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How the Rideau Canal shaped a city

How the Rideau Canal shaped a city
Statue of Colonel John By in Major's Hill Park.
Statue of Colonel John By in Major's Hill Park.

This walk is co-sponsored by Ottawa Architecture Week.

Click for info on Jane's Walk and the list of walks for OAW 2026.

Ottawa turns 200 this year. On this walk, history raconteur Jack Hanna will tell us how Ottawa was founded as the northern end of the Rideau Canal, The Rideau Canal has fundamentally shaped Bytown, and eventually Ottawa, not only in the early days but right up until today.. Jack will recount how the canal came to be created, how it came to be located where it is, and how it had such a dramatic influence on the city.

The building of the canal was the project of Colonel John By. He was a daring leader, and an even more adventurous engineer. At the time, the Rideau Canal was the world’s biggest megaproject. In spite of that, or maybe because of it, the canal had to be everywhere and all the time dramatically redesigned, as the route was modified and as geographic challenges were discovered. 

As well as designing and building the canal, Col.By also laid out much of both Uppertown and Lowertown. The founding of Bytown was dramatic: it became an instant boomtown. There are of course colourful tales of the heroes and rogues, scandal and daring, fools and fortunes.

At the time of the building of the canal, this area was the territory of the Algonquins, who lived on the shores of the Ottawa and Rideau Rivers. The rivers connected them to other Indigenous peoples and to the entire continent through the rivers and the Great Lakes. We'll discuss the fate of the great chief Constant Pinesi and his people.


Some of the stories this walk will touch on:

  • Col. John By, his goals for the canal, his triumph and downfall
  • How the launch of the Rideau Canal led to the founding of Bytown
  • Nicholas Sparks, who got extremely rich through dumb luck
  • The fate of Chief Constant Pinesi and his people
  • The huge fortress that was planned but never built
  • The first house and first birth in Bytown
  • Col. By’s effort in laying out the city, and his naming of streets for celebrities and loved ones
  • The scandal that massively shaped Ottawa 
  • Biggest day in Ottawa’s history — September 26, 1826
Location
Route

We'll meet at the statue of Colonel John By in Major's Hill Park. After a few points of interest in the park, we'll proceed along the terrace beside the Chateau Laurier, climb up the steps to Wellington St and continue west to Parliament Hill. At Elgin, we'll cross Wellington continue down the west side of Elgin to Sparks St. We'll walk two blocks west along Sparks and then turn north on O'Connor back to Wellington, continuing west on Wellington to Kent St., where the walk will end.

The route follows paved pathways and city sidewalks, but has stairs to transition from the Chateau Laurier terrace up to Wellington St.


About the walk leader

Jack Hanna is a retired journalist and teacher with a passion for history. He is chair of the Heritage Committee of the Centretown Community Association (CCA). For Ottawa 200, Jack has prepared a series of eight articles about Ottawa's 200th anniversary which have been appearing in community newspapers and on history websites throughout 2026.


Ottawa Architecture Week: Festival of Design and Imagination is an annual week-long festival that welcomes everyone to explore architecture, urbanism, art, and design in Ottawa. It is presented by the Ottawa Regional Society of Architects (ORSA) with the help of local volunteers and businesses.


As part of Ottawa 200, Jack will be leading a similar walk on Sept 27, starting 10:30 am. Details.

Guide:

Jack Hanna

When:
Date:Sat Sep 19, 2026
Time:2:00 PM
Duration: 1 hour 30 min
Language: English
Where:
Start: Col. By statue, Major's Hill Park
End:Wellington & Kent Sts.
Area:ByWard Market/Centretown
Distance:1.5 kms
View in Google Maps
Accessibility:

There are stairs at two locations.

Walker Sign-up

This walk requires you to sign up to attend or join a waitlist if walk is full. Please submit your email and the number of walkers that will be attending with you below.

Gallery
Statue of Colonel John By in Major's Hill Park. Map of the Ottawa River and associated shorelines, circa 1815. Patrick Roy Haldorsen's painting "Supervising the building of the Rideau Canal' showing Thomas McKay and Major John By overseeing the building of the lock steps down to the Ottawa River. Map of the Ottawa area showing the proposed route of the Rideau Canal, C1827 "First Eight Locks of the Rideau Canal, the North Entrance from the Ottawa River," 1834; watercolour by Thomas Burrowes. This image is believed to be a true silhouette of Colonel By. If it is authentic, it would be the only known image of John By. The image of a partridge is the mark of Chief Pinesi. Image of Nicholas Sparks.
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