Touring Ottawa 1968 69

My uncle drove around Ottawa in the early spring, about 1968 and again about a year later. He takes us from Maitland Avenue along the Queensway to downtown, around Parliament, to Champlain point, along the Ottawa River, Dows Lake and many other places in town. How the city has changed!

[@kaymac01]

Wow. It's amazing how *little* has changed. You could drop me in Ottawa 45 years ago and I would have no trouble fitting in or finding my way around.

[@PierreRenaud]

Kind of a sad statement.... ;-)

[@fortunatoofamontillado1059]

Population was less than 300 k .. the only visible minority were us Europeans

[@thomasgraham742]

@Harold Jenkins Alrighty then gramps. Times they are a-changing' and people need to learn how to change with them and shrug off old prejudices and strawman fears. Describe to me what a Canadian is, in your opinion, in physical terms for me please sir.

[@zammmerjammer]

@Harold Jenkins I was born in Canada and you can take your racist bullshit and fuck yourself with it.

[@thomasgraham742]

@Harold Jenkins Ah sorry that's just am extremely outdated-sounding view so I assumed you were an old man. Immigrants, in multiple waves throughout the centuries, built and maintained this country and the opposition to immigrants of certain races ( which is really your issue I gather but you are probably afraid to admit it) has always been an issue but over time they become accepted within the fabric of the nation. For example Eastern Europeans and Irish in the early 20th century were seen as a seperate "race" and were looked down upon as immigrants. If all of our modern immigrants were English, French, German, etc would you still be complaining about them?

[@PhilipJackson03]

What an obscure thing for KZbin to recommend me 6 years after its posting.

[@soniamyers9402]

Lol same

[@steev6946]

Wow.. everything is so familiar but yet different

[@zerohero23677]

Wow, everything looks the same! Even the friggin traffic lights!

[@colinmacvicar2507]

JayJay Jellybean And even some of the same asphalt

[@difencrosby]

Ottawa hasn’t changed at all. Even the buildings are the same.

[@Justin-uc8sc]

What were you expecting that building should be torn down and rebuilt every decade?

[@nekothecat8418]

@@Justin-uc8sc this was about like the 60 years ago buddy- (when this was filmed) it's kinda strange that almost everyone thing looks the same.

[@nekothecat8418]

@Art Ellis I said about, *about 60 years ago*

[@nekothecat8418]

@Art Ellis it was I believe 58 years ago, round that, *60*

[@nekothecat8418]

@Art Ellis okay, thanks for pointing it out :3

[@martinwatters2729]

My father died in 68 i remember going to the RAT HOLE movie theater to see the COWBOYS staring JOHN WAYNE with my UNCLE LORNE a few years after and he showed us the down town this is how it looked as i remember it. OUTSTANDING.

[@steerpike1359]

This is the year I moved to Ottawa with my family, when my father was first elected to parliament, I was 11 years old ! So much has changed, the Sparks Street Mall especially ! I remember those Xmas decorations on Rideau Street and the log booms in the Ottawa River.

[@timsummers870]

Thank you for sharing this video. Your uncle was half a century ahead of his time for taking this footage from his car and around town. I can only imagine how many people had a camera in 1968. Today we can do that with our phones.

[@notyourmama6511]

I remember when Carling Ave ended at woodroofe at the Sears Store. And a dirt road to brittania beach.

[@honeybee476]

I went to McGregor Easson public school in the 80s! ...it still looks the same :)

[@HAA0603]

Isn't it the one on Dynes Road? I live on Viewmount Road nearby and it was closed since 2010.

[@honeybee476]

@@HAA0603 yep! right across the field from St. Augustines. We are neighbours :)

[@ArmoredWorriorXx]

Ottawa has grown so much from then, incredible

[@mottledbrain]

We lived in Ottawa from '65 - '68. I didn't recall the buses having their new colour scheme while I was still there. It sure looks familiar! E.B. Eddy -- we used to smell that plant a few days a year even though we lived miles away.

[@willbeez60]

Yes. Especially on cold, still winter mornings, the smell of sulphur would hang in the air.

[@bohnulus]

I remember that smell

[@HAA0603]

Ottawa has sort of changed, but other than that, jeez, it looks so similar.

[@nickbhamra9913]

Very nice memories I went to school at mcgregerssion school lived on dynes rd thanks

[@honeybee476]

I went to McGregor too!

[@nickbhamra9913]

@@honeybee476 what year my self was 1977

[@honeybee476]

@@nickbhamra9913 80-88

[@rozphelps9977]

So did I!

[@rozphelps9977]

Early 70’s

[@donfrisby]

Wonderful to see this. The drive down Maitland and then onto the Queensway, exiting to Kent Street has been part of my drive home for over forty years. Great footage, and surprisingly good quality. Thanks for sharing this!

[@gwgere]

Awesome! Thanks.

[@sauvanto9316]

8:53 I see the canal hasn't chaaangeWHOA this looks weird without Rideau Center!

[@ThomasKrul]

Love that green median on Elgin, just south of Laurier!

[@zhongxina8427]

Imagine telling those people how much rent is in Ottawa now. They would be like "GTFOH"

[@JoelleTheAbsurdist]

No kidding....

[@zerohero23677]

$1200 for a bachelor in my building and im 15km from downtown. Insane.

[@x_1922]

JayJay Jellybean 1500 for two bedroom and I live pretty close to downtown, just the apartment is kinda old and shitty tho

[@Justin-uc8sc]

Yeah that’s what inflation does moron

[@zhongxina8427]

@Gary Oak Get em Gary!

[@cdcanada7182]

This is fascinating!!

[@tfreeland941]

Ah back when the Corona virus was just the hangover you came home with after a trip to Mexico. I miss that.

[@dewiz9596]

If nothing else, it should show us how far video technology has come.

[@malofamily1082]

I went to McGregor Easson from 1982-1990, that was cool to watch!

[@blthetube1]

I have a feeling that who ever videoed this was the owner of that Volkswagen..

[@dena_pal4987]

Absolutely! My aunt drove the VW and my uncle took the video.

[@ThomasKrul]

EVERYONE had a bug back then

[@willbeez60]

My dad had a Bug when I was really young, and I vaguely remember hiding in the tiny little storage space behind the back seat. Then he moved up and got a '63 Plymouth Belvedere. Thanks for the video. To quote the Beatles: "There are places I remember..."

[@CanadianTuBaoZi]

@@dena_pal4987 the quality of this footage is far better than any early model smart phone, very nice work and thanks for posting this.

[@jeanc819]

Most likely filmed.

[@smilingmonkey2528]

Got a real kick out of watching that! Brief shot of the Loblaws store, too funny! Great video!

[@michaeljoyner2934]

Hey cool vid. I was born in Ottawa in 69. Wish they would shown a Rough Rider game so I could see my dad play ball. 🏈🍁

[@LouisEmery]

No traffic. Feels like a Sunday morning. I noticed the logs in the Ottawa river.

[@willbeez60]

There used to be a pulp mill in Hull right across the river from Parliament, where the History Museum is now. The back of the $1 bills from then showed a view of Parliament Hill from the river, complete with log booms.

[@samjall]

Thank you for uploading it is amazing a little has changed.. except the roads were a lot cleaner back then lol

[@annadams5201]

I absolutely love this! I"m born & raised in Ottawa and left about 20yrs ago and go back time to time but nothing beats the old days, I sure miss those, thank you for sharing :)

[@janelaughbaum8265]

where in Ottawa did you live ?

[@OZBIE]

The old boat house on Dow's lake, I remember when they opened up the canal for ice skating in the early '70's and we would change our skates in the boat house, much simpler time.

[@JIMIIXTLAN]

I worked at the old boathouse in 78 79 great job bad pay

[@stephenfox4096]

Does anyone of a certain age remember the horrendous car crashes on the Queensway back in the 1960's? Every morning on the radio there was another mention of a "multi-car pileup" when someone crossed the median and went through the little wire fence. It took years before the city wised up and put in proper concrete barriers

[@willbeez60]

I was in one when I was about 2. A guy crossed the median and hit my dad's car. Just a slight, glancing blow, fortunately, and no serious injuries. I took some stitches to the top of my head from flying out of the back seat and hitting the ignition key. My brother went out the window and landed unharmed. No child seats then.

[@achilleuwimana3485]

I love it💕💕💕💕💕💕💖💖💖💖💖💖💖👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@wandajames6234]

Why is everyone saying how little it's changed? It was a helluva lot more sparse than it is now-- there are a lot of new buildings from the Byward Market to Tunney's Pasture to Baseline Road-- Take a tour of the same course now and you'll see the difference. Of course the structure of the city itself hasn't changed-- did you expect the earth to move and the Queensway and 100 year-old buildings to be rearranged?

[@ColeODriscoll]

Wow! It really is very similar to how it is today. I recognized nearly all of the areas shown and even some of the buildings are still here.

[@stinky789]

Such a trip to see places you have been ages ago

[@frankdiscussion2069]

The Woolworth's at 5:18 is now a Chapter's book store. You can see The Bay dept store right next to it on the right.

[@steveprice638]

Arrived in Kanata 1968 and Ottawa the next year. Miss it still.

[@itsfranchesca1204]

So cool to see our city back in the day! Everything looked affordable 😂 We might as well be the new Toronto now $$$$

[@edithcote7901]

I went to Laurentian H.S. 1964/68. Is it on this video anywhere. It doesnt exist anymore.

[@33kingofkings]

Damn this is so cool I'm on uplands dr and ya everything does look same

[@marilynpowell8944]

It’s true. Nothing ever seems to change in that city, including obnoxious gossip

[@exocguy]

Grew up in Ottawa before queensway was even there. Going to rathole theatre, capital, regent etc Mann ave projects, ice house corner mann ave, water tower besides royal Ottawa, yup, the good ol days,

[@briannaorange9910]

MOOD AHAAHAHAHAHAHA

[@Zebra_3]

apparently it smells like shit at the Parliament LRT station...yes there is a God. 🙏

[@EricFB]

People talking about how things haven't changed much trying to make it sound like this was recorded 100 years ago. 1969 wasn't that long ago.

[@4aridmax]

Ottawa is my #1 city on earth.

[@coolspot18]

Ottawa looks the same 40+ years later...

[@TheGreatMoonFrog]

Lol, the squirrel at 3:11 is probably the great great great great great grandaddy of the squirrels we see running around today there.

[@CanadianTuBaoZi]

Tailgating on the Queensway apparently is a time honoured tradition

[@onurunlu129]

Wow lol. Really hard to say this is 1968. Everything looks just same!

[@yusufahmed2426]

I saw my street but not my house

[@JohnPaul-pb4eu]

if you look closely there was NOT one Donair shop !! 😅

[@stephenwebber3076]

Now I have to go through my parents home movies to see what they from Nepean...

[@Tiqerboy]

Funny how you filmed McGregor Easson Public School. I went there as a kid, though after this video was made (which was 1969 by the way, you can tell from the license plates - white on blue). And that white VW Bug must have been your uncle's since we see it in several shots.

[@carlandre8610]

I remember the old green and olive coloured buses with a thin Red stripe. It was OTC not OC Transpo back then. Ottawa U. Had the big pair of dot matrix eyes on the building heading North on the canal. The Queensway has grown since then. Many buildings have popped up since then. I remember the Skyline being the new tallest building and the talk of dropping a penny from the top would kill someone. I lived close to Kent St. And at the beginning the car passed my old Parish which is now a minor Basilica. It looks very dreary in this film.

[@carlandre8610]

Back in the days you could take your car up Parliament Hill. I remember also fishing behind parliament and seeing the logs and boats.

[@rmcrae62]

Looks like it's going to be a green Christmas! How long did you keep that vw beetle?

[@moto-768]

Looks same as now 😁

[@knowthyself8233]

Wow

[@kassi420]

lol Trinity United Church on Maitland is still the same...

[@zzzzzzzzzzh]

Most of the views are the same but some things have changed - City Hall is no longer located where it was, the Rideau Centre and a new Dows Lake Pavillion were built later, and Carleton U has many new buildings. I lived in the west end so the early views are almost disarmingly familiar considering they are now over 50 years old. If you like a comfortable life in a great natural setting Ottawa is a great place to live, if you like a lot of change in a high energy city you may prefer the big cities.

[@JohnPaul-pb4eu]

That white VW bug is everywhere

[@المرتدالفخور]

My mom would of probably arrived in Canada by this point

[@kknig7874]

Nice to see my old school. I went to McGregor Easson from 1964-1969.

[@UncleWally3]

At first I thought maybe April, but now I’m thinking November? When I watch this I imagine some people looking up at the Peace Tower still getting used to the “new” Canadian flag. I’d love to hear informed opinions about how important Canadian Parliament’s geographic location is to Confederation. In my not so informed opinion, I believe had Ottawa not been the location of parliament, had it even been located on the other side of the river or in any other major city, Canada wouldn’t exist as we know it in 2020.

[@tony--james]

yeah, seen this clip a few times, and it always came off to me as November, looks cold , and raw out, pre snow season like

[@perrysar5954]

@@tony--james Yes you're right Tony you can see Christmas decorations halfway through the video,I just love how Ottawa is 1 and a half hrs from Montreal and 4hrs to Toronto

[@tony--james]

@@perrysar5954 yeah, I saw those also, just forget to mention them, nonetheless, this 8mm film clip is epic!!

[@perrysar5954]

To think you can film all if this with sound in stunning detail, in the palm of your hand with your phone 50 years later....oh yes I forgot,with a world wide pandemic...WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT!!!!!!

[@novacacciotti6217]

I remember how Ottawa was in this video, so much simpler, more beauty from nature, way fewer buildings, cars and people. Now it's congested by comparison, lots of changes! I'll always love Ottawa ❤️

[@4o8.sebastian]

I have family there and I’m from San Francisco

[@agile16mm]

interesting, wonder if there would be more detail if you re-did the transfer in HD?

[@dena_pal4987]

Just seeing the comments sorry so late to respond. Any suggested service? It was 8mm so poor quality even when played on a projector,

[@jeffmurphy4982]

I really love seeing just how much has changed yet how much is still the same

[@philipberthiaume2314]

Looks familiar for sure. I was just born but moved to Montreal six months later. Mother was a teacher and the amount of drugs was crazy. The school had bars on windows to prevent people from falling out.

[@Ty616AT]

This is not 1968. Looks more like 1973 if you look at vehicles and new buildings.

[@plantbasedsenior4240]

Truck for now defunct Ottawa Journal at 1:13. Used to deliver those papers in the west end in Carlingwood Mall area to homes, apartment buildings and businesses in the Mall including the old beer store that was there.

[@NicholasPackwood]

So many elm trees!

[@fatxisaid9942]

Woow Ottawa looks so beautiful then

[@CrownedWarriorBand]

I went to the school in the thumbnail. It is/was on Dynes road. I lived one block over on Eiffel.

[@DS-qg9ck]

IF YOU LOOK AT THE INFRASTRUCTURE,NOT MUCH AS CHANGED,NO WONDER OTTAWA IS GRIDLOCK MOST DAYS

[@philliparnott7878]

Hello! I am a student enrolled at Carleton University, currently making a documentary about an Ottawa artist, is there any way my group and I could use some of this footage in our film? Thanks!

[@fortunatoofamontillado1059]

Which artist ?

[@dena_pal4987]

So sorry, I am just seeing this now. I hope you used the footage, My uncle passed away in 1988 and would have been pleased that it was used.

[@JanBee1122]

Looks more like early 70s to me. Those buses for instance were not that style or colour in the 60s.

[@frankihatch]

Not much has changed

[@nazarethserrao6073]

I saw my house, wow this is really cool

[@outdoormcbain2346]

I lived there 20 years ago and not much had changed from when this was filmed. It’s much different in some parts of the city now.

[@Schyllion]

This is awesome. Thank you so much for sharing it!!

[@DeltaDemon1]

"How the city has changed!"...Odd, I was thinking how little the city has changed (except for the cars, of course). Most of the landmarks in this video are the same now. Even the residential houses filmed look similar to some of the residential houses today (except for the siding color...Cyan...Ugh!).

[@banjobanjo-xn7lq]

You're wrong...51 years later...it looks...the same.

[@blazebrdar6492]

Am I the only one that thinks the park where the arts museum is now looked really nice!? I wish I could walk around it now.

[@bohnulus]

totally agree

[@ForeverExpos]

VERY IMPRESSIVE that your Uncle got this in 1968-69! And Thank YOU so much for posting this!!! My Family lived in Ottawa 1964-1983. Great Memories!!!

[@bohnulus]

awesome vid!!! I had just moved to Ottawa from Monterey California, 1969. My father was invited to emigrate to Canada ( cold ) to work for Jean Chretien, yes. - I was 5. what a shock. But I remember the charm of Rideau Street at Christmas. Bells would chime and there were Christmas trees and Outdoor Garland hanging decoratively ( stop the vid 12:04 ) . I had never seen such a culture. we moved to Grenfell Glen off of Merivale Rd. ( I remember when Merivale road, south of Tanglewood was tar sprayed on small rocks!!!!!. It seemed to this young boy that Ottawa was the Parliament Buildings and everything else was kind of run by the locals built up around. I've lived in many cities.. I love Ottawa for its scenic qualities - just saying.

[@georgewood1458]

thanks for posting this

[@afoolandhismoneychannel]

You can tell how old it is by the unilingual signage, and drivers actually stopping at red lights. 😉

[@whataboutrob442]

Looks just like the USA.

[@peterwalker7728]

not really

[@dale9724]

Amazing. Good job. Thank you. Lived in Ottawa at that time.

[@will251]

That was back when we had the imperial system. I have a couple of questions. It's obvious that nearly all the signs were in English, and most of them are the same as today, same with the traffic lights. We're the road lines white or yellow and white?

[@guyb7005]

when will people ever learn to turn on image stabilising on their iphones? yeah nothing changes in Ottawa

[@marrrrrrks]

I wonder when Ontario started using that stop light design

[@vincentsiciliano3097]

Thank You Very Much - born and raised, best place in the world...

[@Dines27120]

Thank you for posting old Ottawa. Simply beautiful.

[@CanadaSlaw1234]

Logs on River Still...

[@schitzoarmadillo5518]

Damn they drove past my street

[@sharif8952]

Looks pretty much the same

[@DolphinTM]

Geez that's crazy

[@77oregano77]

This was after the Greber Plan and urban renewal gutted the core of the city, the working class and Francophones were all pushed out from downtown to make it more germane and with them went any character the city center ever had.

[@roasrunna8634]

What a sad video , 50 years later and nothing has changed . It's as if time has stopped .

[@nathanfelix8063]

Ya wtf it hasn't changed much