US}}</ref> The team is currently a member of the Atlantic Division and play their home games at the [[Canadian Tire Centre]].<ref name="WeekesBanks2002">{{cite book |author1=Don Weekes |author2=Kerry Banks |title=The Unofficial Guide to Hockey's Most Unusual Records |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jbihEP6nuKcC&pg=PA122 |year=2002 |publisher=Greystone Books |isbn=978-1-55054-942-3 |pages=122– |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513073714/https://books.google.com/books?id=jbihEP6nuKcC&pg=PA122 |archive-date=13 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2023, the [[Ottawa Charge]] became one of the six charter franchises of the [[Professional Women's Hockey League]] (PWHL). The Charge play home games at [[TD Place Arena]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Donkin |first=Karissa |date=12 November 2023 |title=A new era |url=https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/Ottawa-PWHL-womens-hockey-the-next-chapter |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113103154/https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/Ottawa-PWHL-womens-hockey-the-next-chapter |archive-date=13 November 2023 |access-date=5 January 2024 |work=[[CBC Sports]]}}</ref> 

The [[Ottawa Redblacks]] are a professional Canadian Football team playing in the [[Canadian Football League]].<ref name="Ottawa CFL">{{cite news |title=Political hurdles all but cleared for team to hit field in 2013 |url=http://www.torontosun.com/sports/football/2010/06/29/14551341.html |date=29 June 2011 |newspaper=Toronto Sun – Sports |access-date=29 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607101050/http://www.torontosun.com/sports/football/2010/06/29/14551341.html |archive-date=7 June 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Formerly the [[Ottawa Rough Riders]] represented the city until 1996. With precursors dating back to 1876, the team adopted its identity in 1898 and was one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-07-03 |title=Ottawa Rough Riders - Fun While It Lasted |url=https://funwhileitlasted.net/2020/07/03/1898-1996-ottawa-rough-riders/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |language=en-US}}</ref> The professional soccer club, [[Atlético Ottawa]], plays in the [[Canadian Premier League]]. The team was founded by Spanish club [[Atlético Madrid]], and along with the Redblacks, play their home games at [[TD Place Stadium]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=CPL |date=2020-02-07 |title=Club Atlético de Madrid welcomed as owners of CPL team in Ottawa |url=https://www.canpl.ca/article/club-atletico-de-madrid-welcomed-as-owners-of-cpl-team-in-ottawa |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=CPL |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Stadium Profile |url=https://atleticoottawa.canpl.ca/stadium-profile/ |access-date=14 July 2022 |website=Atlético Ottawa |language=en-CA |archive-date=13 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213085312/https://atleticoottawa.canpl.ca/stadium-profile/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Ottawa Rapid FC]] of the [[Northern Super League]] also play at TD Place Stadium. The Rapid are one of the six founding clubs in the NSL, having played in the [[2025 Northern Super League season|inaugural 2025 season]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Holder |first=Gord |date=April 26, 2025 |title=Ottawa Rapid FC: Everything you need to know about Ottawa women's pro soccer franchise |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/ottawa-rapid-fc-pro-soccer |access-date=January 28, 2026 |work=Ottawa Citizen}}</ref> The [[New York Riptide]] became [[Ottawa Black Bears]] when they moved to the city in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=jerrymilani |date=2024-02-21 |title=National Lacrosse League announces launch of Ottawa Black Bears franchise |url=https://www.nll.com/news/national-lacrosse-league-announces-the-launch-of-the-ottawa-black-bears-franchise/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=NLL |language=en-US}}</ref> They compete in the [[National Lacrosse League]] and play at the [[Canadian Tire Centre]] in [[Kanata, Ontario|Kanata]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ottawa Black Bears {{!}} Ottawa Tourism |url=https://ottawatourism.ca/en/event-calendar/ottawa-black-bears |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=ottawatourism.ca |language=en}}</ref> The [[Ottawa Blackjacks]] are a professional basketball team, playing in the [[Canadian Elite Basketball League]], out of the TD Place Arena.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-basketball-team-name-schedule-1.5366182 |title=Ottawa Blackjacks to leap into action next spring |publisher=CBC News |date=20 November 2019 |access-date=11 March 2020 |archive-date=28 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128200505/https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5366182 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Ottawa SkyHawks kicked out of National Basketball League of Canada |work=CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-skyhawks-kicked-out-of-national-basketball-league-of-canada-1.2724097 |access-date=13 July 2022 |archive-date=7 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307040523/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-skyhawks-kicked-out-of-national-basketball-league-of-canada-1.2724097 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Ottawa Titans (baseball)|Ottawa Titans]] play professional baseball in the [[Frontier League]] at [[Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Park]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ottawa Stadium {{!}} Ottawa Titans Baseball Club |url=https://ottawatitans.com/rcgt-park/ |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=ottawatitans.com |archive-date=7 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307132127/https://ottawatitans.com/rcgt-park/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Ottawa was previously home to the [[Ottawa Lynx]], a [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] club, as well as the [[Ottawa Champions]], an independent baseball team in the [[Can-Am League]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Ottawa Champions left off new league's 2020 roster |work=CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-champions-left-off-2020-roster-1.5323308 |access-date=13 July 2022 |archive-date=7 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307022727/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-champions-left-off-2020-roster-1.5323308 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ottawa Lynx team ownership history – Society for American Baseball Research |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/topic/ottawa-lynx-team-ownership-history/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Collegiate sports ===
The University of Ottawa and Carleton University [[varsity team]]s compete in [[U Sports]] in various sports.<ref>USports (2026). Members. https://en.usports.ca/HQ/Members/U_SPORTS_Members</ref> Algonquin College and Collège La Cité teams compete in the [[Ontario Colleges Athletic Association|OCAA]].<ref>OCAA. (2026). Members. https://www.ocaa.com/student/directory</ref>

The [[Carleton Ravens]] are nationally ranked in [[basketball]] and soccer as of 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=- NATIONALLY RANKED MEN'S TEAMS PREVAIL |url=http://www.basketball.ca/en/hm/inside.php?sid=1&id=2833 |publisher=Canada Basketball |year=2009 |access-date=7 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727105410/http://www.basketball.ca/en/hm/inside.php?sid=1&id=2833 |archive-date=27 July 2011}}</ref> [[Carleton Ravens men's basketball|Carleton's men's basketball]] program is regarded as dynastically successful, having won 17 of the last 20 [[W. P. McGee Trophy|national championships]].<ref name="Carleton Ravens dynasty">{{cite web |last1=Baines |first1=Tim |title=DYNASTY? There's nothing quite like what Carleton Ravens men's basketball team has done |url=https://ottawasun.com/sports/basketball/dynasty-theres-nothing-quite-like-what-carleton-ravens-mens-basketball-team-has-done |website=Ottawa Sun |access-date=14 August 2022 |archive-date=19 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919144616/https://ottawasun.com/sports/basketball/dynasty-theres-nothing-quite-like-what-carleton-ravens-mens-basketball-team-has-done |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Ottawa Gee-Gees]] are nationally ranked in basketball and soccer as of 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 January 2020 |title=National Top Ten Update: Five teams remain ranked |url=https://www.teams.geegees.ca/general/2019-20/releases/20200114mx1ij7 |language=en |journal= |access-date=13 July 2022 |archive-date=24 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124011041/https://teams.geegees.ca/general/2019-20/releases/20200114mx1ij7 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Non-professional and amateur sports ===
Several non-professional teams also play in Ottawa, including the [[Ottawa 67's]] [[junior ice hockey]] team.<ref name="KearneyRay2009">{{cite book |author1=Mark Kearney |author2=Randy Ray |title=The Big Book of Canadian Trivia |url=https://archive.org/details/bigbookofcanadia0000kear |url-access=registration |year=2009 |publisher=Dundurn Press |isbn=978-1-55488-417-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bigbookofcanadia0000kear/page/241 241]– |access-date=15 November 2015}}</ref>
The city is home to an assortment of amateur organized team sports such as [[soccer]], [[basketball]], [[baseball]] and [[curling]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-11-21 |title=Amateur Sports Leagues {{!}} Ottawa Lives Here |url=https://www.ottawaliveshere.com/amateur-sports/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |language=en-US}}</ref> Casual recreational activities, such as [[Ice skating|skating]], [[cycling]] and [[skiing]] are also available.<ref name="Sports">{{cite web |url=http://ottawa.ca/visitors/what_to_do/sports_outdoor_en.html |title=Sports and Outdoor |publisher=City of Ottawa |access-date=7 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906052719/http://www.ottawa.ca/visitors/what_to_do/sports_outdoor_en.html |archive-date=6 September 2011}}</ref>

The city has hosted [[Ottawa Race Weekend]] during the 4th weekend of May since 1975. In addition, [[Ironman Triathlon]] began in Ottawa in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2025 IRONMAN Canada - Ottawa - Sunday, August 3, 2025 |url=https://regca.ironman.com/event/2025-ironman-canada-ottawa |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=Triathlons, marathons, half-marathons, mountain bike & running races}}</ref>

==Government and politics==
{{further|List of Ottawa municipal elections|Canadian federal election results in Ottawa|List of embassies and high commissions in Ottawa}}
[[File:Ottawa City Hall Hotel de ville d'Ottawa.jpg|thumb|[[Ottawa City Hall]] houses the [[Ottawa City Council|seat of the local government]].]]
The City of Ottawa is a [[Census divisions of Ontario#Single-tier municipalities|single-tier municipality]], meaning it is in itself a [[census division]] and has no county or regional municipality government above it, and has no subsidiary municipalities to provide municipal services.<ref name="SlackChattopadhyay2009">{{cite book |author1=Enid Slack |author2=Rupak Chattopadhyay |title=Finance and Governance of Capital Cities in Federal Systems |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2RBv66RWYHQC&pg=PA61 |year=2009 |publisher=McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP |isbn=978-0-7735-3565-7 |page=61 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429113526/https://books.google.com/books?id=2RBv66RWYHQC&pg=PA61 |archive-date=29 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ontario Municipalities {{!}} AMO |url=https://www.amo.on.ca/about-us/municipal-101/ontario-municipalities#Single |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412221617/https://www.amo.on.ca/about-us/municipal-101/ontario-municipalities#Single |archive-date=12 April 2022 |access-date=14 July 2022 |website=www.amo.on.ca}}</ref><ref>City of Ottawa. 2021 Census. https://ottawa.ca/en/living-ottawa/statistics-and-demographics/2021-census/population-and-dwelling-counts</ref> Ottawa is governed by the 25-member [[Ottawa City Council]] consisting of 24 councillors each representing one [[Ward (country subdivision)|ward]] and the mayor, [[Mark Sutcliffe]] as of the [[2022 Ottawa municipal election]], is elected in a citywide vote. Ottawa is subject to Ontario's [[Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act|strong mayor powers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mayor and City Councillors {{!}} City of Ottawa |url=https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/mayor-and-city-councillors |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=ottawa.ca |archive-date=2 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220802214459/https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/mayor-and-city-councillors |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=MacDiarmid |first=Campbell |date=June 2, 2025 |title=Strong mayor powers used to block majority on fractious eastern Ontario council |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-divided-council-strong-mayors-1.7549452 |work=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]}}</ref>

Along with being the capital of Canada, Ottawa is politically diverse in local politics. Most of the city has traditionally supported the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]] in federal elections.<ref name="Hill2002">{{cite book |author=Tony L. Hill |title=Canadian politics, riding by riding: an in-depth analysis of Canada's 301 federal electoral districts |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=opvmE2AExc8C&pg=PA184 |year=2002 |publisher=Prospect Park Press |isbn=978-0-9723436-0-2 |page=184 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609194025/https://books.google.com/books?id=opvmE2AExc8C&pg=PA184 |archive-date=9 June 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Piper |first=Jillian |date=21 September 2021 |title=In stand-pat federal vote, Ottawa remains Liberal stronghold |url=https://capitalcurrent.ca/in-stand-pat-federal-vote-that-changes-little-nationwide-ottawa-remains-the-liberal-stronghold-it-was-in-2019/ |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=Capital Current |language=en-CA |archive-date=29 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529044810/https://capitalcurrent.ca/in-stand-pat-federal-vote-that-changes-little-nationwide-ottawa-remains-the-liberal-stronghold-it-was-in-2019/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The safest areas for the Liberals are the ones dominated by [[Francophones]], especially in Vanier and central Gloucester.<ref name="Hill2002" /> Central Ottawa is usually more [[Left-wing politics|left]]-leaning, and the [[New Democratic Party (Canada)|New Democratic Party]] have won ridings there.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Former Ottawa Centre MP Paul Dewar: 1963-2019 |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/former-ottawa-centre-mp-paul-dewar-has-died |access-date=14 August 2022 |website=ottawacitizen |language=en-CA |archive-date=5 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205222224/https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/former-ottawa-centre-mp-paul-dewar-has-died |url-status=live}}</ref> Ridings further outside the city centre, such as those including Kanata, Barrhaven and rural areas, tend to be more conservative, fiscally and socially.<ref name="Hill2002"/> This is especially true in the former Townships of [[West Carleton Township, Ontario|West Carleton]], [[Goulbourn Township, Ontario|Goulbourn]], [[Rideau Township, Ontario|Rideau]] and [[Osgoode Township, Ontario|Osgoode]], which are more in line with the conservative areas in the surrounding [[county|counties]].<ref name="Hill2002"/> 

At present, Ottawa is host to approximately 150 [[List of diplomatic missions in Canada|embassies]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Canada |first=Global Affairs |title=Labels with Diplomatic Missions |url=https://www.international.gc.ca/protocol-protocole/addresses.aspx?lang=eng |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250920081355/https://www.international.gc.ca/protocol-protocole/addresses.aspx?lang=eng |archive-date=2025-09-20 |access-date=2026-02-22 |work=GAC |language=en}}</ref> A further approximately 50 countries accredit their [[List of diplomatic missions in Canada#Accredited Embassies and High Commissions|embassies and missions in the United States]] to Canada.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Canada |first=Global Affairs |title=Labels with Diplomatic Missions |url=https://www.international.gc.ca/protocol-protocole/addresses.aspx?lang=eng |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250920081355/https://www.international.gc.ca/protocol-protocole/addresses.aspx?lang=eng |archive-date=2025-09-20 |access-date=2026-02-22 |work=GAC |language=en}}</ref>

==Transportation==
{{See also|OC Transpo|O-Train|List of airports in the Ottawa area|List of Ottawa roads|List of numbered roads in Ottawa|List of bridges in Ottawa}}

===Public transportation===
{{Main|OC Transpo}}

[[File:O Train 15773300606.jpg|thumb|An [[O-Train]] crossing the [[Rideau River]]. The O-Train is a [[light rail]] [[public transportation]] service provided by [[OC Transpo]].]]

[[File:Stage2South.png|thumb|Map of Ottawa's rapid transit network.]]

Ottawa's public transit system is managed by [[OC Transpo]].<ref name="oct">{{cite web |url=http://www.octranspo1.com/about-octranspo |title=About OC Transpo |year=2009 |publisher=OC Transpo |access-date=6 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113035431/http://www.octranspo1.com/about-octranspo/ |archive-date=13 November 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> OC Transpo operates an integrated, multi-modal rapid transit system which includes:
* The [[O-Train]] light rail system. The four-line public rail system includes three existing lines and one currently under construction.
** [[Line 1 (O-Train)|Line 1]] is an east–west line which operates medium-capacity light rail vehicles and travels under the city's downtown core.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our services |url=https://www.octranspo.com/en/our-services/ |access-date=16 February 2020 |website=OC Transpo |archive-date=17 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217130833/http://www.octranspo.com/en/our-services/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
** [[Line 2 (O-Train)|Line 2]] is a north–south rail transit corridor which utilizes a mix of Stadler FLIRTs and Alstom Coradia LINTs connecting the south end of Ottawa to Line 1 at [[Bayview station (Ottawa)|Bayview station]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.octranspo.com/en/ready-for-rail/transforming-the-service/expanding-o-train-service |title=Expanding O-Train service |website=OC Transpo |access-date=16 February 2020 |archive-date=16 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216190331/http://www.octranspo.com/en/ready-for-rail/transforming-the-service/expanding-o-train-service |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.octranspo.com/en/our-services/bus-o-train-network/vehicles/ |title=Vehicles |publisher=OC Transpo |access-date=28 September 2023 |archive-date=6 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906201722/https://www.octranspo.com/en/our-services/bus-o-train-network/vehicles/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
** [[Line 3 (O-Train)|Line 3]] is an under construction branch of Line 1, splitting at [[Lincoln Fields station]] and continuing west.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stage2lrt.ca/ |title=Stage 2 Ottawa |website=Stage2lrt.ca |date=22 July 2015 |access-date=16 April 2016 |url-status=live |archive-date=22 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322133748/http://www.stage2lrt.ca/}}</ref>
** [[Line 4 (O-Train)|Line 4]] is a {{cvt|4|km|mi}} airport link connecting Line 2 to the [[Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Line 4 {{!}} OC Transpo |url=https://www.octranspo.com/en/our-services/o-train-network/line-4 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250406141737/https://www.octranspo.com/en/our-services/o-train-network/line-4 |archive-date=2025-04-06 |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=www.octranspo.com |language=en-ca}}</ref>
* A vast [[bus rapid transit]] (BRT) system that uses a series of dedicated bus-only roadways named the [[Transitway (Ottawa)|Transitway]] and reserved lanes on city streets and highways. The Transitway has long distances between stops and full station amenities (including platforms, walkways, fare gates, ticket booths, elevators and convenience stores). It connects Ottawa's suburbs to the inner city.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spacing |date=2015-01-30 |title=OC Transpo gets graphic: The transitway map |url=https://spacing.ca/ottawa/2015/01/30/12819/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=Spacing Ottawa |language=en-US}}</ref> The rapid bus service network operates all day, seven days a week, reaching the suburban communities of Kanata to the West, Barrhaven to the South-West, Orléans to the East, and South Keys to the South.<ref name=":1" />
* Over 190 local bus routes are served by a fleet of ordinary, articulated and double-decker buses.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |url=https://www.octranspo.com/en/our-services/bus-o-train-network/service-types/ |title=Service types |website=OC Transpo |access-date=16 February 2020 |archive-date=17 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217184613/http://www.octranspo.com/en/our-services/bus-o-train-network/service-types |url-status=live}}</ref> Both OC Transpo and the Quebec-based [[Société de transport de l'Outaouais]] (STO) operate bus transit services between Ottawa and Gatineau.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Downtown Ottawa {{!}} STO |url=https://www.sto.ca/en/schedules-and-routes/routes-in-downtown-ottawa/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=www.sto.ca |language=en}}</ref><ref>OC Transpo. 2026. Route 8 Schedule. https://www.octranspo.com/en/plan-your-trip/schedules-maps/?sched-lang=en&date=20260221&rte=8</ref> OC Transpo also operates a door-to-door bus service for disabled individuals known as ParaTranspo.<ref name="oct" /> There is a [[Gatineau LRT|hypothetical LRT partnership]] that proposes linking Ottawa with Gatineau and connecting to the O-Train.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/gatineau-aylmer-ottawa-light-rail-1.4713843 |access-date=20 December 2018 |title=Gatineau reveals $2.1B LRT plan, eyes 2028 launch |work=CBC |date=20 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114184041/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/gatineau-aylmer-ottawa-light-rail-1.4713843 |archive-date=14 November 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Airports===
The [[Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport]] is the city's principal airport.<ref>Ottawa Macdonald--Cartier International Airport Authority. Our Story. https://www.yow.ca/about-yow/our-story</ref> There are also three other airports providing general aviation services: [[Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport]], [[Carp Airport|Ottawa/Carp Airport]], and [[Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport]].<ref name="PurdomCarroll2003f">{{cite book |author1=Laura Purdom |author2=Donald Carroll |author3=Robert Holmes |title=Traveler's Companion Eastern Canada |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nD6yjUail9AC&pg=PA70 |year=2003 |publisher=Globe Pequot |isbn=978-0-7627-2332-4 |page=70 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429031340/https://books.google.com/books?id=nD6yjUail9AC&pg=PA70 |archive-date=29 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Studio |first=Tonik Web |title=L'aéroport |url=https://www.aeroportdegatineau.com/aeroport |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=Aéroport de Gatineau |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Services {{!}} Carp Airport |url=https://www.carpairport.ca/services/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Inter-city transportation===
[[Ottawa station]] is the [[Central station|main]] [[Inter-city rail|inter-city]] train station operated by [[Via Rail]]. It is located {{convert|4|km}} to the east of [[downtown Ottawa|downtown]] in [[Eastway Gardens]] (adjacent to [[O-Train]] [[Tremblay station]]) and serves Via Rail's [[Québec City–Windsor Corridor (Via Rail)|Corridor]] Route.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tremblay |url=https://www.octranspo.com/en/our-services/stations1/tremblay1 |website=OC Transpo |access-date=4 June 2021 |archive-date=7 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007014942/https://www.octranspo.com/en/our-services/stations1/tremblay1/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ottawa train station |url=https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/stations/ontario/ottawa/station |website=Via Rail Canada |access-date=4 June 2021 |archive-date=3 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603051627/https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/stations/ontario/ottawa/station |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Travel Ontario and Québec: Corridor train routes {{!}} VIA Rail |url=https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/trains/ontario-and-quebec |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=www.viarail.ca}}</ref> The city is also served by inter-city passenger rail service at [[Fallowfield station (Ontario)|Fallowfield station]] in the southwestern suburban community of [[Barrhaven]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Fallowfield train station |url=https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/stations/ontario/fallowfield |website=Via Rail Canada |access-date=4 June 2021 |archive-date=4 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604142937/https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/stations/ontario/fallowfield |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Intercity bus service]]s are currently provided by several carriers at various stops throughout the city, following the closure of the former [[Ottawa Central Station]] [[bus station|bus terminal]] on 1 June 2021. Major carriers include: [[Megabus (North America)|Megabus]], [[Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services|Ontario Northland]], Autobus Gatineau,<ref>{{cite web |title=Bus Stops {{!}} megabus |url=https://ca.megabus.com/stops |website=ca.megabus.com |access-date=4 June 2021 |archive-date=23 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523161240/https://ca.megabus.com/stops |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-09 |title=PDF Schedules |url=https://www.ontarionorthland.ca/en/travel/pdf-schedules |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=www.ontarionorthland.ca}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Autobus Gatineau Schedule - Grand Remous / Ottawa - Ottawa / Grand Remous |website=autobusgatineau.com |url=http://nebula.wsimg.com/5319e6b801e78b710fbe67c96a31724a?AccessKeyId=A8F7318CB6209AF92A92&disposition=0&alloworigin=1 |access-date=4 June 2021 |archive-date=16 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516154044/https://nebula.wsimg.com/5319e6b801e78b710fbe67c96a31724a?AccessKeyId=A8F7318CB6209AF92A92&disposition=0&alloworigin=1 |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Orléans Express]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Travelling from Montreal to Ottawa |website=Orleans Express |date=9 July 2021 |url=https://www.orleansexpress.com/en/travelling-montreal-ottawa/ |access-date=23 February 2022 |archive-date=23 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220223222927/https://www.orleansexpress.com/en/travelling-montreal-ottawa/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Streets and highways===
The City of Ottawa has over {{cvt|8400|km|mi}} lane-kilometres of road and a series of freeways.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A city that is more connected with reliable, safe and accessible mobility options |url=https://engage.ottawa.ca/connectedcity |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=Engage Ottawa |language=en-US}}</ref> The primary freeways are the east–west provincial [[Ontario Highway 417|Highway 417]] (designated as the Queensway and part of the [[Trans-Canada Highway]]), Ottawa-Carleton [[Regional Road 174|Highway 174]] (formerly Provincial Highway 17), [[Ontario Highway 7|Highway 7]], and the north–south provincial [[Ontario Highway 416|Highway 416]] (designated as Veterans' Memorial Highway), which connects to other [[400-series highways (Ontario)|400-Series highways]] via the 401.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Highway |first=Trans-Canada |title=Ontario Trans-Canada Highway itineraries and towns |url=https://transcanadahighway.com/ontario/ |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=Trans-Canada Highway |language=en-CA |archive-date=19 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119121351/https://www.transcanadahighway.com/ontario/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ontario Highway 416 History - The King's Highways of Ontario |url=http://www.thekingshighway.ca/Highway416.htm |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=www.thekingshighway.ca |archive-date=25 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725035305/http://www.thekingshighway.ca/Highway416.htm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":16">Government of Ontario (2025). Official Road Map of Ontario - Map 11. https://www.ontario.ca/files/2025-07/mto-orm-map11-en-fr-2025-07-08.pdf</ref> From downtown there are also freeway connections to [[Quebec Autoroute 5|Autoroute 5]] and [[Quebec Autoroute 50|Autoroute 50]], in neighbouring Gatineau.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Story Map Series |url=https://ncc-ccn.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=e4ace0d0442c4d35b9a3e90f0c632450 |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=ncc-ccn.maps.arcgis.com |archive-date=23 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523111942/https://ncc-ccn.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=e4ace0d0442c4d35b9a3e90f0c632450 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":16" />

The city also has several scenic parkways and promenades, such as the [[Kichi Zibi Mikan]] (formerly the Macdonald Parkway), [[Colonel By Drive]], [[Queen Elizabeth Driveway]], the [[Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway]] (formerly the Rockcliffe Parkway), and the [[Aviation Parkway (Ottawa)|Aviation Parkway]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Story Map Series |url=https://ncc-ccn.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=e4ace0d0442c4d35b9a3e90f0c632450 |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=ncc-ccn.maps.arcgis.com}}</ref> The National Capital Commission manages ceremonial routes linking key attractions on both sides of the Ottawa River, including [[Confederation Boulevard]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc_web_content_page.asp?cid=16300-20444-20505&lang=1 |title=Confederation Boulevard, National Capital Commission Web site |access-date=11 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209090858/http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc_web_content_page.asp?cid=16300-20444-20505&lang=1 |archive-date=9 February 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Cycling and pedestrian network===
[[File:CapitalPathway2019.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Capital Pathway]] is a multi-use [[trail]] interlinking sites throughout the [[National Capital Region (Canada)|National Capital Region]].]]

Numerous paved [[multi-use trail]]s, mostly operated by the [[National Capital Commission]] and the city, wind their way through much of the capital, including along the Ottawa River, Rideau River, and Rideau Canal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Capital Pathway |url=https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/capital-pathway |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260209045818/https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/capital-pathway |archive-date=2026-02-09 |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=National Capital Commission |language=en}}</ref> [[Capital Pathway|These pathways]] are used for transportation, tourism, and recreation. Because many streets either have wide curb lanes or bicycle lanes, cycling is a mode of transportation used by up to 3.7% of citizens, including in winter. This is the largest percentage of any major Canadian city.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ottawainsights.ca/themes/environment-and-sustainability/transportation/ |title=Transportation Environment & Sustainability |publisher=Ottawa Insights |access-date=5 August 2022 |archive-date=5 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805182033/https://www.ottawainsights.ca/themes/environment-and-sustainability/transportation/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ottawa.ca/city_services/statistics/counts/counts_apr_04/index_en.shtml |title=Statistics – Ottawa Counts |publisher=Ottawa.ca |access-date=7 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519010548/http://www.ottawa.ca/city_services/statistics/counts/counts_apr_04/index_en.shtml |archive-date=19 May 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Capital Pathway Strategic Plan |url=https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/our-plans/capital-pathway-strategic-plan |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=NCC-CCN |language=en |archive-date=25 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725035305/https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/our-plans/capital-pathway-strategic-plan |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2022-07-13 |title=Focus on Geography Series, 2021 Census - Ottawa (Census division) |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/as-sa/fogs-spg/page.cfm?lang=E&topic=13&dguid=2021A00033506 |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref> As of 31 December 2015, over {{cvt|900|km}} of cycling facilities are found in Ottawa, including {{cvt|435|km}} of multi-use pathways, {{cvt|8|km}} of cycle tracks, {{cvt|200|km}} of on-road bicycle lanes, and {{cvt|257|km}} of paved shoulders.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/transportation-and-parking/cycling/cycling-network-information |title=Cycling Network Information |website=Ottawa.ca |publisher=City of Ottawa |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918065653/http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/transportation-and-parking/cycling/cycling-network-information |archive-date=18 September 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> {{cvt|204|km}} of new cycling facilities were added between 2011 and 2014.<ref name=":0" />

The entire length of [[Sparks Street]] was turned into a [[Pedestrian zone|pedestrian mall]] in 1966.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nccwatch.org/blunders/sparks.htm |title=Sparks Street |publisher=NCC Watch |access-date=8 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110617100655/http://www.nccwatch.org/blunders/sparks.htm |archive-date=17 June 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Since 1960, additional avenues, streets, and parkways, are reserved for pedestrian and bicycle use only on Saturdays, Sundays and on selected holidays and events.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NCC Weekend Bikedays |url=https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/events/weekend-bikedays |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250806183038/https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/events/weekend-bikedays |archive-date=2025-08-06 |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=National Capital Commission |language=en}}</ref> In 2021 city council unanimously approved the [[Byward Market]] Public Realm Plan to make the market area more [[Carfree city|car-free]] and pedestrian friendly.<ref name="Public Realm Plan">{{cite web |url=https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-engagement/projects/byward-market-public-realm-plan |title=ByWard Market Public Realm Plan |date=1 October 2021 |publisher=City of Ottawa |access-date=5 August 2022 |archive-date=5 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805191635/https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-engagement/projects/byward-market-public-realm-plan |url-status=live}}</ref> From 2009 to 2015 the NCC introduced the [[Capital Bixi]] [[bicycle-sharing system]]. This continued until the company VeloGo took over the program from 2015 to 2018 when the partnership ceased.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HistoricPlaces.ca - Capital BIXI Takes Ottawa: Pedal into the Past! |url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/pages/20_bixi.aspx |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=www.historicplaces.ca |archive-date=25 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725075708/https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/pages/20_bixi.aspx |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=25 March 2021 |title=Ottawa parks the return of a bike-sharing program on city streets |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/ottawa-parks-the-return-of-a-bike-sharing-program-on-city-streets/ |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=Ottawa |language=en |archive-date=25 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725035305/https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-parks-the-return-of-a-bike-sharing-program-on-city-streets-1.5362549 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Scooter-sharing system]]s were introduced in the downtown and inner-city areas in 2025.<ref>City of Ottawa. (2025). E-scooters - 2025 Pilot. https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/creating-equal-inclusive-and-diverse-city/accessibility-city/transportation/e-scooters/e-scooter-pilot-2025-season

</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Canada|Ontario}}
* [[Outline of Ottawa]]
* [[List of people from Ottawa]]
{{Clear}}

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Brault |first=Lucien |title=Ottawa Old and New |url=https://archive.org/details/ottawaoldnew0000unse |url-access=registration |year=1946 |publisher=Ottawa Historical Information Institute |oclc=2947504}}
* {{cite book |first=David L.A. |last=Gordon |title=Town and Crown an illustrated history of Canada's capital |url=https://www.townandcrown.ca |year=2015 |publisher=University of Ottawa Press |isbn=978-0-470-68158-9 |access-date=1 November 2022}} [https://press.uottawa.ca/en/9780776638850/town-and-crown/ Alt URL]
* {{cite book |first=James |last=Hale |title=Frommer's Ottawa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D-xZXkWpWtIC&pg=PT1 |year=2011 |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |isbn=978-0-470-68158-9 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-date=18 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518051438/https://books.google.com/books?id=D-xZXkWpWtIC&pg=PT1 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |first1=Jeff |last1=Keshen |first2=Nicole |last2=St-Onge |title=Ottawa—making a capital |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Q9Bb4EiAyoC&pg=PP1 |year=2001 |publisher=University of Ottawa Press |isbn=978-0-7766-0521-0 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-date=24 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424090752/https://books.google.com/books?id=_Q9Bb4EiAyoC&pg=PP1 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |first=David |last=Lee |title=Lumber kings & shantymen: logging and lumbering in the Ottawa Valley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ZLSf-I0XgIC&pg=PA1 |year=2006 |publisher=James Lorimer & Company |isbn=978-1-55028-922-0 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-date=12 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512120704/https://books.google.com/books?id=3ZLSf-I0XgIC&pg=PA1 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |last=Legget |first=Robert |title=Rideau Waterway |year=1986 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=0-8020-6591-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CaA4OpW4Ao0C&pg=PA252 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-date=14 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514110242/https://books.google.com/books?id=CaA4OpW4Ao0C&pg=PA252 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |first=Carol |last=Martin |title=Ottawa: a colourguide |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gjUoa_r4LOIC&pg=PA1 |year=1997 |publisher=Formac Publishing Company |isbn=978-0-88780-396-3 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-date=6 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506090703/https://books.google.com/books?id=gjUoa_r4LOIC&pg=PA1 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |last1=Mika |first1=Nick |last2=Mika |first2=Helma |title=Bytown: The Early Days of Ottawa |year=1982 |publisher=Mika Publishing Company |isbn=0-919303-60-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Taylor |first=John H. |title=Ottawa: An Illustrated History |year=1986 |publisher=J. Lorimer |isbn=978-0-88862-981-4}}
* {{cite book |first=Marion |last=Van de Wetering |title=An Ottawa album: glimpses of the way we were |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jRkxGw291AcC&pg=PA1 |year=1997 |publisher=Dundurn Press Ltd. |isbn=978-0-88882-195-9 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-date=12 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512123505/https://books.google.com/books?id=jRkxGw291AcC&pg=PA1 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |last=Woods |first=Shirley E. Jr. |title=Ottawa: The Capital of Canada |year=1980 |publisher=Doubleday Canada |isbn=0-385-14722-8}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links | Ottawa | wikt=no | commons=Ottawa | b=no | n=Ottawa | q=no | s=no | v=no | voy=Ottawa | species=no | d=no | display=Ottawa}}
* {{official website}}

{{Geographic location
| Centre = Ottawa
| North = {{flagicon|QC}} [[Pontiac, Quebec|Pontiac]], [[Gatineau]]<br />''[[Ottawa River]]''
| Northeast = {{flagicon|QC}} [[Lochaber-Partie-Ouest, Quebec|Lochaber-Partie-Ouest]]<br />''[[Ottawa River]]''
| East = [[Clarence-Rockland]]
| Southeast = [[Russell, Ontario|Russell]], [[The Nation, Ontario|The Nation]]
| South = [[North Grenville, Ontario|North Grenville]], [[North Dundas, Ontario|North Dundas]]
| Southwest = [[Merrickville-Wolford, Ontario|Merrickville-Wolford]]
| West = [[Mississippi Mills, Ontario|Mississippi Mills]]<br />[[Beckwith, Ontario|Beckwith]]<br />[[Montague, Ontario|Montague]]
| Northwest = [[Arnprior, Ontario|Arnprior]]
}}
{{Ottawa}}
{{Navboxes|list =
{{Ottawa landmarks}}
{{Subdivisions of Ontario}}
{{Canada capitals}}
{{Census metropolitan areas by size}}
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{{Great Lakes Megalopolis}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ottawa| ]]
[[Category:1826 establishments in Canada]]
[[Category:Capital cities in North America]]
[[Category:Cities in Ontario]]
[[Category:High-technology business districts in Canada]]
[[Category:Planned capital cities]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1826]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Ottawa River]]
[[Category:Single-tier municipalities in Ontario]]