Tuesday 21 February 2023
Heritage Day celebrated at City Hall
by Ruth Aman
On February 21st, the city of Ottawa celebrated Heritage Day in Ottawa’s City Hall. Organized by Capital Heritage Connection, an umbrella association that hosts, supports, and empowers other Heritage communities in the area, this year’s celebration brought over 40 different organizations together to remember the great histories of their respective missions and broadcast current projects.
When it comes to Heritage Day, many do not know its roots in the nation or why it’s celebrated. Though it is not an official federal holiday, it is recognized throughout many cities nationwide and it is typically celebrated on the third Monday in February. The first Heritage day was celebrated in 1973 after Heritage Canada created this day with the hopes of making it all of Canadians’ duty to promote and preserve Canada’s natural, architectural, and historical heritage. This year’s theme was ‘Recovering and Connecting Ottawa’s Heritage – Stronger Together’. It was significant as this was the first gathering since the pandemic. For the last 3 years, celebrations had been done virtually, with the Heritage organizations providing online seminars, museum walk-thru’s and hybrid events. That being said, all groups were grateful to finally be back in person.
From far and wide, many heritage, museums, and archiving agencies came to promote and showcase their work. Booths were held by Heritage communities such as the Bytown Museum, Ottawa Archives, the New Edinburgh society, Ottawa Music Industry Coalition, Arnprior and McNabb/Breeside Archives and much more.
By 11 am, City Hall was bustling with visitors who were ready to take part in this exciting occasion. It began with groups and individuals walking around from table to table, hearing new stories and sharing some of theirs. Many Heritage communities had their tables filled with memorabilia, historical documents, and brochures. Tables such as Ottawa Archives had city directories from over 30 years ago listing all the businesses and addresses operating in those times. Other tables had postcards and letters written from the early 1900s by Ottawa residents which gave insight into typical Ottawa living.
After a short period of browsing, the Heritage day proclamation ceremony began. The Town Crier, Daniel Richer, rang his bell and invited all guests to take a seat as the proclamation was to be read and a few speeches were to be made. Richer is not new to this as he has been the official town crier for the National Capital Region of Ottawa-Gatineau since 1981.
The Town Crier welcomed all guests and exclaimed how great it was to be back as the city is celebrating 40 years of Heritage Day. He noted certain guests and councillors in the audience such as City Councillors David Gill and Ariel Troster.
His speech focused on the year’s theme and how necessary it is to recognize, protect, and celebrate our heritage by honouring the connections and relationships made with other people. After this, he noted the three speakers who would be making short speeches in the program. Wendy Jocko, Chief of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation, was the keynote speaker of the event. Following her would be Executive Director of Capital Heritage Connection Ruby Edet and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe would close by presenting the Heritage Day Proclamation.
Chief Wendy began her remarks by saying how honoured she was to be present for Heritage Day. She invited guests to acknowledge the enduring presence of all Indigenous people. Within Canada, she notes, around 5.7 million people identify as First Nation, yet this is an identity that has been hidden and silenced for hundreds of years. She boldly said that Canada’s true history must come to light in order to build a bridge to a more prosperous and united nation. Indigenous peoples have also done much to shape the land into the country, towns and cities it is today, she stated. That being said, when cultural heritage is discussed, people must not erase the impact and great contributions of the Indigenous peoples. Chief Wendy beautifully closed her speech with a prayer of unity.
Edet’s opening remarks contained a big thanks to the 44 member organizations stationed around the room. She also noted how members had shared booths with other heritage groups, which exemplified the year’s theme greatly and showed that we are stronger together. Edet spoke about the proclamation recipient of the year, Heritage Ottawa and mentioned a few of the initiatives and work being done that guests could look forward to in the new year.
In closing, the Mayor communicated that, ‘Heritage day is simply about people and the stories they share that connect us with each other and our culture. It’s a day to look at the distinctive places that have shaped us!’. He then presented the proclamation to Heritage Ottawa which has been integral in keeping Ottawa connected while telling our story and advocating the best for the City. The director of Heritage Ottawa, Catherine Spencer Ross, received the award. Following this was a time for photos with the team and other speakers. Guests were asked to continue visiting the booths that they had not yet already seen as the event came to a close.
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Ruth Aman is a Project Officer with Black History Ottawa. She holds a Bachelor of Global and International Studies (Honors) degree, with a specialization in Law and Social Justice from Carleton University.