Canada's Capital Trivia Quiz

Answer: tulips

Held annually in May, the origins of the Tulip Festival date back to the Second World War. Princess Juliana of the Netherlands and her three daughters were sheltered in Ottawa during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. In 1943, the maternity ward of the Ottawa Civic Hospital (where I myself was born) was temporarily declared to be international territory not subject to Canada, so that Princess Margaret would not be born 'in' Canada.

As a thank you after the war, the Dutch royal family sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Ottawa in 1945.

Another 250,000 bulbs were sent in 1946, with a promise of 10,000 more to be sent each year.

Answer: Gatineau

Gatineau, Quebec is located on the opposite side of the Ottawa River and is connected to Ottawa via the Royal Alexandra Bridge. It falls under the jurisdiction of the National Capital Commission and shares the hosting duties of festivals such as Winterlude. Gatineau is frequented by many Ottawa residents primarily for the Casino du Lac-Leamy, located just over the bridge, and also by young Ottawans, because the legal drinking age in Quebec is 18 years, whereas in Ontario it is 19 years.

Answer: True

This is of course the Rideau Canal, a waterway which flows from the Ottawa River all the way to Kingston, Ontario. In the winter, 7.8 kilometres of the canal is cleared and maintained as the world's longest skating rink. This is the equivalent of 90 Olympic hockey rinks.

It was the world's longest skating rink, but in January 2008, Winnipeg, Manitoba took over that record, with the nearly 9 km long rink on the Assiniboine and Red Rivers. So Canada is still home to the world's two longest skating surfaces, but during the winter season 2007-2008, the world's *largest* rink opened in Mexico City.

Answer: Frank Clair Stadium

Both the Rough Riders and the Renegades are defunct CFL teams (folding in 1996 and 2005 respectively), but Frank Clair Stadium still stands in the confines of Lansdowne Park. Lansdowne Park is also home to the Ottawa Civic Centre (where the 67s of the Ontario Hockey League play) and the fairgrounds of the Ottawa SuperEx.

The football field was named Frank Clair Stadium in 1993, and it is named after a coach of the Rough Riders from the 1960s and '70s. In 2007, Frank Clair Stadium was one of the places where games of the FIFA U-20 World Cup were played.

Answer: Parliament buildings

The centre block of the Parliament buildings caught fire on February 3, 1916 and the central tower fell just after midnight. Seven people are known to have died in the fire. The only part of the buildings spared was the Parliamentary Library, because of the heavy metal fire doors which separated the Library from the rest of the centre block.

The official cause of the fire was said to be a cigar that was carelessly discarded, but many people believed that it was an act of terrorism perpetrated by 'the Hun', as Canada was heavily involved in World War One in 1916.

Answer: Chateau Laurier

The hotel is named in honour of former Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier, who helped the commissioners get the important location for the hotel (at the time, the Ottawa Union Station was located right across the street). The Chateau Laurier was due to be opened on April 26, 1912, but the hotel's commissioner Charles Melville Hays died aboard the Titanic on April 14, 1912.

The official opening ceremony for the hotel was held on June 12, 1912. In 1999, it was renamed the Fairmont Chateau Laurier when Canadian National Hotels bought the American Fairmont hotel chain and became Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.

There is a version of the Chateau Laurier called "Hotel du Canada" at the Canadian Pavilion at Epcot, in Orlando, Florida.

Answer: Universite Laval

Algonquin College is an applied arts-and-technology college whose main campus is located in Ottawa's West End. It also serves the Ottawa Valley with campuses in Perth and Pembroke. Notable Algonquin graduates include Tom Green, Norm MacDonald, and Larry O'Brien, mayor of Ottawa.

Saint Paul University is a Catholic Pontifical university, affiliated with the University of Ottawa (which would have been a far too obvious option to put in this question). A famous alumnus of Saint Paul U is Sister Helen Prejean, known for her advocacy of eliminating the death penalty in the US.

Carleton University is the second of the major post-secondary institutions in Ottawa, along with the U of O, and is my own Alma mater. Some famous alumni include Dan Aykroyd, Peter Jennings and K-OS, a Canadian musician. Here's something I didn't know until I looked up Carleton on Wikipedia: astronaut Marc Garneau has been the Chancellor of the university since 2003.

Universite Laval is located in Quebec City, Quebec.

Answer: Sparks St

Located in the heart of downtown Ottawa, a good chunk of Sparks St was converted into a pedestrian mall in 1966. The entire street runs from Elgin St to Bronson Ave but the mall only goes from Elgin to Bank St, and then continues West to Lyon St for another two blocks.

In addition to shops and restaurants, the Sparks Street Mall is also home to the National Arts Centre and some of the cities oldest buildings, such as the original post office (built in 1937) and the Electric Building (built in 1926). On a historical note, Member of Parliament Thomas D'Arcy McGee was assassinated on the corner of Sparks and Metcalfe in 1868. D'Arcy McGee's Irish Pub now stands on the corner of Sparks and Elgin.

Answer: Elgin St

The "Sens Mile", a section of Elgin St that was closed off during every Ottawa Senators playoff game in 2007, served as a party zone for hockey fans. The games were broadcast on a huge screen in the park outside of City Hall on Elgin and local restaurants and business owners all down the street were asked to display Sens colours and keep their doors open late on game nights.

There are plans to keep "Sens Mile" going throughout the entire season, not just the playoffs, beginning in the 2007-2008 season.

Answer: False

The War Museum does house the headstone of the Unknown Soldier in its Memorial Hall, which is somewhat hidden off the main lobby of the museum and is the quietest and least visited area of the museum. On November 11, at 11:00 a.m. sunlight comes through a single small window and reflects directly onto the headstone.

However, the actual tomb and remains of the soldier are located at the Canadian War Memorial, located in Confederation Square, at the intersection of Elgin and Wellington. The Memorial was unveiled in 1939 as a commemoration for those who died in WWI. The dates of the Second World War and Korean War were added to the Memorial in 1982. The Canadian Unknown Soldier was laid to rest in the War Memorial on May 28, 2000. He had previously been buried in France.