Economy
| Communities |
Canadian and World Events |
Religious and Social
Aspects
| Arts/Culture
Economy
One of Ottawa’s vital challenges in this time period was how to deal
with growth. Ottawa was an increasingly prosperous city, and this time
period heralded the arrival of many new technological inventions,
including the first automobile, airplane, and films. There were
impressive new buildings, bridges, and monuments. These became the most
obvious signs of a growing city meeting many challenges.
The great fire of 1900, and the subsequent rebuilding, coincided with a
strong period of growth. At this point Ottawa was served by nine
different rail lines that lead into different parts of the city, and
there was much talk about consolidating them into a central railway
terminus. This was eventually completed in 1909, when the new Union
Station opened.
One of the most important industries in Ottawa was lumber. An average of
500 million board feet of lumber was produced annually in the first
years of the twentieth century. After a rapid growth in the 1890s, the
lumber industry would soon go into a decline, although it still carried
considerable influence. Ottawa was also known as a producer of paper,
cardboard, tents and awnings, marine signals, and cement. To some, it
seemed like Ottawa had the potential of becoming a large industrial
centre. Along with its existing industrial base, there was potential in
the waterpower that could be produced from Chaudière Falls. For the
local government, business planning took a central position, focusing on
the basic issues of providing good water, sound roads, and cheap energy.
While Ottawa had grown largely out of the lumber industry, its growth
was now being led by the expanding government sectors. Between 1900 and
1910, the civil service in Ottawa nearly tripled, with a total of 3,219
employees. This led to the construction of many new and prominent
buildings. The Victoria Memorial Building (now the Nature Museum) was
built in 1904. The Archives Building (now the old War Museum) and the
Royal Mint were constructed on Sussex in 1905. The Connaught Building,
Union Station, and the Château Laurier were also a part of this
construction boom. The establishment of the Experimental Farm reflected
the importance of agriculture to the Canadian economy generally, and
more specifically to Ottawa’s local economy. The market reports in the
Ottawa Journal referred to pork, beef, oats, butter and maple syrup.
This was a period of contending visions over the nature of growth in
Ottawa. Would Ottawa be a transportation hub like Chicago, an industrial
centre like Pittsburgh, or a government town on the Westminster model?
Aspects of each of these visions can be seen in Ottawa’s development in
the early 1900s. There were railways, a powerful lumber industry, and a
rapidly expanding civil service.
Communities
A 1906 bylaw led to the beginning of a mandatory weekly garbage pick-up.
Previously, not all citizens were willing to pay for this service, and
there was a lot of garbage thrown on city streets. These measures led to
improved sanitation and health services, and to a generally healthier
city. Other services such as electricity and transportation were
improved and the city began to grow by annexing outlying communities.
Hintonburgh and Rideauville were added to the city of Ottawa in 1907.
Mechanicsville was annexed in 1911. Through annexations, immigration,
and natural increase, Ottawa’s population had reached over 100,000 by
1914. Outlying villages were connected with the city centre by the
recently introduced technology of the streetcar.
Canadian and World Events
During the first years of the new century, the main story on the front
pages of the Ottawa Evening Journal was the news from the front of the
Boer War. The Canadian military was not formally involved, as Prime
Minister Wilfred Laurier knew that the political situation in French
Canada would not allow it. As a compromise to English Canadian
Imperialists, delegations of volunteers were sent to fight under British
military direction. One hundred and eighty-five Ottawa volunteers served
in South Africa. Fourteen were killed. The people of Ottawa followed the
fighting closely, and a surge of patriotism was felt.
During the Boer War, one of the area’s largest employers, the E.B. Eddy
Company, announced a self-imposed tax of a half-cent on all boxes of
sulphur matches. The proceeds were donated to the Canadian Patriotic
Fund in support of the South African War. A telling sign of Ottawa’s
support for the Empire was the fundraising drive to raise a monument to
those who served in the war. The names of the thousands of people who
donated were listed prominently on the front page of the Ottawa Journal.
Religion/Social
Despite the tragedies of fire and war, Ottawa faced the challenges of
growth with considerable optimism. Still tied very closely to Britain in
such matters as defence, trade, and culture, many looked to the Empire
as the sphere in which Canada would take a leading and ambitious role.
This Imperialist view was controversial, especially within the city’s
French community, and especially when related to events such as Canada’s
role in British wars, language politics, and even in the structures of
government. These events contributed to the isolation of Ottawa’s
francophone community in the early 1900s.
Perhaps the most controversial issue facing English-French relations in
Ottawa was the introduction of Regulation 17. On the 13th of April,
1912, Premier James Whitney signed into law a measure aimed to improve
the bilingual school system. The main “improvement” was to make the
system English. Lessons in French were to be limited to only one hour
per day. All other communications between the teacher and students were
to be in English. With its large francophone population, Ottawa became
the “centre de la résistance.” The daily francophone newspaper, Le Droit,
was first published on the 27th of March, 1913, in large part as a
response to Regulation 17. Due to the fierce opposition, Regulation 17
was never effectively enforced. The bitterness, however, remained.
A more positive government initiative was the city’s response to public
health concerns. There had been several epidemics of smallpox, typhoid,
and tuberculosis in the early 1900s. One response was the creation of
the Ottawa Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis in 1905. In
1909, the Royal Ottawa Sanatorium (later, the Ottawa Civic Hospital) was
opened to help tuberculosis patients.
Arts/Culture
In response to the public feeling that the city’s appearance was not
suitable for the capital of a growing nation, the Ottawa Improvement
Commission was established in 1899. The Commission’s mandate was to
“clean up and beautify” the city. Without a clear plan and sufficient
funds, it was very difficult for the Commission to achieve its mandate.
In 1913, Prime Minister Robert Borden established the Federal Plan
Commission to replace the O.I.C. Before the outbreak of the First World
War, the new Commission had the time to recommend federal control over
the national capital area, and the creation of a national park in the
Gatineau hills.
The first automobile with an internal combustion engine was driven in
Ottawa in 1901. By 1912 there were about 400 cars in the entire city.
This was still a “rich man’s toy”, and a 1916 report did not even
consider the automobile in city planning. The airplane was another
novelty for the people of Ottawa. The first aircraft to fly over the
city was the ‘Red Devil’ in the 1911 Ottawa Exhibition.
Along with these innovations in transportation came considerable
improvements to the cultural life in Ottawa. The first silent films were
shown in 1908. These were first shown in stores, but soon moved into
larger halls. Another cultural addition was the establishment of the
Ottawa Little Theatre in 1912. For family entertainment, an annual
“Little Folks” excursion to Brittania Park began in 1904. This was made
possible by the new streetcar system, allowing families from the city to
escape the summer heat with swimming in Brittania Bay. The Ottawa Public
Library system also got its start in these years. After several years of
failing to convince council to spend the necessary funds for a public
library, a citizen wrote to the American tycoon Andrew Carnegie for
help. The Carnegie Foundation responded with a very large donation,
provided the city council agreed to set aside enough funds for the
library’s operations. The present day site at Metcalfe and Laurier
streets was bought by the city, and an “elegant stone building” was
constructed. The library was formally opened by Andrew Carnegie on May
1st, 1906. A library branch was added in the south end in 1910, followed
by one in the west end in 1913.
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