Category: Transcript

Second City, Second Metro: University Women’s Club of Ottawa Advocates for a Big Regional Council

The University Women’s Club of Ottawa was active in all subjects and its members were frequent commentators on local matters. Source: Ottawa Journal, September 8, 1966, 22.

The University Women’s Club of Ottawa (UWCO) was founded in 1910 by a group of fifty-four women with degrees who came together with the intention of forming a similar club for university-educated women to those in Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver. As was the case with many of these voluntary societies, UWCO mission was a blend of social, educational, and charitable ends. In addition to public lectures, to achieve their educational purpose, the UWCO also regularly held study groups on a wide variety of topics. Although they were hardly limited to it, some of the groups represented an opportunity for the members to use their skills and weigh in on the issues of the day.1This is a fairly simplistic boiling down of the UWCO. For an extended look at the history of the first 50 years of the UWCO, see Laurie J. Smith. ‘A Feeling of the Responsibility of Women for Women’: The University Women’s Club of Ottawa, 1910-60. Thesis. Ottawa: University of Ottawa, 2002.

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Notes

Notes
↥1 This is a fairly simplistic boiling down of the UWCO. For an extended look at the history of the first 50 years of the UWCO, see Laurie J. Smith. ‘A Feeling of the Responsibility of Women for Women’: The University Women’s Club of Ottawa, 1910-60. Thesis. Ottawa: University of Ottawa, 2002.

Second City, Second Metro: The National Capital Commission’s Bulldozer and the Community Planning Association’s Big Idea

The National Capital Branch of the Community Planning Association of Canada had long been concerned with planning in the national capital region. Source: Ottawa Journal, September 28, 1960, 25.

Fifteen years into the Plan for the National Capital (1950)1Better known as the Greber Plan. and many of its discontents had come to be appreciated. It was, after all, one thing of the federal government to develop such a plan, but quite another for the collection of municipalities in the National Capital Region (NCR) to go along with it.

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Notes

Notes
↥1 Better known as the Greber Plan.

Second City, Second Metro: Cumberland Township Needs Planners

In March of 1961, the massive Queenswood development was announced. Source: Ottawa Citizen, March 20, 1961, 7.

Just as it had been since the end of the Second World War (and arguably long before), one of the catalysts for advocating changes to local governance was rapid development and the ability of the local government to manage and accommodate it adequately.

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Second City, Second Metro: Ottawa-Carleton Provides its Input, and Cumberland Township Wants In

The Summary of Submissions at the Public Hearings paint a rich and interesting picture.

Between March 17 and April 9, 1965, more than fifty groups presented themselves at the Carleton County council chambers to submit their input to the Local Government Review.

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Second City, Second Metro: Summary of Recommendations & Complete Report

In the report’s final chapter, Jones summarized his recommendations. Image: Norman James / Toronto Star / Toronto Public Library, Baldwin Collection, Item TSPA 0058454F.

In the final chapter of his Final Report, Jones offered up a summary of his recommendations.

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Second City, Second Metro: Financial Implications and Implementation

Under Jones’ proposed new local government structure, the City of Eastview (Vanier) would see its assets and liabilities transferred to the regional government. Image: Muséoparc Vanier.

After outlining the proposed new local government structure, Jones and Paterson’s fifth chapter outlined the financial implications and the potential approach to implementation.

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Second City, Second Metro: Jones and Paterson Paint a Picture of Regional Government

In Chapter 4, Jones and Paterson got to the meat of the report: their recommendations. Image: Image: Norman James / Toronto Star / Toronto Public Library, Baldwin Collection, Item TSPA 0058456F.

Once Jones & Paterson got themselves a sense of the lay of the land and made their own context and groundwork clear, they proceeded to offer up their specific vision for what a regional government centred on Ottawa would look like.

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Second City, Second Metro: So What Exactly Was The Problem? The Solution?

In 1965, Don Reid was Ottawa’s mayor. This photo is from 1956: nearly ten years before Reid found himself in the Big Chair™. Image: City of Ottawa Archives, Item CA038104.

Following up from the last instalment, Jones’ third chapter laid out the report’s objectives and offered up a brief discussion about some possible solutions.

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Second City, Second Metro: A Summary of Statistics and Collected Testimonies

A portion of the boundary between Nepean and Ottawa, as it appeared in 1965. Image: Detail from National Capital Commission, Map of Ottawa of Environs, 1965.

Continuing from yesterday’s introduction, today I offer up the second chapter of Jones’ Final Report and Recommendations. In this chapter, Jones and Research Director Donald Paterson offer up a brief statistical snapshot of the Study area and an analysis of the fifty-six submissions received during the hearings.

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Second City, Second Metro: Murray Jones and the Creation of Ottawa-Carleton

Feet up, mission accomplished. Ottawa became Ontario’s second two-tier municipality in 1969 following his charing of a local government review in 1965. Planner and chair Murray V. Jones kicks his feet up in this 1969 photograph taken for the Toronto Star. Image: Norman James / Toronto Star / Toronto Public Library, Baldwin Collection, Item TSPA 0058455f.

In May of 1964, former Metro Toronto planning commissioner Murray Jones was appointed by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs J.W. Spooner to head up a commission of one to study just how the reduce the friction in the relationship between Ottawa, its surrounding municipalities, and the Federal and Provincial governments.1”Will Probe Carleton,” The Globe and Mail, May 29, 1964, 10; “Mayor Hails Ontario Study,” Ottawa Journal, May 29, 1964, 3. The problems had been longstanding, had cropped up in even the most mundane of situations, and were as much a headache to deal with for the Province as they were the municipalities involved.

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Notes

Notes
↥1 ”Will Probe Carleton,” The Globe and Mail, May 29, 1964, 10; “Mayor Hails Ontario Study,” Ottawa Journal, May 29, 1964, 3.