Green Island (Rideau River)
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Green Island in Ottawa,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Canada, is an island at the junction of the Rideau River, just off Sussex Drive in Ottawa at the
Rideau Falls The Rideau Falls (french: Chutes de la rivière Rideau) are two 11-metre waterfalls located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, where the Rideau River empties into the Ottawa River. The falls are divided by Green Island, with Ottawa's Old City Hall j ...
at the confluence with the Ottawa River. It is situated near the neighbourhood of
New Edinburgh New Edinburgh is a neighbourhood in Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located to the northeast of the downtown core. It is bordered on the west by the Rideau River, to the north by the Ottawa River, to the south by Bee ...
. To the west of the island is the
National Research Council National Research Council may refer to: * National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development * National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome * National Research Council (United States), part of ...
, and
Global Affairs Canada Global Affairs Canada (GAC; french: Affaires mondiales Canada; AMC)''Global Affairs Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (). is the department ...
(formerly Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada); to the east is 24 Sussex Drive and the embassy of
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. On either side of the falls are facilities for a hydroelectric power plant. Down the Rideau river are the ruins of a rail bridge that once led to Ottawa's
Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
.


Commemorations

Green Island has several commemorations including: * the Mackenzie-Papineau Monument to Canadian veterans of the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
, * the
Ottawa Memorial The Ottawa Memorial is a monument in Ottawa, Ontario, that "commemorates by name almost 800 men and women who lost their lives while serving or training with the Air Forces of the Commonwealth in Canada, the West Indies and the United States and ...
was erected in the form of a huge bronze globe by the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations m ...
and Public Works Canada. The memorial was unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on July 1, 1959. The Ottawa Memorial commemorates approximately 800 men and women who were in active service or in training with the Commonwealth air forces in Canada, the Caribbean and the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, who died during the Second World War. They have no known grave, or were buried at remote crash sites that are considered to be inaccessible. * the National Artillery Monument was unveiled by Major-General Georges P. Vanier on September 21, 1959, in
Major's Hill Park Major's Hill Park is a park in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. The park stands above the Rideau Canal at the point where it enters the Ottawa River. The parliament buildings can be seen across the canal to the west, to the north of the park is the Nat ...
. The Monument was moved to Green Island in 1997 as part of the
National Capital Commission The National Capital Commission (NCC; french: Commission de la capitale nationale, CCN) is the Crown corporation responsible for development, urban planning, and conservation in Canada's Capital Region (Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec), i ...
’s restructuring plan. On 24 May 1998, the monument was rededicated on Green Island. On November 11 of each year, a memorial service is held at National Artillery Monument immediately following the national ceremony at the Cenotaph. A wreath is laid by the Colonel Commandant or the Director of Artillery on behalf of The
Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery , colors = The guns of the RCA themselves , colors_label = Colours , march = * Slow march: "Royal Artillery Slow March" * Quick march (dismounted parades): " British Grenadiers/ Th ...
. * A sculpture of Lieutenant Colonel
John McCrae Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae (November 30, 1872 – January 28, 1918) was a Canadian poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I, and a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. He is best known for writing the ...
by Ruth Abernethy was erected in 2015 with his dress as an artillery officer and his medical bag nearby, as he writes
In Flanders Fields "In Flanders Fields" is a war poem in the form of a rondeau, written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend and ...
. The statue shows the destruction of the battlefield and, at his feet, the poppies which are a symbol of Remembrance of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and all armed conflict since.


Ottawa City Hall (1958–2001)

Green Island was the location of Old City Hall, of the old city of Ottawa, before the amalgamation of the region in 2001. After considering 36 different locations, Green Island was confirmed as the new location of Ottawa City Hall on January 31, 1956. The official sod-turning ceremony was held on September 16, 1956. Construction was completed in 1958. City Council held its first meeting at the new location on July 21, 1958. Princess Margaret officially opened the stone and glass building, which featured a marble spiral staircase leading to the second floor, on August 2, 1958. This building remained Ottawa’s City Hall until municipal amalgamation came into effect on January 1, 2001. The building of an expensive addition to the city hall (designed by
Moshe Safdie Moshe Safdie ( he, משה ספדיה; born July 14, 1938) is an architect, urban planner, educator, theorist, and author, with Israeli, Canadian, and American citizenship. He is known for incorporating principles of socially responsible des ...
), the architect of the
National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the ...
shortly before the building was decommissioned was a source of controversy in the city.


References

{{Ottawa landmarks Landforms of Ottawa River islands of Ontario