An exploration of the valour and unequal Treatment of Algonquin who have served in Canada's Armed Forces

Featuring Wendy Jocko Sgt. CD (Ret’d),  Former Chief of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation. Canadian Forces Veteran & Lynn Gehl Ph.D, Anishinaabe Algonquin Advocate, Academic, Author & Artist

In her March 28, 2026 HSO Speaker Series presentation, historian/documentary film maker Allison Margot Smith introduces her new 15-minute film, “Two Wars, Three Watersheds, a Slew of Surveys and a Canal”, which she had produced especially in response to the HSO’s 2026 Bytown200 Bicentennial Storytelling Challenge.

Following the film, Allison takes us behind the scenes and reflects on some of challenges inherent in creating historical documentaries, and innovations occasionally necessary to provide the viewer with illustrative images in order to bring the past to life.

Artist Catherine Willis-O’Connor began contemplating how the arrival of the Ottawa’s LRT would soon impact neighbourhood culture, and so she set out to capture the memories of the businesses, houses, parks and streetscapes that have come to define our city’s ambiance.

Join Catherine as she animates Ottawa’s past by guiding us through her joyous paintings, each of which promises to unleash a treasure trove of memories.

The year 2026 marks the 200th anniversary of the start of the Rideau Canal and Bytown – but how did this impact the Algonquin people, for whom the Ottawa Valley has been home for millennia?

Dr. Lynn Gehl makes the case that, two centuries later, we have yet to resolve crucial issues such as that our nation’s capital – the “heart of Canada” – continues to trespass on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg and that the violation of Algonquin rights continues.

Additional links:

Website: www.lynngehl.com 

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Public social media: https://www.facebook.com/LynnGehlAlgonquin/

Speaking Agent: https://speakerscanada.com/keynote-speaker/dr-lynn-gehl/

The Truth that Wampum Tells: https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/the-truth-that-wampum-tells

Anishinaabeg Stories: https://www.amazon.ca/Anishinaabeg-Stories-Featuring-Petroglyphs-Petrographs/dp/0988157802

Claiming Anishinaabeg: https://uofrpress.ca/Books/C/Claiming-Anishinaabe

Gehl v Canada: https://uofrpress.ca/Books/G/Gehl-v-Canada

Policy Options: https://policyoptions.irpp.org/authors/lynn-gehl/

Briarpatch: https://briarpatchmagazine.com/contributors/view/gehl-lynn

Rabble: https://rabble.ca/author/lynn-gehl/

Canadian Dimension: https://canadiandimension.com/articles/author/lynn-gehl

Sentinel: https://watershedsentinel.ca/article/akikodjiwan/

The Gehl Report: https://www.lynngehl.com/indigenous-women-and-girls-with-disabilities-are-bigger-targets-of-sexual-violence.html

Steve Rennie, author of “Forgotten Gems: Ottawa’s Early Baseball History” and “From Bytown to the Big Leagues: 150 Years of America’s Pastime in Canada’s Capital” recounts the early history of baseball in Ottawa.

Rick Henderson, author and fourth great-grandson of Philemon and Abigail Wright, paints a portrait of a man and his family whose legacy had a profound impact on the future of the capital and the nation. Note: this is a French-language presentation.

Enjoy this Zoom version of this summer's Black History's bus tour from the comfort of your home – and learn about the impact and outstanding contributions of Black Canadians to our city, presented by Jean-Marie Guerrier, Vice-President, Black History Ottawa.

Author and historian Eric Thierry tells us about the life of Samuel de Champlain, North American explorer, founder and administrator of Quebec.

The Historical Society of Ottawa (established as the Women's Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa in 1898) has been spreading awareness of Ottawa's fascinating past for 126+ years, including founding and operating the Bytown Museum for eight decades. Join us for an exploration of the beginnings and legacy of one of Canada's oldest historical societies. Guest speaker: Connie Wren-Gunn.

Peter McBride, President of the Bytown Fire Brigade, tells of the history of firefighting in early Bytown and today's modern Ottawa.