Imagine it’s a City: Wellington West and the Power of Local Imagination

What if Wellington West—the commercial district that includes Wellington Village and Hintonburg—weren’t just a small part of our giant post-amalgamation “Frankencity” of Ottawa, but instead was itself a city with a small local government accountable to local citizens. What if that city had the power to manage its own budget, infrastructure, and plan its public spaces without worrying about the complicated web of jurisdictions that currently shape (and distort) our local imaginations?  How would it be different? 

Join long time Jane’s Walk leader, community activist, and more recently, Executive Director of the Wellington West Business Improvement Area for this fun, thought provoking, but entirely a-political, walk through his favourite Ottawa place. 

Location
Route

We'll meet near the stage in Parkdale Park.  The park is just west of Parkdale Market, with access from Hamilton Ave (one block west of Parkdale Ave or Armstrong St. (one block north of Wellington).  From there, we'll wander up and down Wellington St. in our imaginative reverie, and return to the park to finish.

About the walk leader

Dennis Van Staalduinen is a local storyteller, dad, community activist, and (incidentally) Executive Director of the Wellington West  . He loves discovering the hidden connections between cities, stories, and history, and over the years has developed more than a dozen compelling and entertaining new walks for Jane's Walk Ottawa-Gatineau. 

Popular walks of previous years have included Sir John A. Macdonald Gets an Eyefull; Necropolis Now! Monuments to dead people; Ghosts of Wellington Street; Plans of the Crown, Ghosts of the Town; Alternate Histories of Ottawa, and more.

Guide:

Dennis Van Staalduinen

When:
Date:Sun May 8, 2022
Time:1:30 PM
Duration: 1 hour 30 min
Language: English
Where:
Start:Parkdale Park, near the stage
End:same
Area:Wellington West
Distance:2.0 kms
Accessibility:

The walk will follow city sidewalks and paved pathways.

Gallery
The stage in Parkdale Park, with Parkdale Market in the background. Dennis Van Staalduinen and Dave Allston talking to Jane's Walkers in Wellington West Village in 2019.2019. Your walk leader, Dennis Van Staalduinen, as Sir John A. Macdonald. Dennis Van Staalduinen, leading his walk The Streetcar and the Circus Tent in Wellington West, 2019. Thyme & Again Catering (Wellington West & Huron), one of the businesses animating Wellington West Village..
Volunteer to Marshal This Walk