Uncommon Facts about Ottawa, ON

1. The name Ottawa comes from the Algonquin word Adawe – which means to trade.
2. Yousuf Karsh lived at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in downtown Ottawa where celebrities and dignitaries from all over the World would fly to be photographed by him. Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Muhammad Ali, John Kennedy and Nelson Mandela are but a few of the thousand’s of celebrities who travelled to Ottawa to get Karsh’d.
3. Ottawa is located on unceded traditional Algonquin Anishinabe territory.
4. Queen Victoria chose Ottawa to be the capital city of Canada, over contenders Kingston, Montreal, and Toronto.
5. Metropolitan Ottawa includes the city of Gatineau which is in Quebec and mainly French-speaking so within 15 minutes drive one community may speak English while the other speak only French.
6. Ottawa’s most famous festival – the Canadian Tulip Festival – was established from a gift from the Netherlands. Canada helped liberate the Netherlands during World War II.
7. Our Government declared Netherlands Crown Princess Juliana’s maternity suite in Ottawa extraterritorial during birth so that newborn Princess Margriet was born on “Dutch soil” to lawfully give her status as heir to the throne.
8. Any Canadian resident can get on a free waiting list to receive one of the Canadian Flags that was flown on top of the Peace Tower in Ottawa for a day.
9. Ottawa is home to the longest skating rink in the world (7.8km), which has also been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site: The Rideau Canal
10. In 2021 Ottawa gained recognition for its talent becoming  a top 10 talent hub of North America. Ottawa has more scientists, engineers and PhD’s per capita than any other city in Canada. 

Filmed in Ottawa, ON

Not to be forgotten in the film industry, Ottawa has had a few notable items filmed here.

1. 1. The Sum of All Fears (2002)
      Starring Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman and Ian Mongrain.
   2. Batman & Robin (1997)
      Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney and Uma Thurman.
   3. Alien: Resurrection (1997)
      Starring Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder and Ron Perlman.
   4. House at the End of the Street (2012)
      Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Elizabeth Shue and Max Thieriot.
   5. Mr. Nobody (2009)
      Starring Sarah Polley, Jared Leto and Linh Dan.

8 Famous People Born in Calgary, AB

Canda’s Capital city Ottawa has had many famous people grow up and become movie stars, famous photographer or dignitaries. Here are five famous productions filmed in Ottawa for acting headshots;

1. 1. Sandra Oh
      Actress (Killing Eve, Grey’s Anatomy)
   2. Dan AykroydActor, comedian, writer, producer & musician
   3. Keshia Chanté
      TV personality, actress, singer & songwriter.
   4. Yousuf Karsh 
      arguably the best portrait photographer that has ever lived. He Photographed dignitaries and movie stars around the globe.
   5. Jay Baruchel
      Actor, director, screenwriter & comedian
   6. Justin Trudeau
      Our current prime minister
   7. Margaret Atwood
      Poet, novelist, literary critic, teacher & inventor!