In Ontario, there are 133 First Nation communities in Ontario, yet only 46 of these communities have public libraries. The Ontario Library Association noted the challenges that First Nation libraries face in keeping up with the demand for internet access in First Nation communities.

Some First Nation libraries are serving more patrons than their resident populations, based on a comparison of active library cardholders to resident population served. A Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport report called for improved internet access to First First Nation public libraries, and noted others don’t have internet access at all.

In October 2017,  the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines announced jointly with the Government of Canada’s Connect to Innovate project that it would bring broadband infrastructure to several Ontario First Nation communities and acknowledged the the role that libraries play in accessing digital information.

This horizontal bar graph shows the percentage of active library cardholders to the resident population served at each of the 46 First Nation libraries in Ontario in 2016.  / SOURCE: LibStats, Government of Ontario, December 15, 2017.

This visualization maps out which First Nation public libraries in Ontario have Indigenous language training programs and the attendance numbers for these programs. Of the 46 First Nation public libraries in Ontario, only 12 have Indigenous language training programs, with a combined total enrolment of 623 individuals.

Last fall, a report commissioned by Ontario’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, recommended that libraries should support the “management, preservation and revitalization of First Nation languages” and the 2018 federal budget promised $23.9 million towards supporting Indigenous history and heritage.

Ontario First Nation Libraries with Indigenous Language Training Programs

Of the 46 First Nation Libraries in Ontario, only 12 have Indigenous language training programs in 2016. This map shows the geographic location for each along the attendance for each program.  / SOURCE: LibStats, Government of Ontario, December 15, 2017.

Both of these visualizations came from LibStats, which is a downloadable dataset from the Government of Ontario website based on self-reported data from over 380 public libraries and First Nation libraries across Ontario.

Given the recent 2018 budget and the financial investments and commitments made to Canada’s Indigenous communities, the data for Ontario First Nation libraries is significant because the funding model for First Nation libraries differs from other libraries. Instead, I focused on First Nation libraries and used the Ontario Library Association report on First Nation libraries as a primer that outlined some of the issues that its members in the First Nation community were experiencing (i.e. that there are only 46 First Nation libraries for a total of 133 First Nation communities in Ontario.)

In terms of the focus of the first visualization, the Ontario Library Association and the Ministry of Tourism, Sport and Culture reports revealed that Internet access is a huge cornerstone for these First Nation communities, as it provides free access to information. In calculating the percentage of active library cardholders to the resident population served, it was apparent that  there was some kind of significance that 10 of these libraries clocked in at over 100 per cent. The report commissioned by the Ministry of Tourism, Sport and Culture provided context that the Ontario government was seeking input on the needs of First Nation libraries. I also chose the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines press release because it partnered with Government of Canada’s Connect to Innovate project, which is ongoing until 2012 to bring broadband Internet to First Nation communities. The news hook here is that the rollout of these funding projects is continuous, amid additional investments to Indigenous communities to improve technology.

For the second visualization, I wanted to highlight that 12 of the 46 First Nation public libraries in Ontario offer Indigenous language training programs. I used the  Ministry of Tourism, Sport and Culture special report from October 2017 because it directly recommended more Indigenous language training and retention at First Nation public libraries. This is significant because 2016 marked the first year that LibStats asked for information about Indigenous language training programs from First Nation libraries. There, the significance is related to the federal government’s financial commitments to reconciliation and preservation of Indigenous history and heritage in the 2018 budget.

I reached out to the Ministry of Tourism, Sport and Culture to find out if there would be more funding allocated to First Nation public libraries in the 2018 provincial budget. They weren’t able to provide specific details about new programs yet, but they did say that in 2017 they invested $1 million to improve digital services for rural, remote, and First Nation public libraries, so it’s worth looking at the provincial budget next week to see if there are any further investments and grants planned.

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Last fall, Ottawa’s light-rail transit veered slightly off track with OC Transpo postponing the opening of the project from May to November 2018. The Confederation Line, the first stage of the light-rail system, will cost the city $2.1 billion and span 12.5 kilometres.

It’s hard to believe that from 1891 to 1959 Ottawa actually had a robust transit system that traversed over 48 kilometres with routes that mirrored today’s light-rail plans — plus it was electric-powered. That popular streetcar system was known as the Ottawa Electric Railway.

Paul Henry, chief archivist at the City of Ottawa Archives said many streetcar routes were determined based on traffic flow of Ottawa commuters. In other cases, Ottawans could petition the Ottawa Electric Railway like this 1895 petition.

Archivist Signe Jeppesen noted that the Britannia Beach expansion was an easy one for the Ottawa Electric Company since the company also owned property at Britannia Park at the time.

Britannia Park was also the place to partake in the hip-gyrating rock and roll scene of the 1950s because it had outdoor pavilions that encouraged dancing, said Henry.

“From a sociological perspective it’s interesting to see the connection between the streetcar enabling people to get around town, and the activities that they undertook once they had access to a stable transportation system,” Henry said.

Not unlike Ottawa’s light-rail transit system today, Ottawa’s streetcars had their fair share of controversies.

“What’s fascinating is that the directors of the Ottawa Electric Railway and the directors of the Ottawa Car Company, which built the streetcars, were the same people,” said Henry. He said that the issue of conflict of interest would never have been allowed today.

Henry and Jeppesen confirmed that the popularity of Ottawa’s streetcars peaked in 1941 with an annual ridership of 39.8 million in a city of just 154,000 people, which ultimately created wear and tear on the streetcars.

“In 1899, a mile of track, or 1.6 kilometres, would have cost them the equivalent of $71,000 today. The capitalization costs of an effective, well-laid out streetcar system was challenging at best, even if you had the flexibility in a private sector enterprise,” said Henry.

Ottawa’s streetcars were at a crossroads when amendments to the Income War Tax Act cost Ottawa Electric Railway over $1-million in 1945, according to Jeppesen. Three years later, the city-owned Ottawa Transit Commission purchased the streetcars.

It was a confluence of factors that led the city to decommission the streetcar system: large swaths of track had to be rebuilt and streetcars were in need of major repairs, as reported by The Ottawa Journal in Apr. 29, 1959.

“It was born to the incredulous acclaim of thousands on a June day in 1891,” wrote Thomas Kerr of the streetcar in the Ottawa Journal on Apr. 26, 1960. “It died to the nostalgic acclaim of other thousands in April, 1959.”

Although Ottawa’s streetcar tracks have been ripped up and paved over, Henry said the streetcars left a profound legacy in its triumph of technology over environment.

“Local solutions were invented like the snow sweeper car to deal with a unique Ottawa problem. They were then exported by the Ottawa Car Company to other consumers of streetcars,” he said.

The City of Ottawa Archives said it hasn’t heard if the city plans to pay tribute to the bygone streetcars ahead of the Confederation Line’s maiden voyage this fall.

This is a test from Olivia Robinson.