Latest news with #Winterlude
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
ByWard Market sees fewer visits during the winter
Tulips cover the OTTAWA sign in Ottawa's ByWard Market as part of the Canadian Tulip Festival. (Josh Pringle/CTV News Ottawa) Fewer people visited Ottawa's ByWard Market in the winter, with the monthly visits in February the lowest in two years. Statistics available on the City of Ottawa's website show there were 4.338 million visits to the popular tourist area in the January to March period, down from 5.004 million visits during the same period in 2024. The ByWard Market saw 1.65 million visits in January and 1.609 million visits in March. There were 1.08 million visits to the market area in February, the lowest number of monthly visits since January 2023, when 930,000 people visited the ByWard Market. While the data does not explain why there was a drop in visits to the ByWard Market, February was colder and snowier than average this year. The 109 cm of snow, including nearly 70 cm of snow around the Family Day weekend, was more than double the average snowfall for February of 48.5 cm. The ByWard Market hosted several events during Winterlude, and set up a synthetic ice rink on William Street. According to the City of Ottawa, the data is foot traffic recorded in the ByWard Market using cellphone data. The statistics showing a drop in visits to the ByWard Market comes as retailers and the City of Ottawa look for ways to increase traffic in the popular tourist area. The city is introducing paid on-street evening parking until 7:30 p.m. on weeknights and on Saturdays in a bid to encourage vehicle turnover in the ByWard Market area. Some business owners told a city committee last month that introducing paid parking after 5:30 p.m. would discourage people from visiting the ByWard Market to shop and dine. A Night Ambassadors program is being introduced this summer, with staff available to assist visitors and work with late-night venues between 9:30 p.m. and 4 a.m. The city says, 'providing additional eyes on the street,' the Night Ambassadors will 'enhance community and safety wellbeing' by practicing bystander intervention and de-escalation, helping patrons and employees find a safe ride home and connecting people with emergency and social services.
Los Angeles Times
22-04-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Nunangat, meaning homeland: Barry Pottle on finding truth and beauty through photography
In urban Inuit photographer Barry Pottle's visit to the Rideau Canal, it's the time of the year when the body of water freezes, creating intricate patterns and colors. As the first layer of ice forms, tiny crystals begin to thicken. Under the blue surface, ice expands and susurrates, sounding like a spaceship. Courtesy Barry Pottle: 'Rideau Canal' Historically, the British military built this 202 -kilometer waterway during the War of 1812 to defend against the U.S. Located in Ottawa, Canada, the Rideau Canal becomes the world's largest skating rink during the Winterlude festival. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site , thousands of tourists and locals gather behind kiosks selling Beaver Tails or maple taffy, skate by carriages and seahorses carved in ice, and play in Snowflake Kingdom . During dusk, the sculpture lights reflect onto city buildings and glass windows: a dragon illuminates green and a bison shines red. Ottawa glissades into a rainbow. Recently, rising global temperatures have shortened the skating season in the Rideau Canal. In 2024, the canal was open for skating for only ten days. In 2023, it remained closed all year due to warm weather. Barry Pottle seeks to raise environmental and cultural awareness through his photographs. Originally from the Labrador province of Canada, Pottle now lives in Ottawa. Pottle comes from the Rigolet Inuit community and moved to Happy Valley-Goose Bay in his youth—he is one of the 30% of the Inuit population that have migrated South to major Canadian cities, such as Ottawa. Growing up, Pottle dabbled in all sorts of art: drawing, sketching, writing, and carving. 'I view the world through an interdisciplinary approach, and I don't like to be pigeonholed into things,' he said. 'I like to explore different avenues of art.' As a self-taught artist, Pottle discovered photography by accident. In early 2007 or 2008, Zellers —a department store in Canada—was closing in the area. With two million reward points remaining, Pottle bought a 35mm film camera. Pottle's passion for photography grew as he worked as a curator for the federal government, researching Inuit art. While exploring the intersection of arts and culture, Pottle realized that photography was not a prominent medium in Inuit art. 'Peter Pitseolak was one of the firsts to start looking at the medium of photography and taking pictures of his community. Then there's Jimmy Manning. He was very instrumental in inspiring me to do photography,' Pottle said. 'So when I started out, I wanted to help build the foundation for photography within Inuit art.' Pottle's first artistic photography project explores how governmental policies and programs shape the Inuit community: 'The Eskimo Identification Program was developed by the federal government in the 1940s, and it ran up until the 70s, in Nunavut, in the eastern Arctic, and then it finished in the 80s in Nunavik,' Pottle said. The Eskimo Identification Program involved the federal government issuing a unique identification tag to Inuit composed of a letter indicating if they lived in the Eastern or Western region, a number indicating the administration area they lived in, and three or four digits that resembled a personal ID. Historian Season Osborne wrote that the government implemented this identification system to track the hunting, medical services, education, housing, finances, and food of Inuit families. Made into a coin-shaped disc using red leather and fiber, the front of the identification tag features the coat of arms of Canada, a symbol of royal authority. On the back, the disc features the identification tag of an individual, including their name spelled in English and Inuit syllabics. Courtesy Barry Pottle: 'Awareness Series' Reporter MacDonald Dupuis explained how the Canadian government dehumanized Inuit individuals into a string of numbers and letters as they wore the tags on their necks at all times. In schools, some children used their disk number to address themself rather than their names. Inuit today still find their Eskimo numbers in their mail, jewelry boxes, and even hidden in their favorite numbers they picked out as kids. Representing the historical erasure of Inuit identity, Pottle's photography uplifts Inuit to reclaim and realize their individuality. By photographing around ten images of Eskimo identification tags, Pottle recognized the power of juxtaposing the tags with individual self-portraits. He named this photography collection the ' Awareness Series ,' and approached the project through societal and linguistic lenses. Captivating artists, scholars, and the general public, the 'Awareness Series' went on display as a permanent art collection in the Art Gallery of Hamilton. Dr. Heather Igloliorte, a professor of art history, also invited Pottle to contribute to the 'Decolonize Me / Decolonisez-moi' project, a book featuring Aboriginal artists and essays that explore the brutal legacy of colonialism in Canada. Another one of Pottle's photography collections highlights the practice of preparing Inuit food and meals. Foraging for cloudberries, harvesting Arctic char, skinning muktuk — these steps are all sacred in preparing country food. Pottle developed 15 images of how Inuit families would prepare a meal in the photography collection 'Foodland Security.' 'My diet consists of caribou, seal, partridge, fish, small game, berries, and birds,' Pottle said. 'Foodland Security' demonstrates the value of preserving Inuit country food in an era where authentic recipes are becoming less accessible for urban Inuits. Ice loss disrupts practices such as ice fishing, hunting, and sledding, which are vital for transportation and gathering food. 'Inuit culture is very close to the land, water, and sea animals,' Pottle said. 'From the materials we use to make clothing, tools, and homes, I think there's a special and spiritual connection to nature. In the photograph ' Cutting Tuktu (Caribou),' Pottle captures an individual using an ulu, a versatile tool that was used as a knife. Representing Inuit women's identity, the ulu has been used for generations to cut hair, trim snow blocks, and make clothes. Courtesy Barry Pottle: 'Starting the Feast' The impact of Pottle's photography lies in its ability to evoke a deep appreciation and personal connection to his homeland. Through observation, curiosity, and gratitude, Pottle interacts heavily with Inuit voices in his photography, inviting an atmosphere of openness and energy. 'Whether it's food, a cultural activity, such as throat singing or games, or hunting,' he said, 'I create art through the practices and iconography within Inuit culture.' Carrying his camera everywhere he goes, Pottle finds artistic meaning in the natural phenomena and environmental wonders closest to the Earth. During Sunday afternoon drives or trips to the Saint Lawrence River, he captures ice crystallizing and air bubbles compressing through the layers, whorls, loops, and traces of ice lines —all upon a palette of rich, dark blues. He titles the photograph 'Rockport Ice.' Courtesy Barry Pottle: 'Rockport Ice' 'My motto is, practice, practice, practice. I'm not a professional artist; I'm all self taught,' Pottle said. 'I learned on my own through practice, through getting an eye and exploring various subjects and topics here in town.' Cultivating a future of sustainability and cultural preservation, Pottle's work builds a foundation for Inuit perspectives to grow and cherish their own experiences and memories. 'I see a huge positive for Inuit art in Canada — videographers, filmmakers, storytellers, visual artists, dancers, the whole genre. The community here is very active, very vibrant: Montréal, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Yellowknife, and St. John's,' he said. 'To me, my images are, I call them reality. They're real, real-life images, happening now in the moment.' As Inuit artist Kenojuak Ashevak said, 'There is no one Inuit word for art. We say it is to transfer something from the real to the unreal.' Related
Telegraph
26-02-2025
- Telegraph
Canada's most underrated city is now within easier reach than ever
When I visited Ottawa in January, winter was in full blast. Snow lay thick on the ground and during the day, the temperature hovered around –15C. A bad time to visit, then? Not at all. With layers, gloves and a rather unflattering woolly hat – or tuque, as the locals would say – Canada was my oyster. In any case, things should be warming up in the country's capital when – after a five-year hiatus – Air Canada resumes non-stop flights there from Heathrow on March 31. It will provide a golden opportunity for British tourists, who will find this friendly city is a marvellous alternative gateway to both Ontario and Quebec (the French-speaking province lies immediately across the Ottawa river, so close you can practically smell the croissants), with plenty to keep you occupied before you leave town, including a lively food scene. Ottawa is a city of distinct seasons – all of them offering their own charm and character. In winter, there are plenty of bright, clear days, ideal for hiring skates and gliding along the frozen Rideau Canal through the heart of the city, with the national parliament buildings as your backdrop (£19 for two hours; Some locals even use it to commute to work. Afterwards, warm up with a hot chocolate or a flat white at Little Victories on Elgin Street ( – and eavesdrop on the lobbyists who use the coffee house as a second office – or see behind the scenes of Canadian democracy with a free 'immersive experience' at the visitor centre on Sparks Street, or a free guided tour of the temporary home of the upper house, the Senate, housed in the city's rather grand 1912 railway station ( It's also practically mandatory to attend an Ottawa Senators' game to soak up the atmosphere of the country's national sport ( If you're in town in February, you'll likely overlap with the giant annual street party, Winterlude: an extravaganza of ice sculptures, live DJs and local stalls (beer and Beaver Tails – flat sugary doughnuts with various toppings – anyone?). Come in March or April, and the city is awash with tulips – around a million of them – an annual thank-you from the Dutch for hosting their royal family during the Second World War, and for Canadian help in liberating their country from Nazi occupation in 1945. It's in late April and May that the bloom really comes into its own, however, with a 10-day annual festival celebrating the revered bulbs ( Summer brings warm days, late nights, and a shift to the great outdoors, whether that's to a pavement café, or to go hiking or canoeing. If you want to explore the great Canadian outdoors, Gatineau Park is just 25 minutes away by car – the area's largest protected green space (140 square miles), with hiking and cycling trails, as well as swimming, kayaking and picnic spots. In summer there's also a free shuttle bus which runs from the downtown area. In autumn, Ottawa paints itself in fall colour, with maple, oak and birch trees creating gorgeous palettes of yellows, oranges and reds. Cooler temperatures also mean a perfect excuse to tuck into traditional poutine: chips loaded with cheese curds and gravy – some of the best of which can be found at Jean Burger near Wakefield, where Gallic influence means washing them down with a glass of local cidre or cabernet sauvignon ( The city is also a treasure trove of museums and galleries. The Canadian Museum of Nature is set in an Edwardian castle-like building with an impressive modern glass extension, home to numerous dinosaur skeletons and exhibits about First Nations groups and Canadian wildlife (£10; Just across the river in Gatineau, you'll find the Canadian Museum of History. Its Grand Hall has an impressive collection of indigenous totem poles, and there are usually immersive film experiences playing to keep younger ones interested (£13; Cut through Major's Hill Park and along the path to sculptures in newly renovated Kìwekì Point, where you will also get great views of Parliament Hill, before carrying on to Moshe Safdie's 1998 building that houses the National Gallery of Canada (£10; There's an impressive collection of Canadian and European paintings, drawings and photography, and even a 19th-century chapel that was dismantled in the 1970s and brought here, now an exhibit with 40 speakers reproducing the sound of a choir, each speaker highlighting one individual voice. Afterwards, it's a 10-minute walk to Byward Market ( which opened in 1848 and is packed with cafés, restaurants, pubs and bars – though it's far from the city's only excellent dining option. Burgers at Starling (£16, and cheesy French onion soup at the Metropolitan Brasserie (£8; were highlights of my visit, while in summer, the restaurants dotting Somerset Street West spill out onto the pedestrianised street so you can enjoy the long daylight hours. If food is really your thing, there are even fine-dining food tours, led by a local guide, on which you will have a starter at one restaurant, main at another, then dessert at a third, with a cocktail or wine at each. C'est Bon offers a particularly good gastronomic safari along these lines (£155; When you're planning a Canadian holiday, Ottawa might not be the most obvious start or end point – but give it a go, and you will be pleasantly surprised. Opt for the new flight, and you will miss the worst of the cold weather – not that it matters; the locals here are far too polite to laugh at unfetching woolly hats. Essentials Will Hide travelled as a guest of Ottawa Tourism ( and stayed at Le Germain Hotel (room-only doubles from £177; Air Canada ( offers nonstop Heathrow-Ottawa flights four times a week starting from March 31, from £543.
CBC
17-02-2025
- CBC
Winterlude wraps on a high note, despite heavy snowfall
Winterlude wraps up Monday, in what organizers say could be its most attended season yet. Ottawa's winter festival has seen a spike in visitors, according to Canadian Heritage, the federal department that puts on the celebration. And they're attributing that increase to the winter weather. Ottawa was hit with two major snowstorms this week — the heaviest the city has seen all season. But despite that, and warnings from officials to stay off the roads, people from all over came to brave the cold for Winterlude. "Yes, it's been cold. Yes, we've had a lot of snow. But that's what makes winter in the National Capital Region so memorable," said Melanie Brault with Canadian Heritage. "It's something that we're really, really grateful for." The Rideau Canal Skateway has been open for more than a month this year. It's the longest the UNESCO world heritage site has been open in years. In 2024, the skateway opened for mere days, and didn't open at all the year before that. Some visitors said it's the main reason they came to Ottawa this year. "You can't be here... and not do the canal," said Alicia Van Den Bos. She and her kids braved the cold and blowing snow to skate on the canal. It wasn't an easy skate, they said, but they were thrilled to be in the city. Her family is living in Muskoka for a year, and drove to Ottawa to spend a day. They'll be extending their trip to avoid a snowy drive home. "I'm really excited to be here," said Cian Murphy-Burns, whose family travelled from Syracuse, NY for Winterlude. He doesn't remember his first time here, five years ago, when he was an infant. But now, he's finally old enough to enjoy all that Ottawa has to offer. He skated about 12 kilometres along the skateway with his family on Saturday. In 2020, Winterlude welcomed more than 600,000 visitors in its most heavily attended season yet. But COVID-19 put the fun on pause. Last year, the festival saw 500,000 visitors. Tourism Ottawa said the first two weekends of this year had even higher attendance than the same period last year, but the organization will have to tally visitors on the final weekend to know if they've surpassed pre-pandemic levels. Record-breaking year or not, Jérôme Miousse with Ottawa Tourism said the high attendance has been a positive sign — both for the festival and for the local economy that benefits. "It's been a great winter," he said.
