Hydrophobia 1826-1926: Ottawa’s Aversion to Water(fronts)

We'll meet under the Maman sculpture (the giant spider) in front of the National Gallery of Art at Sussex and St Patrick Sts. From there, we'll walk up to Kiweki Point (formerly Nepean Point) for a look up and down the Ottawa River, then cross the Kiweki footbridge to Major's Hill Park. From the park, we'll go down the ramp to Entry Bay and the Canal Worker's monument. After that, we will cross the canal at the lowest lock, and walk up the hill on the west side of the canal to the street level near the National War Memorial. Finally, we'll cross to the east side of the canal and walk around to the east side of the Senate of Canada Building (old Union Station) to Colonet By Drive across from the Westin Hotel, where the walk will end.

Accessibility: The walk will follow city sidewalks and paved pathways, but there will be significant hills and stairs on the route. We will be crossing over the canal lock gates to cross the canal at Entry Bay.

Dennis Van Staalduinen is a local performer, community organizer, and an advocate for human-scale urban development. He loves discovering the hidden connections between cities, stories, and history. Over the years has led more than a dozen well-atended walks for Jane's Walk, including 'Sir John A. Macdonald Gets an Eyeful,' 'Necropolis Now! Monuments to Dead People,' 'Ghosts of Wellington Street’, and “Manifest Discrepancy, Ottawa’s Uneasy History With Americans.”.

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.