HomeBate Island
One of the most ambitious projects of the Ottawa Improvement Commission (predecessor to the NCC, 1899–1927) was the construction of the Champlain Bridge to connect the western part of the urban Capital to the Quebec shore. In crossing the Ottawa River, the bridge put its feet down on Bate Island, and it became a federal park. Today it is a favourite spot for kayakers.
Brébeuf Park
Many parks were developed in Ottawa between 1899 and the beginning of the Second World War. When the war ended in 1945, efforts began to develop a similar network on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. Brébeuf Park, featuring a statue of the 17th-century Jesuit martyr who died in the Canadian wilderness, was planned to bring attention to the ancient portage that travellers — including Brébeuf — once used to bypass rapids on the Ottawa River.
Commissioners Park
Early floral displays were designed to be enjoyed by pedestrians. In the 1950s, however — the age of the automobile — landscape architects came up with new, boldly coloured swathes of flowers in sloped beds for people driving on the new parkways. These designs still define the Capital region, especially in the spring when thousands of tulips bloom here.
Confederation Park
An apartment building that once stood at the corner of Laurier and Elgin streets was home to prime ministers and many of Ottawa's elite. The land passed into federal hands in 1965. The part of the land that was developed became the National Arts Centre; the rest of the site became a festival park in time for Canada's centennial celebrations in 1967 (hence the name "Confederation"). The park was a major site of festivities both in 1967 and during Canada's 125th anniversary celebrations in 1992.
Garden of the Provinces and Territories
Originally covered with industrial buildings, the park, which overlooks LeBreton Flats, was developed in the lead-up to the Canadian centennial in 1967. It was designed to represent the Canadian federation, with floral emblems from each province and territory and two stylized fountains to suggest Canada’s Great Lakes and vast forests. Prime Minister John Diefenbaker opened the park in 1962.
Hog's Back and Vincent Massey Parks
Hog’s Back Park, which overlooks the dramatic falls and rapids on the Rideau River, and Vincent Massey Park were created in 1958 and they were instantly popular, drawing more than 50,000 people a year to picnic, stroll and enjoy views of the river. Their popularity spurred the extension of Colonel By Drive, the parkway along the east side of the Rideau Canal, to connect the parks to the larger federal system of parks and parkways. Hog's Back, site of one of the most challenging dam-building projects on the Rideau Canal (1826–1832), features several historical displays.
Jacques-Cartier Park
The whole Gatineau shoreline used to be lined with smokestacks. In the 1930s, the Federal District Commission (predecessor to the NCC, 1927–1958) began to buy land to expand its parks and parkways system, including the Gilmour-Hughson mill property. In 1934, the FDC levelled all the old factories and cleared most of the site (except for the Maison Charron and the Gilmour-Hughson Company office, which are part of Hull’s history). Today, Jacques-Cartier Park anchors the northeast corner of Confederation Boulevard on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River.
Leamy Lake Park
Leamy Lake Park was established as a recreational site in the late 1950s in the wake of successful developments at Vincent Massey and Hog's Back on the Rideau River. There was a large public demand for outdoor recreation, with picnic tables, refreshments and outdoor sports activities. At Leamy Lake, swimming was the big draw.
LeBreton Festival Site
Starting in 2007 the LeBreton Festival Site, bordered by trees, will serve as both a festival plaza and a place where people can gather to relax and enjoy the views of the Ottawa River and Parliament Hill. NCC planners have sketched a broad triangle of open space with a design load of 20,000 to 40,000 people in the very heart of the development. This 3.6-hectare site south of the Canadian War Museum, will be the largest developed outdoor festival site in the Capital — a place to celebrate Canadians’ talents. It will be completed and open in 2007.
Major's Hill Park
This is Ottawa’s oldest and most historic park. Colonel John By lived here while overseeing the building of the Rideau Canal (1826–1832). The house later burned down, and in 1972 it became the site of one of the region's most successful archaeological excavations. In the 1850s, long before Ottawa became the Capital, artists came here to capture views of the Ottawa River. In 1867, crowds gathered to celebrate the first Canada Day with fireworks and bonfires. The park is popular for festivals, and is the site of some major historical displays.
Mud Lake / Britannia Conservation Area
Used for recreation and birding for over a century, this natural area was originally acquired in the 1970s for the construction of a bridge. Realizing the rarity and importance of this land, the community requested that it be saved. The NCC agreed and it has been untouched for many years, allowing the wildlife to thrive. Located alongside the Ottawa River, this conservation area is one of the most ecologically significant landscapes in Canada’s Capital Region. A major part of this relates to its status as one of the prime urban birding locations in Canada.
Nepean Point and the Astrolabe Theatre
On a point of land behind the National Gallery of Canada, a statue of Samuel de Champlain (the French explorer who first travelled the Ottawa River in 1613) dominates the landscape. This park was developed by the Ottawa Improvement Commission (predecessor to the NCC, 1899–1927) early in the 20th century. The Astrolabe Theatre was installed here in the lead-up to Canada's centennial in 1967, as a vantage point from which to view the Sound and Light Show on Parliament Hill. Since then, it has been used periodically for outdoor performances in summer.
Remic Rapids Park
This riverside park offers spectacular views of the Ottawa River and the Remic Rapids, which presented an obstacle to early travellers on the river (Aboriginals, explorers and fur-traders).
Rideau Falls Park
In the 19th century, the land around the mouth of the Rideau River was the site of industries that took their power from two waterfalls at the junction of the Rideau and Ottawa rivers. After the Second World War, the land was acquired by Public Works and Government Services Canada and cleared of industry and recently leased to the NCC. Rideau Falls Park offers great views of the Ottawa River and is a favourite spot of many tour organizers. The site is part of the development of the northeastern leg of Confederation Boulevard.
Rockcliffe Park
This high, rocky land east of downtown Ottawa once belonged to Thomas McKay, master stonemason on the Rideau Canal project, early Ottawa industrialist and builder of Rideau Hall. It was sold to the City of Ottawa in 1903, and the NCC and its predecessors maintained the park for most of the 20th century. In the 1990s, ownership of the park was transferred outright to the NCC, completing a virtually unbroken system of federal parkland along the south bank of the Ottawa River.
The Rockeries
This charming linear park once formed a right-of-way for the Ottawa Electric Railway. In 1937, when the unused rails were removed, the land was donated to the nearby community of Rockcliffe Park Village as a park. It expanded with more donations of land (the Rockeries) in 1948, and the NCC acquired it around 1950. The park is famous for spectacular displays of daffodils in early spring and its rock gardens in the summer.
Victoria Island
Once, this island at the foot of the Chaudières Falls was used as a stopping place by Aboriginal peoples. With the arrival of settlers and entrepreneurs in the 19th century, it was occupied by industry eager to draw power from the falls. The NCC acquired most of Victoria Island, and in 1970–1971 replaced much of the industrial clutter with parkland. Plans for the future include developing an Aboriginal centre on the island and promoting it as a place of restaurants, cafés, piers and footbridges, where the Capital's industrial heritage can be communicated.
Vincent Massey Park
See Hog's Back Park. (anchor link pointing above)
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