Happy Birthday, Ottawa!
Ottawa is celebrating the city’s 200th anniversary. The official anniversary date fell on September 26, 2026, and the festive atmosphere could be felt throughout the city all weekend. Driving past downtown, I saw people in military uniforms, Scottish bagpipers, and elegantly dressed residents hurrying to the celebrations. The streets I normally drive along were closed to traffic. For a while, downtown seemed to have been handed over entirely to pedestrians, and looking at them, it was hard not to share the city’s joy. Public transit was also free throughout the weekend.
Why exactly is Ottawa turning 200? The count begins with the founding of Bytown, Ottawa’s former name, on September 26, 1826. Lieutenant-Colonel John By of the British Royal Engineers arrived here to oversee the construction of the Rideau Canal. A settlement for workers and construction supplies grew up near the point where the future canal would meet the Ottawa River. Lumberjacks worked nearby, farmers settled in the surrounding area, and gradually the settlement developed into a trading town. The canal, built between 1826 and 1832, connected the Ottawa River with Lake Ontario. Today it is one of the capital’s most recognizable landmarks. And in winter, it becomes the world’s longest skating rink.
Of course, the history of these shores began long before Bytown. For Indigenous peoples, this land had its own deep meaning long before the construction of the canal and the arrival of European settlement. The anniversary marks two centuries of urban history, but it does not encompass the full history of this place.
In 1855, Bytown was renamed Ottawa. At the time, politicians were debating where the permanent capital of the united Province of Canada should be located, with several cities competing for the honour. Queen Victoria was asked to settle the long-running dispute. In 1857, she chose Ottawa. Its location between the English-speaking and French-speaking parts of the province, as well as its distance from the American border, worked in the city’s favour. After Canadian Confederation in 1867, Ottawa became the capital of the new Dominion of Canada.
For the anniversary, the city organized celebrations at City Hall with music, performances, and family activities. The program for September 26 also included events at museums and galleries, the nighttime arts festival Nuit Blanche, and military engineers’ boat races on the Rideau Canal. Public transit was made free for both weekend days, September 26 and 27. The uniforms and bagpipers I saw myself — see the photo accompanying t