Eastern Ontario is a corner of Ontario sandwiched between New York State to the south and Quebec to the north.
This region is a true blending of the character and culture of its neighbours, along with its own distinct influences. By taking a little from many different places, Eastern Ontario produces something unique. The theme here is the reconciliation of opposites. The region is both English- and French-speaking; it is mostly rural, but is also home to Canada's capital city; it is agricultural, but also home to a giant wilderness park; and although found in the middle of the North America, it sits astride one of the world's greatest shipping routes.
Regions
Eastern Ontario regions (Photo: Shaundd, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Cities
Ottawa — the largest city of the region, it has all the architecture and museums you would expect in a national capital
- Alexandria — part of Ontario's Celtic heartland, a place where Gaelic can still be heard
- Belleville — it has some fine heritage buildings
- Brockville — the "city of the Thousand Islands"
- Cornwall — for those coming from Montreal, this is a stop along the way to Toronto
- Kingston — one of the most historic cities in Canada with many churches, old buildings, picturesque neighbourhoods, and 19th-century fortifications
- Pembroke — a small city that can be a base for exploring Algonquin Provincial Park
- Prescott — has two War of 1812 national historic sites to visit
- Trenton — home of the National Air Force Museum of Canada
Other destinations
- Algonquin Park — large forested provincial park with camping, activities; borders Central and Northern Ontario
- Thousand Islands — scenic border region split between Eastern Ontario and northern New York
Understand
Ottawa above the Ottawa River (Photo: G. Baranski - http://photomulti.com, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Despite being hundreds of kilometres from the sea, the geography and much of the history of the region is dominated by water. Indigenous peoples (Algonquin, Haudenosaunee and Wyandot) used the rivers as trade networks. French voyageurs adopted the routes beginning in the 1600s, trading manufactured goods to the natives in exchange for furs — European settlement in Eastern Ontario did not start until the mid-1700s, when the settlement of L'Original was founded in today’s Prescott-Russell). After the American Revolution, the St. Lawrence became a border with the United States. Also, though, it was where United Empire Loyalists (groups of Americans who remained loyal to Britain after the American Revolution) settled. Kingston was founded as a military outpost to protect the entrance to the St. Lawrence from Lake Ontario. The colonial authorities were worried about their vulnerability to American attack via the connection down the St. Lawrence. They thus opened the Rideau Canal in 1832 in order to connect Kingston to the Ottawa River. This added a new water feature to the area, that today is used mainly for recreation. The rivers were also key to the lumber industry; logs were floated down river to sawmills, and one of these lumber towns, Bytown (now Ottawa), was later chosen as Canada's capital.
Upper Canada Village (Photo: Bodoklecksel, CC BY-SA 3.0)
European settlement inland (away from the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers) did not ensue until the first half of the 1800s, when the settlements of Russell, Saint Augustine-de-Catherine (now Embrun), Perth and Smiths Falls were founded. Throughout the rest of the 1800s and into the 1900s, Eastern Ontario continued to grow, now with government jobs in Ottawa as a main driver. Then, in 1959, the water landscape changed again, when the St. Lawrence Seaway opened. This flooded several historic communities, which are now memorialized at Upper Canada Village and the Lost Villages Museum in Morrisburg.
The size of the government in Ottawa dramatically expanded from the 1940s through the 1970s. This brought increased prosperity to the region. Since that time, information technology and tourism have also emerged as major industries.
Talk
When it comes to language, Eastern Ontario is divided into three linguistic sub-regions:
- The Canadian French area is mainly in Prescott-Russell, in the far northeastern section of Eastern Ontario. In this area, the French language is dominant culturally, though you should have no problem being understood in English.
- The Canadian English area is mainly in Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Leeds-Grenville, Frontenac County and Lanark County. In this area, the English language is dominant culturally.
- The Ottawa Valley Twang area is mainly in Renfrew County. In this area, an accent of the English language, called Ottawa Valley Twang is dominant. Often common phrases that are normally two words are pronounced as though there is no space between them (eg. "Good day" is pronounced as "gidday").
Climate
Although Canada has a reputation for being very cold, low-lying parts of Eastern Ontario are in the "Long Summer/Short Winter" belt of Ontario, where summer can arrive early and stay late, providing some pleasant warmth in late spring and early autumn. Summers in Eastern Ontario usually last from late May to late September, and winters last about from late November/early December to late March.
The first snowfalls of the year usually occur in November, but snow doesn't actually cover the ground until December. Snow in October is not unheard of, though it's usually just a flurry and rarely lasts more than a day or two.
In the spring, the snow usually starts melting in March, although occasional warm breaks with temperatures as high as 10°C (50°F) usually occur once or twice in January and February, and snow flurries can still occur in April or even May.
Often in the winter freezing rain will occur, when it is not warm enough for rain but not cold enough for snow. Freezing rain is rain that turns to ice after it hits the ground, which makes driving very hazardous and often closes down schools and makes the roads very icy for a few days.
Humidity is common in summer, especially in July and August. Although temperatures are usually just under 30°C (86°F), humidity can make the temperature feel like it's about 38°C (100°F). Heatwaves are becoming more frequent, with temperatures rising above 30°C for a few days at a time, when humidex temperatures can feel closer to 45°C (113°F).
Get in
By car
- The Trans-Canada Highway (17/417) follows the Ottawa Valley through Pembroke and Ottawa to Montréal
- Ontario highway 401 follows the Windsor-Quebec corridor from Toronto, passing through Kingston-Brockville-Cornwall and continuing toward Montréal
- From New York state, Interstate 81 ends at the Thousand Islands bridge in Leeds and the 1000 Islands, 15 km east of Gananoque on the 401. There are also bridges across the St. Lawrence River at Prescott-Ogdensburg and Cornwall-Massena.
- From the Outaouais and Western Quebec there is one bridge in Pembroke, five in Ottawa-Gatineau and one in Hawkesbury to cross the Ottawa River into Ontario
By bus
- Megabus (Coach Canada) operates in the Toronto-Kingston-Montreal corridor with several runs daily
- A few local (city) buses on both OCTranspo and STO cross between Ottawa-Hull or Ottawa-Hull-Gatineau. Ottawa city buses are red and white, Gatineau are light blue.
By train
- Via Rail runs three "corridor" services through the region several times a day. These include:
Toronto-Kingston-Montréal: stopping at Cornwall, Brockville, Gananoque, Napanee, Belleville, Cobourg and Port Hope
Toronto-Kingston-Ottawa: stopping at Smiths Falls, Brockville, Gananoque, Napanee, Belleville, Cobourg and Port Hope
Ottawa-Montréal: stopping at Casselman and Alexandria
By air
- Ottawa International (YOWIATA) is the one major airport in-region.
- Kingston (YGKIATA) has a small airport for private planes;
- Montréal-Trudeau is slightly out of region, but has good air-to-rail connections westward into the St. Lawrence Valley
By boat
- There are a few ferry crossings on the Ottawa River in small places like Cumberland-Masson which lack an interprovincial bridge to Québec
- There is a privately-operated international ferry from Cape Vincent NY to Wolfe Island which operates seasonally
- Cruising on small craft is possible on the Ottawa River (from Ottawa eastward), the Rideau Canal, the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes
Get around
- Local city bus service of varying quality is available in cities including Belleville, Kingston, Brockville and Ottawa (which also has light rail, known as the O-Train)
- Ottawa has an extensive network of multi-use pathways (MUPs) for cycling, walking, and active transportation
See
Kingston City Hall (Photo: Laslovarga, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Ottawa, as the National Capital, has excellent national museums and galleries devoted to various subjects from arts to science to warfare. Kingston is a small, exceedingly pleasant city on Lake Ontario, with a beautiful university, and lots of old limestone buildings that are central to its character.
There is lots of history through the region, including Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, a pioneer village living history museum. Fort Wellington in Prescott and Fort Henry in Kingston recreate military exercises and displays from the post-War of 1812 era
Merrickville is a small but charming canal-side village on the Rideau which makes a good day trip from Ottawa.
Itineraries
Do
Skating on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa (Photo: John.B.Codrington, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Cruises of the Thousand Islands are popular, especially in the summer. They start from Kingson, Gananoque and Brockville, and some include a tour of the historic Boldt Castle, which sits on one of the islands.
Whitewater rafting on the Ottawa River is popular, as is skiing in Calabogie. In winter, part of the Rideau Canal in Ottawa is turned into an 8-km-long skating rink. From late March until mid November, the region offers excellent cycling opportunities on the hundreds of kilometers of separate cycling infrastructure. In winter there are options for renting fat bikes to cycle in the snow. The city also has an increasing number of urban cross country ski trails starting at parking lots and light rail stations.
There are many events in Ottawa, including Winterlude, a large winter carnival in February, with ice and snow sculptures, concerts, and an 8-km-long skating rink (weather permitting).
The Tulip Festival in early May. The tulip bulbs were an annual gift from Princess Juliana from the Netherlands after her stay in Ottawa during the war years as well as from the Dutch population for the liberation of the Netherlands in which Canada played an important role. Eventually the annual ambundance of tens of thousands of tulips was turned into a festival in May. The Netherlands government operated in exile in London, England during the Second World War.
Canada Day (July 1) is celebrated in a big way throughout the city of Ottawa.
Eat
- Maple sugar shacks are popular in early spring; the season usually begins soon after the spring thaw
- Strawberries and apples may be picked in-season; the strawberries are usually ripe in late June, just before the Canada Day holiday. Apples are usually ripe between mid September and mid October.
Drink
- Prince Edward County is winery country - not quite on the same scale as the Niagara Peninsula, but there is a growing number of small vineyards
Stay safe
- While most of Eastern Ontario is beaten path, animal collisions remain a risk on some highways. Winter driving and ice safety are also a concern in the off-season.
Go next
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