Ottawa is the capital of Canada and the country’s fourth largest municipality. Ottawa’s primary employers are the Canadian federal government and the hi-tech industry.  It is known as “Silicon Valley North” due to the number of major companies that have offices in the City.

Ottawa was first settled by the First Nations peoples, who were part of the Algonquin.  The first European settlement was on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River in 1800 and was led by Philemon Wright.  He discovered that it was possible to transport timber from the Ottawa Valley to Montreal, and the area’s timber trade was established. 

After the War of 1812, the government began settling military families as well as sponsoring the immigration of Irish Catholics and Protestants to the area.  That, along with the steady immigration of French Canadians from the Quebec side of the river, provided Ottawa with the bulk of labourers required for the construction of the Rideau Canal and the booming timber trade.  Thus began Ottawa’s history as a multi-cultural society.