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A campaign is in the works to make the ByWard Market a national historic site to help celebrate its 200th birthday.
City staff are recommending councillors approve the nomination to the federal program managed by Parks Canada.
In a report, staff say the status would have little impact on landowners but could boost tourism to the area. It would also result in a bronze commemorative plaque.
The ByWard Market opened in 1827 after Colonel John By had a dense cedar bog drained to create a commercial hub for workers building the Rideau Canal, according to Heritage Ottawa.
Katherine Spencer-Ross, president of Heritage Ottawa, said the looming bicentennial makes now the ideal time for the campaign. She acknowledged the status offers no legal protection but said the market would gain added “cachet” as a national historic site.
“It makes it a little more important than… for instance, a provincial designation or a city designation as a historic district,” she said.
The city staff report calls the market Ottawa’s oldest commercial area and says it merits recognition as a meeting point of French and English cultures.
The area’s architecture is rich and varied, displaying “a range of design, materials, workmanship and setting,” the report adds.
There are more than 1,000 national historic sites across the country. The list includes more than two dozen sites in Ottawa, including the Parliament Buildings, the Rideau Canal, Laurier House in Sandy Hill, the Aberdeen Pavillion in Lansdowne Park, and the Diefenbunker in Carp.
Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stéphanie Plante said she first brought the idea to city staff after watching Rockcliffe Park get the designation.
“Why can’t the Byward Market have the same distinction? It’s one of the oldest markets in Canada,” she remembered thinking.
“We have a lot of tourists who come and they just want a Beavertail or they’re staying in a hotel,” Plante added. “And there’s so much more to the ByWard Market and I’m very excited to showcase that.”
‘Birthplace of the city’
The Lowertown Community Association is also backs the plan. President Sylvie Bigras called the market a magical spot with a rich history.
“This is the birthplace of the city of Ottawa. It’s Bytown in its original form,” she said.
She feels the market market is too often “forgotten” by city leadership hopes the status, if it comes, will bring renewed attention.
Spencer-Ross said it could draw more people to the market and could help persuade developers to preserve the neighbourhood’s heritage features.
Plante hopes it can also give the area an edge if the city applies for federal funding to support wayfinding projects that would help tell the market’s story.
“To say it’s been designated as a federal heritage site, it kind of brings a bit more oomph to your application,” she said.
City staff say it could take up to two years for the application to go through the federal process, which requires a submission to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
If accepted, that means it should be ready in time for the celebrations in 2027.
