James Powell, Allison Margot Smith and Lynn Gehl will be our guest speakers as we mark the 200th anniversary of the start of the Rideau Canal and Bytown – and also explore the impact both had on the Algonquin people, for whom the Ottawa Valley has been home for millennia.

Wednesday, February 11, 2026 @ 7 p.m.
Algonquin Anishinaabeg of the Ottawa River Valley: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
Guest Speaker: Dr. Lynn Gehl
(Via Zoom)

Saturday, March 28, 2026 @ 1:30 p.m.
The Rideau Canal
Guest Speaker: Allison Margot Smith
Ottawa Public Library Main Branch Auditorium

Saturday, April 25, 2026 @ 1:30 p.m
The Era of Bytown
Guest Speaker: James Powell
Ottawa Public Library Main Branch Auditorium

 The HSO Bytown200 initiative has been made possible, in part, thanks to the generous legacy bequeathed to the Historical Society of Ottawa by the late Ms. Vivian Lawrence.