The Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre is so happy to have joined the OLIP Health and Wellbeing Sector Table. It is clear that OLIP cares about immigrants and refugees and…

Wendy Tang, Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre
I’m really impressed with the level of energy and commitment around the Health and Wellbeing table and look forward to continuing collaboration between OLIP and OPH.

Marcela Tapia
Ottawa Public Health
The target beneficiary of the work of OLIP is the whole community. In this short period we have planted together important seeds for Ottawa’s development.  

Dick Stewart
OLIP Council
In our city’s history, immigrants have always played an important role. They build our economic prosperity, diversify our culture, contribute to our social vitality.

Jim Watson
Mayor of Ottawa
My nomination is an indication that our hard work in building Canada is recognized. All we do is to serve the community in return for embracing us when we needed it.  

Mehdi Mahdavi
Ottawa Immigrant Entrepreneurship Awards Nominee
OLIP helps to unite and share scarce resources for greater impact by working together in the field of student education.

Walter Piovesan
Associate Director of Education, Ottawa Carleton District School Board
Canada has been shaped by people who came from all over the world to build this country. WOW offers a platform for us to celebrate this history and the future it will help…

Alex Munter, Chair of the OLIP Council and President and CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre
The OLIP Council is committed to leadership.  In only a few years, we have a common vision and priorities, and are up to the task of implementing the Ottawa Immigration Strategy.

Salimatou Diallo
OLIP Council Vice Chair, Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario
All the WOW events that I went to were great – WOW does give a sense of a community trying to improve its attraction and retention!

Caroline Andrew
Professor, University of Ottawa
I was happy to see integration to Algonquin territory and indigenous culture related programming in 2014 WOW. Please continue to involve local Aboriginal organisations and…

Linda Manning
WOW 2014 participant, Senior Fellow, University of Ottawa

Residents Learn about the Important Contribution of Immigrants to Ottawa

November 7, 2017

For the second year in a row, as part of Welcoming Ottawa Week (June 20 to 30, 2017), Ottawa residents took a journey through some of the city’s most unique and interesting neighbourhoods.The Immigrant Heritage Walking Tours, led by experienced guides, gave participants a taste of the sights and sounds of Chinatown, Little Italy and Lowertown.

The twelve, 90 minute walking tours celebrated Ottawa’s diversity by focusing on the history, daily life, architecture, food and culture of these fascinating neighbourhoods. These free tours offered in English and French, included stops at notable landmarks and local businesses to explore the social, cultural, and economic contributions of immigrants to Ottawa’s development.

Cameras clicked away as a group on more than 30 “Instagrammers” organized by CBC, a Welcoming Ottawa Week partner, participated in one of the 2017 Chinatown tours.

The tours were often interactive in nature with the guides not only sharing their wealth of knowledge about each neighbourhood, but also their personal perspectives and experiences. Participants who lived in the neighbourhoods also could add anecdotes and information. One participant remarked on the impact of such tours: “Only when we know each other can we truly count on each other!”

“These tours helped to expand the understanding, not only of the neighbourhoods, but their progression over time, as Ottawa has evolved to the present day rich mosaic of diverse cultures,” said David Jeanes, President, Heritage Ottawa.

Participants discovered the treasure trove of history, food, art, architecture, places of worship, and the myriad of businesses that have flourished in these neighbourhoods thanks to the efforts of successive generations of immigrants and of their descendants.

“Little Italy has given a lot to Ottawa,” explains Luciano Pradal as he guided a group and points out the landmarks along Preston Street during the Little Italy tour. “This includes everything from sports, arts and culture to flourishing family gardens.”

The Immigrant Heritage Walking Tours were initiated by OLIP, funded by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and organized collaboratively by OLIP, Heritage Ottawa, and the City of Ottawa’s Cultural Development Unit.