Category: food

Get to know your city and your neighbours; explore a new corner of Ottawa, or see a familiar, well-trodden area in a new light. You can do all of that and more at Jane’s Walk Ottawa, taking place on Saturday, May 5 and Sunday, May 6, 2018.

Jane’s Walk is one of my favourite events every year. It offers free walking tours, led by knowledgeable and engaging residents, to explore different areas of the city.

For more on Jane’s Walk Ottawa, what it’s all about and what’s on offer this year, check out this guest post.

Jane’s Walk Ottawa always includes numerous walks that explore Ottawa’s green spaces; consider how we as residents live in nature; cast a sharp eye on our land use and built environment choices; and look at what could be, as well as what has been. Here are some examples from this year’s schedule:

• Discover the heritage of the built environment on Main Street in Ottawa (in French), reimagine Main Street in Stittsville as an historic and vibrant gathering place; or share ideas on the resurgence of Uptown Rideau Street;
• Learn about the unique ecology of the Pinhey sand dunes, and ongoing restoration efforts (in French or English);
• Explore the Central Experimental Farm as an important Ottawa landscape and scientific site;
• Experience the city core from the perspective of someone with a visual impairment, a person who is homeless, or a youth;
• Consider how citizens co-create the city;
• Take a “foodies’ walk” in Centretown, focusing on local, organic and sustainable food;
• Observe how infill is changing Ottawa’s Centretown communities;
• Understand the significance of Victoria Island and Pindigen Park, or Elgin Street, from an Indigenous perspective;
• Take an “urban foraging” walk and learn about edible plants;
• Contemplate whether public spaces in the city core are really “public” for everyone; struggles against oppression that have shaped our city; or community resilience in the face of land “redevelopment;”
• Check out Makerspace North, the Ottawa Tool and Seed Library, or the Bayshore Park Community Garden and Oven;
• Learn about sustainable farming in Ottawa’s Greenbelt, the turtles at Petrie Island, or simple solutions to protect birds in the downtown core;
• Observe the transformation of a former CPR rail line into a green transportation and park corridor;
• Explore the significance of Ottawa’s waterways, on foot or by bike;
• Tour the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, or the Civic Gardens at Lansdowne Park; see the University of Ottawa from a sustainability perspective, or learn about the social and environmental significance of the Notre Dame Cemetery;
• Learn how one Ottawa community is protecting mature trees through obtaining a provincial “heritage tree” designation.

These are just a sample of the many historic, scenic and intriguing walks taking place during Jane’s Walk Ottawa weekend. Check out the full schedule and interactive map. Don’t forget the after-parties!