Due to the federal politicians that come here many times during the year, one living in other parts of Canada may come to think of Ottawa as a one industry town. (The industry being, of course, production of hot air and other gases.)
But living for most of my life in Eastern Ontario I can assure you that the only time you actually realize you live near or in the capital of Canada is when you are in downtown Ottawa and actually see the Parliament Buildings or notice all of the government ministry buildings situated in the area. The rest of the time, its pretty much generic big city Canada.
Its easy to forget that there is an entire city that does not revolve around Parliament hill, one with a large manufacturing and high tech industry. Ottawa and Gatineau combined boast a population of over one million people making it the fourth largest urban centre in Canada which often takes people by surprise. Yes, there IS a city here that is often lost in the bright lights of politics.
(Side Note: Poly is a word meaning "many". Tics are small annoying animals.)
I wonder if people living in and around Washington D.C. feel the same?
1 comment:
I don't think Washingtonians do, Bill. Their city was built to impress: to be the heart of the American empire.
Ottawa was built to house bureacrats. Good old Canadian pragmatism was at work when Ottawa was designed. Having said that, I still love Ottawa. It's a great old city with lots of charm and a great location. But I would be lying if I said I wouldn't like to see a bit more grandeur in our national capital.
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