Name	Ottawa
Official name	City of Ottawa''Ville d'Ottawa''
Settlement type	City
Nickname	Bytown
Motto	"Advance-Ottawa-En Avant"Written in the two official languages.
Map caption	The Rideau Canal
Image shield	Ottawa coat of arms.png
Map caption	Location of the City of Ottawa in the Province of Ontario, Canada
Coordinates region	CA-ON
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name
Subdivision type1	Province
Subdivision name1
Subdivision type2	Region
Subdivision name2	National Capital Region
Leader title	Mayor
Leader title1	City Council
Leader name1	Ottawa City Council
Leader title2	MPs
Leader name2
Leader title3	MPPs
Leader name3
Leader name	Jim Watson
Established title	Established
Established date	1826 as Bytown
Established title2	Incorporation
Established title2	Incorporated
Established date2	1855 as City of Ottawa
Established title3	Amalgamated
Established date3	January 1, 2001
Area footnotes
Area total km2	2778.64
Area total sq mi	1072.9
Area urban km2	512.29
Area metro km2	5318.36
Population as of	2006
Population total	812,129 (4th)
Population density km2	292.3
Population metro	1,130,761 (4th)
population blank1 title	Demonym
Timezone	Eastern (EST)
Utc offset	−5
Timezone dst	EDT
Utc offset dst	-4
Elevation m	70
Elevation ft	230
Website	ottawa.ca
Postal code type	Postal code span
Postal code	K0A, K1A-K4C
Area code	613, 343, 819
Footnotes	}}

Ottawa ( or ) is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, located on the north bank of the Ottawa River; together they form the National Capital Region (NCR).

The 2006 census had the city's population as 812,129, and the metropolitan population as 1,130,761. In 2009, Ottawa-Gatineau's population was estimated at 1,220,674, fifth among census metropolitan areas in Canada. Mercer ranked Ottawa with the second highest quality of living of any in the Americas, and 14th highest in the world. It was also considered the second cleanest city in Canada, and third cleanest city in the world.

Founded in 1826 as Bytown and incorporated as "Ottawa" in 1855, the city has evolved into a political and technological center of Canada. Its original boundaries were expanded through numerous minor annexations and ultimately replaced by a new city incorporation and major amalgamation in 2001 which significantly increased its land area.

The name "Ottawa" is derived from the Algonquin word ''adawe'', meaning "to trade". Ottawa and the Ottawa Valley was home to the Algonquin people prior to the arrival of Europeans during the fur and subsequent lumber trade eras. Initially an Irish and French Christian settlement, Ottawa has become a multicultural - bilingual city with a diverse population.

History

Indigenous peoples and European explorers

The Ottawa Valley was the traditional home of the Algonquin people (Anishinaabe) who called the Ottawa River the ''Kichi Sibi'' or ''Kichissippi''' meaning "Great River" or "Grand River". Archaeological evidence indicates that the Algonquins have occupied portions of the lands of the Ottawa River watershed and travelled through surrounding territory as a hunting and gathering society for over 8,000 years.

In 1610 Étienne Brûlé and then in 1613 Samuel de Champlain, assisted by Algonquin guides, were the first Europeans to travel up the Ottawa River and follow the water route west along the Mattawa and French Rivers to the Great Lakes. Among the first of commercial enterprises to evolve in the Ottawa Valley was the fur trade industry, largely influenced by the Hudson's Bay Company, who used the Ottawa River and its tributaries as the local conveyance for the delivery of fur products to Europe through Montreal and Quebec City.

The Algonquin assert that they never surrendered any territory by treaty, sale, or conquest and have made such claims since the end of the French and Indian War. In 1983 (and still ongoing), the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation presented to the Government of Canada a claim to Aboriginal rights and title within the Ontario portion of the Ottawa and Mattawa River watersheds.

First settlers of the region

By the time settlement started near Ottawa, there were two principal local areas, Nepean Township west of the Rideau River and Gloucester Township to the east. These were formed in 1792. The first settlement near Ottawa was led by Philemon Wright, a New Englander from Woburn, Massachusetts who, on March 7, 1800, arrived with his own and five other families along with twenty-five labourers. the government began sponsored immigration schemes which brought over Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants to settle the Ottawa area, which began a steady stream of Irish immigration there in the next few decades. Along with French Canadians who crossed over from Quebec, these two groups provided the bulk of workers involved in the Rideau Canal project and the timber trade.

Bytown

The construction of the Rideau Canal was overseen by Colonel John By, and was intended to provide a secure route between Montreal and Kingston on Lake Ontario, by-passing the stretch of the St. Lawrence River bordering New York State (the U.S Invasion of Canada (1775) in the War of 1812 being a recent memory). Construction began in 1826 at the northern end (Ottawa River), where Colonel By set up a military barracks on ''Barrack Hill,'' what later became Parliament Hill, and laid out a townsite soon known as Bytown. The west side of the canal, with its higher elevation, became known as "Uppertown", while the east side of the canal (wedged between the canal and Rideau River) was known as the "Lowertown". Bytown's population grew to 1,000 permanent residents as the completion of the Rideau Canal came to an end in November 1831. This led to Lowertown being a crowded and boisterous shanty town, receiving the worst of disease epidemics, such as the Cholera outbreak in 1832, and a typhus outbreak in 1847.

The Shiners' War was a conflict between Irish Catholic and French immigrants in Bytown from 1835 to 1845. The war started when Peter Aylen, a major Irish timber operator, organized a group of Irishmen to attack other timber operations. This group was known as the "Shiners. They attacked French timber rafts and fought against the French on the streets of Bytown.

The Stony Monday Riot took place in Bytown on Monday September 17, 1849. Lord Elgin had signed the Rebellion Losses Bill, compensating Lower Canadians for losses suffered during the Rebellions of 1837-38. The bill was unpopular with Tories because it compensated those who had participated in the rebellion unless they had been convicted of treason.

Bytown was renamed ''Ottawa'' in 1855, when it was incorporated as a city. Prominent figures of Bytown and early Ottawa include; Ruggles Wright, Nicholas Sparks, Thomas McKay, Edward Malloch, Braddish Billings, John Rudolphus Booth, Joseph Merrill Currier, Henry Franklin Bronson and Abraham Dow. The August Ontario Civic Holiday, which is called Simcoe Day in Toronto and Peter Robinson Day in Peterborough, is named Colonel By Day in Ottawa.

Ottawa as Canada's capital

Serving as Canada's capital, Ottawa is home to the Parliament of Canada, the House of Commons, the Senate, the Privy Council, the Supreme Court, the Federal Court and the Bank of Canada. Ottawa is also the permanent residence of both the Canadian monarch and the Governor General of Canada as well as the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada.

On December 31, 1857, Queen Victoria was asked to choose a common capital for the Province of Canada (modern day Ontario and Quebec) and chose Ottawa. While Ottawa is now a metropolis and Canada's fourth largest city, at the time it was a fast growing, sometimes unruly logging town in the hinterland with a population now reaching 10,000 individuals. Ottawa was far away from the colony's main cities, Quebec City and Montreal in Canada East, and Kingston and Toronto in Canada West.

The Queen's advisers suggested she pick Ottawa for several important reasons: Ottawa's position in the back country made it more defensible, while still allowing easy transportation over the Ottawa River to Canada East, and over the Rideau Canal to Canada West. Two other considerations were that Ottawa was at a point nearly exactly midway between Toronto and Quebec City (), and that the small size of the town made it less likely that politically motivated mobs could go on a rampage and destroy government buildings, as had happened in the previous Canadian capitals. The Ottawa River and the Rideau Canal network meant that Ottawa could be supplied by water from Kingston and Montreal without going along the potentially treacherous US-Canada border. At the time of the decision, the Bytown and Prescott Railway had already been in operation for two years. Thus, another factor in the advisement was the knowledge that Ottawa would soon have railway connections to Toronto and Montreal via Brockville (by 1859 it turned out), and thus access to other connecting rail lines in Canada and the United States in the very near future. Thus, Ottawa would still be relatively isolated and thus defensible, but yet would soon be more easily accessible by water and rail, which would be essential for a permanent capital. In 1866, the legislature was finally moved to Ottawa, after a few years of alternating between Toronto and Quebec City.

Twentieth century

The Hull-Ottawa fire of 1900 destroyed two thirds of Hull, including 40 per cent of its residential buildings and most of its largest employers along the waterfront. The fire also spread across the wooden Chaudière Bridge and destroyed about one fifth of Ottawa from the Lebreton Flats south to Booth Street and down to Dow's Lake.

The Centre Block of the Parliament buildings were destroyed by fire on February 3, 1916. The House of Commons and Senate were temporarily relocated to the recently constructed Victoria Memorial Museum, currently the Canadian Museum of Nature, located about south of Parliament Hill on McLeod Street at Metcalfe Street. A new Centre Block was completed in 1922, the centrepiece of which is a dominant Gothic revival styled structure known as the Peace Tower located on Wellington Street.

A series of explosions in the sewers caused property damage throughout the city on May 29, 1929 and again on January 28, 1931. The cause of the explosions was never definitively determined.

On September 5, 1945, only days after the end of World War II, Ottawa was the site of the event that many people consider to be the official start of the Cold War. A Soviet cipher clerk, Igor Gouzenko, defected from the Soviet embassy with over 100 secret documents. The documents provided evidence of a massive Soviet spy network operating in western countries and indirectly, led to the discovery that the Soviets were working on an atomic bomb to match that developed during the Manhattan Project.

The Turkish embassy attack was an attack on the Turkish embassy in Ottawa, on March 12, 1985. The event changed the Canadian government's attitude toward militants and set in motion a chain of events that would eventually lead to the creation of Joint Task Force Two.

Regional plan and amalgamation

French urban planner Jacques Greber was hired in the 1940s to work on a master plan for the National Capital Region (the Greber Plan). Jacques Greber was the creator of the National Capital Greenbelt, the Parkway System, as well as many other projects throughout the NCR. He was also responsible for taking out Ottawa's vast streetcar system and closing down historic Downtown Union Station (now Government Conference Centre) in favour of a suburban station several kilometres to the east.

During the baby boom of the 1950s, Ottawa saw the modernization of its transportation system including the completion of the Bytown bridges. In the 1960s through 1980s, the National Capital Region experienced a building boom, proportionally reflecting that of Montreal and Toronto. This was followed by large growth in the high-tech industry during the 1990s and 2000s.

In 1969, local municipal organizations were affected by the creation by the Province of Ontario of the upper tier Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton (RMOC) making the city of Ottawa, and others, lower tier municipalities within its boundary; before creation of RMOC, the city of Ottawa was geograpically within Carleton County. In 2001, in an amalgamation legislated by the Province, all twelve existing municipalities within and including RMOC were terminated and replaced by a new incorporation named the City of Ottawa (informally referred to as the new City of Ottawa to distinguish it from its predecessors).

Geography

Ottawa is situated on the south bank of the Ottawa River, and contains the mouths of the Rideau River and Rideau Canal. The oldest part of the city (including what remains of Bytown) is known as ''Lower Town'', and occupies an area between the canal and the rivers. Across the canal to the west lies ''Centretown'' and ''Downtown Ottawa'', which is the city's financial and commercial hub. As of June 29, 2007, the Rideau Canal, which stretches to Kingston, Fort Henry and four Martello towers in the Kingston area was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Located on a major, yet mostly dormant fault line, Ottawa is occasionally struck by earthquakes. Examples include a magnitude 5.2 earthquake on January 1, 2000, a magnitude 4.5 earthquake on February 24, 2006, a magnitude 5.0 earthquake on June 23, 2010.

Across the Ottawa River, which forms the border between Ontario and Quebec, lies the city of Gatineau, itself the result of amalgamation of the former Quebec cities of Hull and Aylmer together with Gatineau. Although formally and administratively separate cities in two separate provinces, Ottawa and Gatineau (along with a number of nearby municipalities) collectively constitute the National Capital Region, with a combined population exceeding one million residents, which is considered a single metropolitan area. One federal crown corporation (the National Capital Commission, or NCC) has significant land holdings in both cities, including sites of historical and touristic importance. The NCC, through its responsibility for planning and development of these lands, is an important contributor to both cities. Around the main urban area is an extensive greenbelt, administered by the National Capital Commission for conservation and leisure, and comprising mostly forest, farmland and marshland.

Climate

Ottawa has a humid continental climate (Köppen ''Dfb'') with a range of temperatures from a record high of , recorded August 11, 1944, to a record low of , recorded on December 29, 1933.

The city experiences four distinct seasons. Summers are warm and humid in Ottawa. The average July maximum temperature is , although daytime temperatures of or higher are commonplace. During periods of hot weather, high humidity is often an aggravating factor, especially close to the rivers. Ottawa averages many days with humidex (combined temperature & humidity index) between and annually.

Spring and fall are variable, prone to extremes in temperature and unpredictable swings in conditions. Hot days above have occurred as early as March (as in 2002) or as late as October, as well as snow well into May and early in October (although such events are extremely unusual and brief). Average annual precipitation averages around . The biggest one-day rainfall occurred on September 9, 2004, when the remnants of Hurricane Frances dumped nearly of rain in the city. The all-time monthly record is 243.4 mm (13.75 inches) set in July 2009. There are about 2,060 hours of average sunshine annually (47% of possible).

Snow and ice are dominant during the winter season. Ottawa receives about of snowfall annually. Its biggest snowfall was recorded on March 3–4, 1947, with of snow. The average January temperature is , although days well above freezing and nights below both occur in the winter. The 2007–08 winter season snowfall () came within 12 cm (5 inches) of the record snowfall set in 1970–1971 (444.1 cm / 174.8 inches).

High wind chills are common, with annual averages of 51, 14 and 1 days with wind chills below , and respectively. The lowest recorded wind chill was on January 8, 1968. Freezing rain is also relatively common, even relative to other parts of the country. One such large storm caused power outages and affected the local economy, and became known as the 1998 Ice Storm.

Destructive summer weather events such as tornadoes, major flash floods, extreme heat waves, severe hail and remnant effects from hurricanes are rare, but all have occurred in the Ottawa area. Some of the most notable tornadoes in the region occurred in 1978 (F2), 1994 (F3), 1999 (F1), 2002 (F1), 2004 (F1) and west end Ottawa 2009 (F0).

Cityscape and infrastructure

Architecture

Influenced by government structures, much of the city's architecture tends to be formalistic and functional. However, the city is also marked by Romantic and Picturesque styles of architecture such as the Parliament Building's gothic revival architecture. Ottawa's domestic architecture is dominated by single family homes. There are also smaller numbers of semi-detached, rowhouses, and apartment buildings. Most domestic buildings are clad in brick, with small numbers covered in wood or stone. The Ottawa skyline has remained conservative in skyscraper height throughout the years due to a skyscraper height restriction. The restrictions were originally implemented to keep Parliament Hill and the Peace Tower at visible from most parts of the City. Today, several buildings are slightly taller than the Peace Tower, with the tallest located on Albert Street being the 29-storey Place de Ville (Tower C) at . Federal buildings in the National Capital Region are managed by Public Works Canada, while most of the federal land in the region is managed by the National Capital Commission; its control of much undeveloped land gives the NCC a great deal of influence over the city's development.

Neighbourhoods and outlying communities

Ottawa is bounded on the east by the United Counties of Prescott and Russell; by Renfrew County and Lanark County in the west; on the south by the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry; and on the north by the Regional County Municipality of Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais and the City of Gatineau. Modern Ottawa is made up of eleven historic townships, ten of which are from Carleton County and one from Russell.

The city has a main urban area but there are many other urban, suburban and rural areas within the modern city's limits. The main suburban area extends a considerable distance to the east, west and south of the centre, and includes the former cities of Gloucester, Nepean and Vanier, the former village of Rockcliffe Park and the community of Blackburn Hamlet, the community of Orléans. The Kanata suburban area consists of Kanata and the former village of Stittsville. Nepean is another major suburb which also includes Barrhaven and the former village of Manotick. There are also the communities of Riverside South on the other side of the Rideau River, Morgan's Grant and Greely, southeast of Riverside South.

There are a number of rural communities (villages and hamlets) that lie beyond the greenbelt but are administratively part of the Ottawa municipality. Some of these communities are Burritts Rapids; Ashton; Fallowfield; Kars; Fitzroy Harbour; Munster; Carp; North Gower; Metcalfe; Constance Bay and Osgoode and Richmond. There are also a number of towns in the national capital region but outside the city of Ottawa, one of these urban communities is Almonte, Ontario.

Highways, streets and roads

The capital city of Canada is also served by a network of freeways, the main one being provincial Highway 417 (called The Queensway), Ottawa-Carleton Regional Road 174 (formerly Provincial Highway 17), and Highway 416 (Veterans' Memorial Highway), connecting Ottawa to the rest of the 400-Series Highway network in Ontario. Highway 417 is also the Ottawa portion of the Trans-Canada Highway. The city also has several scenic parkways (promenades), such as Colonel By Drive, Queen Elizabeth Driveway, the Ottawa River Parkway, Rockcliffe Parkway and the Aviation Parkway and has a freeway connection to Autoroute 5 and Autoroute 50, in Gatineau. In 2006, the National Capital Commission completed work on the long-discussed Confederation Boulevard, a ceremonial route linking key attractions in National Capital Region, on both sides of the Ottawa River, in Ottawa as well as Gatineau, Quebec.

Inter-city services

Ottawa is served by a number of airlines that fly into the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, as well as two main regional airports Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport, and Ottawa/Carp Airport. The city is also served by inter-city passenger rail service at the Ottawa Train Station by Via Rail, and inter-city bus service operating out of the Ottawa Bus Central Station.

Public transit

In 1866, Ottawa first public transportation system began with the operation of a horsecar system. The horse-drawn streetcars travelled back and fourth from New Edinburgh to the Chaudière Bridge. The horsecar would remain a staple means of public transportation until Thomas Ahearn founded the "Ottawa Electric Railway Company" in 1880. This private enterprise eventually provided heated streetcar service covering the downtown core.

The current public transit system is operated by OC Transpo, a department of the city. An integrated hub-and-spoke system of services is available consisting of: (1) regular buses travelling on fixed routes in mixed traffic, typical of most urban transit systems; (2) a bus rapid transit (BRT) system — a high frequency bus service operating on the transitway — a network of mostly grade-separated dedicated bus lanes within their own right-of-way and having full stations with Park & Ride facilities further supported by on-road reserved bus lanes and priority traffic signal controls; (3) a light rail transit (LRT) system known as the ''O-Train'' operating on one north-south route; and (4) a door-to-door bus service for the disabled known as ParaTranspo. Both OC Transpo and the Quebec-based ''Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO)'' operate bus services between Ottawa and Gatineau.

Bicycle and pedestrian pathways

There is a large network of paved multi-use trails that wind their way through much of the city, including along the Ottawa River, Rideau River, and Rideau Canal. These pathways are used for transportation, tourism, and recreation. Because most streets either have wide curb lanes or bicycle lanes, cycling is a popular mode of transportation in the region throughout the year. There are over 220 kilometeres of paths located throughout the Ottawa-Gatineau region. There are a few downtown streets that are restricted to only bicycle or pedestrians, such as Sparks Street that was turned into a pedestrian mall in 1966. On Sundays and selected holidays and events additional avenues and streets are reserved for pedestrian and/or bicycle uses only. The Ottawa and Gatineau rivers were historically important in the logging and lumber industries and the Rideau as part of the Rideau Canal system for military, commercial and, susequently, recreational purposes. The Rideau Canal, connecting the Ottawa River and the Saint Lawrence River at Kingston, Ontario, by-passes unnavigable sections of the Rideau River as it winds its way through the city. Rideau is a French word that means 'Curtain' in English, and the Rideau Falls resemble a curtain, thusly named by Samuel de Champlain in 1613. During part of the winter season the frozen waters of the canal form the world's largest skating rink thereby providing both a recreational venue and a 7.8 kilometres (4.8 miles) transportation path to downtown for ice skaters (from Carleton University and Dow's Lake to the Rideau Centre and National Arts Centre).

Demographics

In 2006, the populations of the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa-Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA) were 812,129 and 1,130,761 respectively, while the Ottawa-Gatineau urban area had a population of 860,928. The city had a population density of 1,680.5 persons per km² in 2006, while the CMA had a population density of 197.8 persons per km². The estimated population of the National Capital Region is 1,451,415.

In 2001, the population of the pre-amalgamated city was 337,031. In 2001, females made up 51.2% of the amalgamated Ottawa population, while the median age of the population was 36.7 years of age. Youths under 15 years of age comprised 18.9% of the total population, while those of retirement age (65 years and older) comprised 11.4%.

Between 1987 and 2002, 131,816 individuals relocated to the city, which represents 75% of the population growth for that period. Foreign immigration plays a significant role in Ottawa's population growth. As of 2006 foreign-born residents make up approximately 22% of the populace, many of whom come from China, Lebanon, North Africa, Iran, and the Balkans. Those of Aboriginal origin numbered 1.5% of the total population. Members of visible minority groups (non-white/European) constituted 20.2%. The largest visible minority groups were people of Black (4.9%), Chinese (3.8%), South Asian (3.3%) and Arab (3.0%) ancestry.

According to the 2001 census, the most practiced religion is Christianity as 74.7% of the population described themselves belonging to various Christian denominations. The largest denomination is Catholicism at 43.3% of city residents. Members of Protestant churches formed 27.6%, Christian Orthodox were 2.1%, and 1.8% belonged to other Christian groups, including Jehovah's Witnesses and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Non-Christian religion practiced in Ottawa included Islam (5.2%), Judaism (1.5%), Buddhism (1.2%), Hinduism (1.1%), and Sikhism (0.3%). Those professing other forms of eastern religion or no religion formed 0.2% and 15.7% of the population respectively.

The Algonquian languages have been spoken for centuries by the Indigenous peoples and subsequently by the French coureurs des bois and voyageurs of the Ottawa valley during the 1600s and 1700s. Starting in the mid 1800s, Irish settlers of the Ottawa valley develop a distinct dialect referred to as "Ottawa Valley Twang". Traces of "Valley Twang" although rare, can still be heard in the valley's more isolated areas.

Bilingualism in Ottawa became official policy in 2002, making all municipal services available in both of Canada's official languages (Canadian English and Canadian French). Nearly 300,000 people, or 37% of Ottawa's population, can speak both languages, As such it is the largest city in Canada with both English and French as co-official languages. Those who identified their mother tongue as English constitute 62.6%, French 14.9%, and both 0.9%. An additional 21.6% list languages other than English and French as their mother tongue. These include Italian, Chinese, Somali, Spanish, German, Persian, Urdu, Lebanese along with other dialects of the Arabic language. When questioned on their knowledge of Canada's official languages, 59.9% of the population reported speaking only English; 37.2% reported speaking both English and French; 1.6% spoke only French; and 1.3% spoke neither official language.

Local government and politics

Ottawa is a single-tier municipality, meaning it is in itself a census division and has no county or regional municipality government above it. As a single tier municipality, Ottawa has responsibility for all municipal services, including fire, ambulatory, police, parks, roads, sidewalks, public transit, drinking water, stormwater, sanitary sewage and solid waste. Ottawa is governed by the 24-member Ottawa City Council consisting of 23 councillors each representing one ward and the mayor, currently Jim Watson, elected in a citywide vote.

Along with being the capital of Canada, Ottawa is politically diverse in local politics. Most of the city has traditionally supported the Liberal Party. Perhaps the safest areas for the Liberals are the ones dominated by Francophones, especially in Vanier and central Gloucester. Central Ottawa is usually more left-leaning, and the New Democratic Party can win ridings there as government unions and activist groups are fairly strong. Some of Ottawa's suburbs are swing areas, notably central Nepean and, despite its Francophone population, Orléans. The southern and western parts of the old city of Ottawa are generally moderate and swing to the Conservative Party. The farther one goes outside the city centre like to Kanata and Barrhaven and rural areas, the voters tend to be increasingly conservative, both fiscally and socially. This is especially true in the former Townships of West Carleton, Goulbourn, Rideau and Osgoode, which are more in line with the conservative areas in the surrounding counties. However not all rural areas support the Conservative Party. Rural parts of the former township of Cumberland, with a large number of Francophones, traditionally support the Liberal Party, though their support has recently weakened.

Education

Ottawa is known as one of the most educated cities in Canada, with over half the population having graduated from College and/or university. Ottawa has the highest per capita concentration of engineers, scientists, and residents with PhDs in Canada.

The city has two main public universities Carleton University and University of Ottawa, and two main public colleges Algonquin College and La Cité collégiale. It also has two Christian universities Dominican University College and Saint Paul University. There is also the University of Quebec en Outaouais, Cégep de l'Outaouais, and Heritage College in the neighbouring City of Gatineau.

There are four main public school boards in Ottawa. English, English-Catholic, French, and French-Catholic. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) is the largest board with 147 schools, followed by the Ottawa Catholic School Board with 85 schools. The two French language boards are the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est with 49 schools, and the Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario with 37 schools. The Ottawa Public Library was created in 1906 as part of the famed Carnegie library system. The library system had 2.3 million items as of 2008.

Economy

Ottawa's primary employers are the Public Service of Canada and the high-tech industry. The city has a high standard of living and low unemployment. Ottawa had the fourth highest growth rate among major Canadian cities in 2007 with a 2.7% GDP growth rate, which exceeded the Canadian average of 2.4%. It is estimated that the National Capital Region attracts around seven million tourists annually who spend about 1.3 billion dollars.

The Federal government is the city's largest employer, employing over 110,000 individuals from the National Capital region. Ottawa is also an important technology centre; its 1800 companies employ approximately 80,000 people. The concentration of companies in this industry earned the city the nickname of "Silicon Valley North." Most of these companies specialize in telecommunications, software development, environmental technology. Large technology companies such as Nortel, Corel, Mitel, Cognos and JDS Uniphase were founded in the city. Ottawa also has regional locations for 3M, Adobe Systems, Bell Canada, IBM Alcatel-Lucent and Hewlett-Packard. Many of the telecommunications and new technology are located in the western part of the city (formerly Kanata).

Another major employer is the health sector, which employs over 18,000 people. Nordion, i-Stat as well as the National Research Council of Canada and OHRI are part of the growing life science sector. Business, finance, administration, and sales and service occupations rank high among types of occupations. Approximately ten percent of Ottawa's GDP is derived from finance, insurance, real estate whereas employment is in goods-producing industries is only half the national average. The City of Ottawa is the second largest employer with over 15,000 employees.

In 2006, Ottawa experienced an increase of 40,000 jobs over 2001 with a five-year average growth that was relative slower than in the late 1990s. While the number of employees in the federal government stagnated, the high-technology industry grew by 2.4%. The overall growth of jobs in Ottawa-Gatineau was 1.3% compared to the previous year, down to sixth place behind Edmonton (6.7%), Calgary (3.9%), Vancouver (3.0%), Montreal (2.5%) and Toronto (2.3%). The unemployment rate in Ottawa-Gatineau was 5.2% (only in Ottawa: 5.1%), which was below the national average of 6.0%. The economic downturn resulted in an increase in the unemployment rate between April 2008 and April 2009 from 4.7 to 6.3%. In the province, however, this rate increased over the same period from 6.4 to 9.1%.

The region of Ottawa-Gatineau has the third highest income of all major Canadian cities. The average gross income in the region amounted to $40,078 (with $52,927 to Calgary and Edmonton with $42,866), an increase of 4.9% compared to the previous year. Net income was $30,347 (increased by 4.4% year on year) and for the region also means third place. The annual cost of living rate in 2007 was 1.9%. The average single income in 2005 was 43,613, while the average private household income was 85,136.

Culture

Traditionally the ByWard Market (in Lower Town), the Golden Triangle (in Centretown) and Downtown have been the focal points of the cultural scenes in Ottawa. Modern thoroughfares such as Wellington Street, Rideau Street, Sussex Drive, Elgin Street, Bank Street, Somerset Street, Preston Street and Sparks Street; are home to many boutiques, museums, theaters, galleries, landmarks and memorials, while dominated by eating establishments, cafes, bars and nightclubs.

Ottawa's hosts a variety of annual seasonal activities — such as Winterlude, the largest festival in Canada, and Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill and surrounding downtown area, as well as Bluesfest, Canadian Tulip Festival, Ottawa International Jazz Festival, Fringe Festival, Folk Music Festival, and SuperEX that have grown to become some of the largest festivals of their kind in the world. In 2010, Ottawa's Festival industry received the IFEA "World Festival and Event City Award" for the category of North American cities with a population between 500,000 and 1,000,000.

As Canada's capital, Ottawa has played host to a number of significant cultural events in Canadian history, including the first visit of the reigning Canadian sovereign—King George VI, with his consort, Queen Elizabeth—to his parliament, on 19 May 1939. VE Day was marked with a large celebration on 8 May 1945, the first raising of the country's new national flag took place on 15 February 1965, and the centennial of Confederation was celebrated on 1 July 1967. Elizabeth II was in Ottawa on 17 April 1982, to issue a royal proclamation of the enactment of the Constitution Act. In 1983, Prince Charles and Diana Princess of Wales came to Ottawa for a state dinner hosted by then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. In 2011, Ottawa was selected as the first city to receive Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge during their Royal tour of Canada.

Museums and performing arts

Amongst the city's national museums and galleries is the National Gallery of Canada designed by famous architect Moshe Safdie, it is a permanent home to the Maman statue. The Canadian War Museum houses over 3.75 million artifacts and was moved to an expanded facility in 2005. The Canadian Museum of Nature was built in 1905, and over went a major renovation from 2004–2010. Across the river Ottawa river in Gatineau is the most visited museum in Canada, the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Designed by Canadian aboriginal architect Douglas Cardinal, the complex built at a cost of 340 million USD also houses the Canadian Children's Museum, the Canadian Postal Museum and 3D IMAXtheatre.

The city is also home to the Canada Agriculture Museum, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, the Canada Science and Technology Museum, Billings Estate Museum, Bytown Museum, Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Canadian Ski Museum, Currency Museum, and the Portrait Gallery of Canada.

The Ottawa Little Theatre, originally called the Ottawa Drama League at its inception in 1913, is the longest-running community theatre company in Ottawa. Since 1969, Ottawa has been the home of the National Arts Centre, a major performing arts venue that houses four stages and is home to the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, and Opera Lyra Ottawa. Established in 1975, the Great Canadian Theatre Company specialises in the production of Canadian plays at a local level.

Historic and heritage sites

The Rideau Canal is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America, and in 2007, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition, there are 24 National Historic Sites of Canada in Ottawa and five others within the National Capital Region: the ''Former Almonte Post Office'' and ''Rosamond Woollen Mill'' in Almonte, the ''Gillies Grove and House'' in Arnprior, the ''Manoir Papineau'' in Montebello and the ''Symmes Hotel'' in the Aylmer sector of Gatineau.

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.

Media

There are three main daily local newspapers printed in Ottawa: two English newspapers, the Ottawa Citizen established as ''the Bytown Packet'' in 1845 and the Ottawa Sun, with 900,197 and 274,628 weekly circulation respectively, and one French newspaper, ''Le Droit''. Weekly and monthly papers include the Ottawa Business Journal, Ottawa Xpress and the Epoch Times. A wide range of Canadian broadcast networks and systems are available in both English and French. Some of the local television stations include CJOH, A network, CHOT and TVA. There are a wide range of radio stations that broadcast in both English and French. Some of this station include 580 News, Hot 89.9, Bob FM, CHEZ-FM, Jack FM, DAWG FM and NRJ.

Sports

Sport in Ottawa has a history dating back to the 19th century. Ottawa is currently home to one professional sports team, the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League. A second pro team, a new Canadian Football League franchise, is scheduled to debut in 2013. Several non-professional teams also play in Ottawa, including the Ottawa 67's junior hockey team.

Collegiate teams in various sports compete in Canadian Interuniversity Sport. The Carleton Ravens are nationally ranked in basketball, and the Ottawa Gee-Gees are nationally-ranked in football and basketball. Algonquin College has also won numerous national championships. The city is home to an assortment of amateur organized team sports such as soccer, basketball, baseball, curling and horse racing. Casual recreational activities, such as skating, cycling, hiking, sailing, golfing, skiing and fishing/ice fishing are also popular.

Ottawa diplomatic missions and relations

At present, Ottawa is host to 130 embassies. A further 49 countries accredit their embassies and missions in the United States to Canada.

;Sister cities of Ottawa : Beijing, China (1999) : Buenos Aires, Argentina : Catania, Sicily, Italy : Palermo, Sicily, Italy : Campobasso, Molise, Italy : Seoul, South Korea

See also

List of national capitals

List of bridges in Ottawa

List of hospitals in Ottawa

List of Ottawa buildings

List of Ottawa churches

List of Ottawa cinemas

List of Ottawa mosques

List of Ottawa synagogues

List of people from Ottawa

References

;Bibliography

External links

City of Ottawa's website

City of Ottawa's info page

Ottawa Tourism

}}

Category:Capitals in North America Category:High-technology business districts Category:Populated places established in 1826 Category:Ontario communities with large francophone populations

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name	B-Real
background	solo_singer
birth name	Louis Freese
alias	B-Real
born	June 02, 1970
origin	South Gate, California
instrument	Rapping
genre	Hip hop
years active	1988–present.
label	ColumbiaRuffhouseDuckdown RecordsGoliath
associated acts	Cypress Hill, Psycho Realm, Kush }}

Louis Freese, (born June 2, 1970) better known by his stage name b-real, is an American rapper of Cuban and Mexican heritage, and a film and TV actor. He is best known for being the lead rapper in hip hop group Cypress Hill.

Early life and career

Born to a Mexican father and a Cuban mother, B-Real moved with his sister and mother out of his father's home to South Gate before ending up in South Central Los Angeles Before dropping out of Bell High School, he befriended future Cypress Hill members Sen Dog and Mellow Man Ace (who forwent staying with the group to go solo). Sen Dog, who was affiliated with a Bloods gang set known as "Neighborhood Family", later introduced B-Real into the set. B-Real's career as a drug dealer and gangbanger ended after he was shot in the lung with a 9mm pistol in 1988.

After being introduced to DJ Muggs by Julio G the KDAY Mixmaster, B-Real and Sen gained interest in Muggs' concept of an album based on experiences from Cypress Ave in South Gate. The group was signed with Ruffhouse/Columbia records in 1991, and made their influential debut that year. B-Real would use his life-threatening experiences as material for the group's self-titled debut album, and subsequent releases.

Cypress Hill's trademark sound - an eccentric combination of B-Real's exaggeratedly high-pitched nasal vocals and DJ Muggs' distinctive beats - led to the trio becoming the first Latin rap group to have Platinum and Multi-Platinum albums. They remain the best selling Latin rap group to date. Speaking in March 2010 to noted UK urban writer Pete Lewis - Deputy Editor of the award-winning Blues & Soul - B-Real stated: "Fortunately I guess the fact we were able to achieve what we achieved, being Latino but without really exploiting that side of it, showed like a whole generation behind us how you could have that success without being labelled as just one THING. Because back in the day, when you were labelled 'a Latino rapper', the record companies would only try to market you to that Latin fan-base which didn't really EXIST yet!... So yeah, it feels good to see people recognising us as some of the pioneers that opened the doors for a lotta these other Latino rappers to come through."

Aside from Cypress Hill, B-Real has been involved in several other musical projects. In 1996 he contributed to the soundtrack for the movie ''Space Jam''. In 2002, he teamed up with Mellow Man Ace and Son Doobie for the short-lived Serial Rhyme Killas, which released one 12" single in 2002. The group recorded a full-length debut album, entitled ''Deluxe Rapture'', but it was never released. B-Real formed a rap metal group, Kush, with Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter and Fear Factory members Christian Olde Wolbers and Raymond Herrera. According to B-Real, Kush is more aggressive than other bands in the genre. He was also previously a member of the group The Psycho Realm, and in 2007 announced that he would collaborate with Sick Jacken once again on a new album. He recently revealed in an interview that he plans on recording a "V.S." album of Cypress member DJ Muggs. In 1998, he appeared as a newborn baby singer for ''The Rugrats Movie'', reported as a minor role.

Production Work

In addition to his career as an MC, B-Real has worked as a music producer for six years, with clients ranging from Proof of D12 to the WWE. He intentionally kept his production for Cypress Hill down to a minimum, as not to interfere with DJ Muggs' involvement in the group, but has produced several tracks for his own solo projects. B-Real also manages a team of music producers known as the "Audio Hustlaz." B-Real personally produced three tracks on his solo album ''Smoke N Mirrors'', 'Don't Ya Dare Laugh', 'Fire' and 'Dr. Hyphenstein', looking to outside producers for the other tracks. B-Real and his production crew will be working alongside DJ Muggs and others on the upcoming Cypress Hill album.

Solo projects

B-Real has released three mixtapes as a solo artist "Gunslinger", "Gunslinger Vol. II" and "Gunslinger Vol. III". He released his first solo album, entitled ''Smoke N Mirrors'' and has teamed up with Snoop Dogg in a single called Vato for Snoop Dogg's album Tha Blue Carpet Treatment.

Discography

Solo

2009: ''Smoke N Mirrors''

Mixtapes

2005: ''The Gunslinger''

2006: ''The Gunslinger Part II: Fist Full of Dollars''

2007: ''The Gunslinger Part III: For a Few Dollars More''

2010: ''The Harvest Vol. 1: The Mixtape''

Collaborations

Throughout his career, B-Real has had an extensive list of collaborations including Kottonmouth Kings, Beastie Boys, Snoop Dogg, Psycho Realm, Eminem, Ice Cube, DJ Quik, Pearl Jam, Chino XL, Dr. Dre, Apathy, Mike Shinoda, Malverde, Fear Factory, Nas, KRS One, Adil Omar, Xzibit, Young De, RBX, LL Cool J, Warren G, Busta Rhymes, Tony Touch, Kool G Rap, Big Pun, OutKast, Prozak, Nina Sky, Fat Joe, Method Man & Redman, RZA, Kurupt, D12, Proof, Everlast, House of Pain, Ill Bill, La Coka Nostra, Deftones, MC Ren, King T, Sonic Youth, Funkdoobiest, Bitza and many more.

Guest appearances

Year	Song	Artist	Album
	"Ain't Got No Class"
	"Put Your Head Out"
	"East Coast/West Coast Killas"
	"Splitt (Comin' Out Swingin')"
	"Hit 'Em High (The Monstars' Anthem)"		align="center"
	"Xplosion"
"Deadly Assassins"	align="center"
"End of the World"	align="center"
	"Back The Fuck Up"		align="center"
"Peer Pressure"
	"911"
	"American Psycho II"
	"High Rollers"	align="center"
"Roll Up"	align="center"
"Back Again"		align="center"
	"A to the K"		align="center"
"Pain Gang"
	"I’m An American"
"Fuck Tony Montana"
"How Hi Can U Get"	align="center"
	"Go Loco"

References

External links

Official Website

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:American entertainers of Cuban descent Category:American rappers of Mexican descent Category:Hispanic and Latino American rappers Category:Rap rock musicians Category:People from South Gate, California Category:Rappers from California Category:West Coast hip hop musicians Category:Bloods Category:Cypress Hill members

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