Ottawa, Ontario |
 |
Early Bird Registration |
The Capital of Canada
Founded
in 1855, Ottawa is located on the banks of the Ottawa, Rideau and
Gatineau rivers. Canada’s fourth-largest city is a complementary blend
of urban and rural lifestyles, old and new neighbourhoods, culture and
heritage, business and government. The city offers an open and welcoming
environment to cultures from around the world, providing service in
English, French, and a host of other languages. The city’s residents
enjoy an enviable quality of life that is recognized around the world.
Since 1969, Ottawa and Gatineau (two cities that face each other across
the broad Ottawa River) and the surrounding urban and rural communities
have been formally recognized as Canada’s Capital Region.
Standing on Parliament Hill and overlooking the Ottawa River, the three
gothic structures that comprise the home of Canada's government are
perhaps the most recognizable buildings in the country. Originally built
from 1859-1865, the home of Canada's House of Commons and Senate offers
free tours year round. The Centennial Flame, lit to celebrate the
country's birthday in 1967, marks the entrance to Parliament Hill. The
centre of the hill is dominated by the 89m tall Peace Tower, which
commemorates the nearly 67,000 Canadians killed in World War One.
Ottawa is rich in culture and heritage, comprised of many national
institutions, and historic buildings. Ottawa began as a bilingual city
and is a place where our founding linguistic communities (French and
English) have always lived and worked together. Adding to the
multiculturalism and as the nations’ capital, Ottawa is home to over 100
embassies of many countries around the world.
One
of the most beautiful capitals in the world, downtown Ottawa attractions
include the Parliament Buildings, Rideau Canal, National War Memorial
and historic ByWard Market with its modern shopping, fine dining and
night life. Visitors to Ottawa enjoy its many festivals, sporting events
and exhibits at over 50 galleries and theatres in the region. With
twenty-nine, Ottawa is the Canadian city with the highest number of
museums. From skiing to flying, many are housed in remarkable
architectural structures as fascinating to behold as their contents. You
will have the privilege of visiting the new Canadian War Museum and the
spectacular Aviation Museum at two conference events.
Ottawa has been ranked sixth in the world in terms of quality of life,
based on low crime rates, environmental cleanliness, public services,
political stability, and socio-economic conditions. Blessed with more
farmland than any other city in Canada, Ottawa’s farming revenues are
more than Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary combined.
Ottawa
is in the midst of a giant outdoor playground featuring mountains,
beaches, rivers and hundreds of freshwater lakes. Ottawa has the world’s
largest outdoor skating rink, over 850 parks, 300 kms of biking trails
and over 200 kms of cross-country ski trails to enjoy! The abundance of
well maintained parks stand as a testament to the City’s commitment to
the environment and connects urban, suburban and rural residents to its
vast green space. Gatineau Park is a beautiful conservation area for
those who love hiking, biking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.
Fall Rhapsody celebrates the beautiful colours of the trees and will be
in full swing during the conference.
Colonel John By oversaw the construction of the Rideau Canal from 1826
to 1832. Built by hand, the purpose of the Rideau Canal was to provide a
secure route between Montreal and Kingston that by-passed the stretch of
the St. Lawrence River bordering New York State. Colonel By set up
military barracks at the north end of the canal, which later became
Parliament Hill – the seat of the Federal Government. He also laid out
the town site known as Bytown (currently the ByWard Market), which was,
and still is, a central area of activity for the city.
This
year marks the 175th anniversary (1832-2007), of the opening of the
Rideau Canal, North America's oldest continuously operating waterway.
The Rideau Canal is a 202 km corridor of beautiful rivers, lakes and
engineered canals linking the towns and cities of Eastern Ontario from
Ottawa to Kingston. Built in turbulent times for national defence and
commerce, it is a National Historic Site, a Canadian Heritage River and
is currently nominated by Canada as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To be
designated as a World Heritage Site is the most significant
international designation any site can achieve. If the Rideau Canal
receives this designation, it will join thirteen other amazing Canadian
places currently recognized, making it the only site in Ontario.
2007 also marks the 150th anniversary for the declaration of Ottawa as
the Capital of Canada by Her Majesty Queen Victoria. What better way can
we celebrate these joyous occasions than being in the heart of the
Capital?
Ottawa…Come and Connect in the Capital!
Additional Information on Key Locations in Ottawa
The Rideau Centre:
With over 180 stores, restaurants and other services, this mall is
definitely Ottawa’s ultimate shopping destination. It is centrally
located in the heart of downtown, only 1.8 km away from the both the
Crowne and Marriot hotels.
The Byward Market:
The Byward Market is only one minute away from the Rideau Shopping
Centre, is the hub to all entertainment in Ottawa. Within approximately
a four-block square, you can find anything and everything from museums,
cafés, specialty food shops, boutiques, galleries, restaurants, pubs,
spas and more.
The War Museum:
The Canadian War Museum is the newest national museum, following the
Canadian military events that have formed the development of the
country, both locally and internationally.
The Aviation Museum:
This delta-shaped building holds some of the world's top collections
of vintage aircrafts, showing how aviation has bridged Canada's vast
spaces and connected this country to the rest of the world.
[ Back to top ] [ Version
française ]
[ Send your suggestions ]
[ Return to CPRA home site
]