Ottawa – Canada’s capital

Nestled at the junction and the banks of three picturesque rivers – Ottawa, Rideau and Gatineau, Ottawa is considered one of the world’s most beautiful capitals. The city also borders the province of Québec, creating a dynamic cultural milieu in which both French and English cultures are deeply rooted. The result is a truly cosmopolitan experience — a North American city with a distinctly European charm and flair.

A thriving international technology and business centre and world-class ttourism and convention destination, Ottawa is also rich in culture and heritage with its many national institutions, parklands, waterways and historic architecture. It is home to a large number of foreign embassies and is a recognized centre for both academics and professional training. 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 aaround the world.

The city’s rich ethnic diversity also includes thriving German, Lebanese, Italian, Polish, Dutch, Portuguese, and Asian communities, among others. Throughout the year, these communities celebrate their heritage in many colourful multicultural festivals and events.

The seat of CCanada’s federal government, Ottawa is a major centre for the visual and performing arts. Yet the city retains the accessibility, atmosphere and charm of a smaller centre — rich in wide-open green spaces, parks and wilderness areas.

The Downtown Ottawa

Downtown Ottawa enjoys a rich cultural diversity reflected in unique urban neighbourhoods. Heritage, cuisine and commerce are all within walking distance for downtown residents. It’s not surprising that new downtown housing projects are selling out as quickly as they come on the market. The rental vacancy rate has fallen below one percent and affordable downtown housing is in demand.

However, the downtown area has been experiencing a boom in residential construction activity and there are still many more development opportunities. Surface parking llots scattered throughout the downtown as well as numerous infill possibilities is available. The Central Business District Commercial Zone (CB) permits a wide range of residential uses, from mixed-use buildings to retirement homes and rooming houses. The zoning in other parts of the downtown area also permits a wide range of residential uses. Special zoning regulations provide maximum flexibility in design and development, and create an environment, which will be attractive to new infill housing and mixed-use developments.

Blending the oold with the new, the luxurious with the affordable, creates developments that meet the needs of our community. Several innovative housing projects transform under-utilized sites into affordable residential projects, such as The East Market, as well as premier addresses like 700 Sussex Drive adjacent to the Chateau Laurier. Loft-style apartments in the market area, stacked townhouses and residential/commercial mixed developments are examples of projects providing a choice of housing to reflect the varied lifestyles of those who desire to live downtown.

The population for the downtown area has grown by 4,000 residents since 1986 with the most significant increase between 1996 and 2001. Some 1,200 new residential units have been added to the downtown area since 1998 with projected household growth at an additional 8,000 units over the next 10 years.

Quick Facts

· A population of over 1.2 million makes the Ottawa region the fourth-largest urban area in Canada.

· Ottawa is home to such high tech giants as Nortel Networks, Alcatel, JDS Uniphase, Cognos, Tundra, Cisco, MDS Nordion and Entrust

· MBNA Canada, ING Direct, Clarica and MD Management complement our technology companies.

· Ottawa is also the home of government organizations such as the Government of Canada, Parliament, the Senate, and the Supreme Court oof Canada.

· More than 1,500 advanced technology companies employ more than 65,000 people.

· With the highest-educated workforce in Canada, Ottawa has more engineers, scientists and PhDs per capita than any other city in the country.

· $1.3 billion CDN in venture capital was invested in Ottawa technology companies from 2000 to 2002.

· With 90 per cent of Canada’s industrial telecommunications research and development conducted here, Ottawa is one of the world’s top five sites for R&D.

· Canada’s Capital region welcomes over 7 million visitors per year, who spend over $1.3 billion.

· The Capital’s tourism and convention industry generates more than $2 billion in economic activity.

· According to Statistics Canada, families in Ottawa had the highest median incomes of any Canadian city in 2001.

· The Corporate Resources Group, a Swiss-based management firm, ranked Ottawa sixth in the world for quality of life.

· Languages spoken include English (50%), French (32%) and a host of other languages including significant capabilities in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese and Arabic.

A four-hour drive north-east of Toronto and two hours west of Montreal, Ottawa presents visitors with a wide selection of sightseeing and outdoor-leisure options. In fact, with more than a dozen national museums and galleries—and a full calendar of festivals and activities—Canada’s Capital RRegion has something for everyone.

English project:

Ottawa –Capital of Canada

Author: Tomas Vėlavičius

Form 10b

Viekšniai secondary school

Viekšniai, 2005