Economy
| Communities |
Politics
| Canadian and World Events |
Local
Events | Personalities |
Religious and Social
Aspects
| Arts/Culture
Economy
Due to the Canadian government’s efforts, post-war Ottawa had grown. The
city’s attempts to deal with this growth were reflected in a bigger
airport, an increase in telephones and communication, and a surge in
tourism. New initiatives like the new major subdivision of Manor Park
were seen. The faculty of Arts and Sciences was established at Carleton
College which moved to its First Avenue campus and started awarding
degrees. The population in the post-war era was 149,881.
New real estate properties owned by the Canadian Government included a
newly-purchased house at 24 Sussex Drive. Later, the government decided
to use the home to house Canadian Prime Ministers. In 1948, the leader
of the Opposition got an official residence as well - a house at 541
Acacia Avenue in the Village of Rockcliffe Park. The property was
purchased by the Stornoway Residence Trust Fund.
The 1950s were full of changes for the city of Ottawa - years that would
not only see the baby boom, but also experience many changes for women
and big steps in the modernization and expansion of the National Capital
Region. As the city was growing, modes of transportation were changing
for the inhabitants of Ottawa. Perhaps one of the more memorable but
short-lived experiences were the trolley buses which were introduced in
1951. They were terminated in 1959 “in a bid to rid the downtown core of
their accompanying mishmash of unsightly wires” and were replaced by a
fleet of 107 diesel buses.
By 1953, Canadians had reluctantly started accepting the weaker US
Dollar (our dollar was $1.04 USD in 1952) in an attempt to stimulate the
tourist trade. Westgate, Ottawa’s first shopping centre, opened on
Carling Avenue in 1954.
One of the changes in 1958 that directly affected the average resident
was the introduction of the first parking meter. After two decades of
debating the advantages, like increased revenue, and disadvantages,
including angry motorists and a decrease in tourism, the city of Ottawa
became the last major city in North America to install parking meters.
Communities
Ottawa’s new plans were supplemented with several pre-war plans. The
most notable was the report of Jacques Gréber which detailed a master
plan for the Capital’s development as requested by Prime Minister
Mackenzie King after their meeting at the 1939 World Fair in Paris. The
1946-1950 Gréber Commission made a number of recommendations for the
Ottawa area following the Prime Minister’s visions of large parks,
scenic driveways and broad thoroughfares for Ottawa and Hull. Also, the
final plans included the relocation of railways away from the core, the
extension of the parkway network, the decentralization of the federal
offices around the city, the creation of the greenbelt and the expansion
of
Gatineau Park.
In 1950, the city of Ottawa annexed acres from the township of
Gloucester and the township of Nepean, a move that had been sanctioned
by the government of Ontario. This increased the city’s area five-fold
from 6,109 acres to 30,482 acres. The reason behind the annexation of
this mostly uninhabited land was to accommodate the post-war housing
boom in an area that extended to the Ottawa River and surrounded the
capital like a giant horseshoe.
In 1960, Sparks Street was closed to vehicular traffic during the summer
months for the purpose of hosting Canada’s first pedestrian mall.
Jacques Gréber was the first to suggest this idea in 1958, which in turn
led to the establishment of the Sparks Street Development Association.
The establishment of the mall was an experiment in the beginning but its
success turned it into a permanent project that cost the average tax
payer little money because it was the final product of the efforts of
many merchants and experts who had chosen to donate their time and
services at their own expense.
Politics
1948 marked the end of an era when Mayor Stanley Lewis retired from
office. He held the record of service as Chief Magistrate in Bytown or
Ottawa of 12 years.
Two years after retiring from the post of Prime Minister, Mackenzie King
died in July 1950. He was the longest-serving Prime Minister in history.
Although he was not particularly loved during his years in office, his
importance could not be denied and respect for him was evident. The
mourners crowded Confederation Square and a procession followed his body
as it was driven to Union Station.
Canadian and World Events
May 9, 1945 was VE day and was celebrated in Ottawa by people dancing in
Confederation Square and partying on Sparks Street. The victory in
Europe was soon followed by victory over Japan, which marked the last of
the fighting. When celebrations got out of hand, the Citizen posted on
its Sparks Street office window that troops were called in to control
disturbances following victory celebrations in Sudbury.
The Canadian Citizenship Act of 1947 was introduced, thereby
declaring for the first time independence from the British identity, and
the possession of a distinctive Canadian identity. In commemoration of
this event, the “First Official Canadian Citizens” picture was taken in
Ottawa.
People in Ottawa celebrated the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II,
Canada’s sovereign, in 1953 in many ways. One way was going to
Parliament Hill to witness the Trooping of the Colour by the Governor
General’s Foot Guards. Another way was to watch the coronation on
television and see the black and white images of the ceremony, which had
been flown to Canada on a Vampire Jet especially for this purpose. This
televised celebration, the first to originate in Ottawa, was transmitted
by the CBC’s new facility on Lanark Avenue.
Local Events
Perhaps the most important event in 1952 was the August 5 fire in the
Library of Parliament. The reason was a defective dome light that
ignited electrical wire insulation within the roof. Although the firemen
prevented the flames from entering the library and even managed to use
fire hoses without exposing the books to water, the library became
filled with thick black smoke and the sprinkler system ruined the
efforts of the fire department. The end result was that by the time the
sprinkler system was turn off, six hours had passed and 200,000 gallons
of water and the thick smoke had ruined 150,000 of the books (out of
400,000) and the library’s parquet floor was two inches deep in water.
After the painstaking work of removing all the books one by one, and the
summoning of professionals from all parts of the country, the result was
a library restored with enchanting Victorian woodwork and a gold leaf
dome high above the rotunda where books could be enjoyed and admired.
The cost of restoration was $2,273,347.
Following the coronation of her daughter in 1953, the Queen Mother paid
a visit to Ottawa and opened the Bytown Bridges, which extend Sussex
Drive over the Rideau River at Green Island. Another British
personality, Winston Churchill, also paid a visit to Ottawa, arriving in
a big open Cadillac on Parliament Hill and giving his famous V for
Victory sign.
The city was decorated with 17 Union Jacks when Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth II visited Ottawa for the first time as monarch on 12 October
1957. An estimated 200,000 people lined the route from the airport to
Rideau Hall and the crowds were so dense that the royal limousine was
forced to stop twice. The following evening the Queen gave her first
live television broadcast from the desk at the Governor General’s study.
It was watched by Canadians and Americans alike. On October 15, Queen
Elizabeth dedicated the Queen’s Way, the $35 million highway that
bisects the city and took eight years to complete.
Personalities
In 1950, Charlotte Whitton became the fist woman to be elected to the
Board of Control, with a majority that was the largest ever accorded a
candidate in the capital. The “well-known and outspoken social worker”
made history again when, after 104 years of a male-run municipality of
Ottawa and Bytown, she became the first woman to be elected to the
office of Chief Magistrate. She occupied that position until 1954 and
served as Mayor again between 1960 and 1964. She may also be remembered
for a quote from a speech given in 1952 at the Empire Club of Canada:
“Whatever she does, a woman must do twice as well as any man to be
thought of as just half as good. Luckily, it’s not difficult.” Her
achievements included a greatly-improved city welfare program, the
construction of 800 low-rental housing units and a 300% increase in
federal grants.
Religion/Social
1960 saw history in the making when women were first accepted into the
police force. They were on the streets by May and given the nickname
“Meter Maids” after their training in parking meters and traffic duties.
Driving scooters, they patrolled the downtown area and issued parking
violation tickets in addition to participating in directing traffic
during peak hours.
Arts/Culture
On May 3, 1947, Ottawa’s second private radio station, CFRA, was
launched with a gala performance at the Auditorium where more than 8,000
people were attendance. The performance was even broadcast by their
competitor, the CBC National network. The station was located on a farm
fronting Baseline Road and Pinecrest Road and operated by its owner, the
prominent Frank Ryan. This station soon gained national and
international acclaim and moved to offices on Isabella Street after
becoming the most-listened to station in the capital region. Shows were
introduced like “Farmer’s Notebook”, which tackled issued being faced by
Ottawa Valley farmers and extended to the general public by including
tips on taking care of vegetables, preparation of fruits, and gardening.
In 1949, the young Ottawa firm of Crawley Films Limited produced The
Loon’s Necklace, a 16mm colour movie that went on to grab 14 national
and international awards, including “Canadian Film of the Year, 1949”.
This movie is still in demand, and a humble but admirable number of 200
copies are sold every year. The firm, which was set up by Frank (Budge)
Crawley after a spur-of-the-moment project from shot taken on his
honeymoon, now has 250 national and international awards, including a
1977 Academy Award.
In 1947, the most celebrated and adored person in Ottawa was Barbara Ann
Scott. The skater had won the World Championships in Europe, and despite
a severe snowstorm four days earlier that had caused people to stay
indoors and forced unlucky thousands to walk to work, the whole city
came out on March 7 to participate in a parade that was held in her
honour. Mackenzie King and Governor General Viscount Alexander both of
gave speeches and the House of Commons passed a resolution
congratulating Miss Scott on
her great achievement.
In 1950, the growing population had a new source of entertainment - the
TV station CBOT, which was established on Lanark Street by the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation.
As Canadians said goodbye to the 1950s, they welcomed a new tradition
that was started by the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ottawa - the
tradition of Changing the Guard. As people gathered on Parliament Hill
to watch the Queen go by, the colourful spectacle of Changing the Guard
received wide acclaim. In 1960, following many requests to the
government they returned for performances during July and August.
Another year of overwhelming response meant that the popular show grew
to become one of the most popular annual attractions of the city
attended by people from around the world.
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