International/ethnic districts in Ottawa

eternallyme · #1 Posted **Dec 27, 2014, 3:40 AM**

I'm just wondering if any more are worthy of being created? I know Chinatown and Little Italy are well defined and very popular.

One I can think of is an Arabic-themed district, along Bank Street between Heron and Alta Vista, possibly as part of a redevelopment there. AFAIK, even Toronto doesn't have an Arabic district, and that would be something unique in not just Ottawa but all of Canada.

rocketphish · #2 Posted **Dec 27, 2014, 6:14 AM**

I don't believe that ethnic areas are ever "created", but rather that they form organically over time as families, friends, and then others from the same homeland begin congregating in the same general area. It occurs slowly, not all at once.

kevinbottawa · #3 Posted **Dec 27, 2014, 2:48 PM**

Rideau Street east of King Edward would make a good ethnic district. Similar to Eglinton West in Toronto, it could be marketed as an international village with businesses from different cultures in one place. That part of Rideau must be the most diverse in the city when it comes to ethnic businesses. I did a blog post on this a few years ago (http://reinventingottawa.blogspot.ca...e-for.html?m=1). Last year a French district was being discussed from Montreal Road east of the Cummings Bridge to St. Laurent I think. I'd love to see that.

Jamaican-Phoenix · #4 Posted **Dec 27, 2014, 3:17 PM**

"Chinatown" west of Empress Avenue is essentially Little Vietnam. I would love to see it recognized as such.

I would also love it if we all collectively nicknamed it "Ho Chi Mini City".

begratto · #5 Posted **Dec 27, 2014, 4:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by eternallyme

One I can think of is an Arabic-themed district, along Bank Street between Heron and Alta Vista, possibly as part of a redevelopment there. AFAIK, even Toronto doesn't have an Arabic district, and that would be something unique in not just Ottawa but all of Canada.

While it is not "Arabic" per se, Montreal does have a "Petit Maghreb (or Little Maghreb)" district, mostly centered on Jean-Talon between Pie-IX and St-Michel.

There are also quite a few other other neighbourhoods with a high concentration of Algerian/Tunisian/Morrocan stores and restaurants, like Villeray, Ville St-Laurent and Chomedey in Laval, but they're not really branded as Maghrebic "districts".

Kitchissippi · #6 Posted **Dec 27, 2014, 6:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamaican-Phoenix

I would also love it if we all collectively nicknamed it "Ho Chi Mini City".

I don't know if the Vietnamese Canadians would like that. Ho Chi Minh was responsible for setting up the communist regime, something they all fled. Kinda like referring to Chinatown as "Mao Zetown"

eternallyme · #7 Posted **Dec 27, 2014, 6:39 PM**

I figured between Heron and Alta Vista along Bank would be best since that area has the highest concentration of Arab-Canadians.

They don't always have to be in the urban inner city, but can sometimes be in suburbs too. For example, Calgary has an international-themed area in Forest Lawn in the east end (would be equivalent to, say, St. Laurent area in Ottawa).

Buggys · #8 Posted **Dec 28, 2014, 3:00 AM**

Lol @ "Ho Chi Mini City" & "Mao Zetown". I don't think people will necessarily take offence at those names, as long as those business districts were built to actually reflect the culture at that time/place, as part of the tourist draw.

Kitchissippi · #9 Posted **Dec 28, 2014, 3:13 AM**

That would make us all Victims of Communist Humour. Monument coming soon....

Jamaican-Phoenix · #10 Posted **Jan 11, 2015, 12:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

I don't know if the Vietnamese Canadians would like that. Ho Chi Minh was responsible for setting up the communist regime, something they all fled. Kinda like referring to Chinatown as "Mao Zetown"

Yeah, I know, but it's a hilarious nickname for a Little Vietnam.

Acajack · #11 Posted **Jan 12, 2015, 2:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by begratto

While it is not "Arabic" per se, Montreal does have a "Petit Maghreb (or Little Maghreb)" district, mostly centered on Jean-Talon between Pie-IX and St-Michel.

There are also quite a few other other neighbourhoods with a high concentration of Algerian/Tunisian/Morrocan stores and restaurants, like Villeray, Ville St-Laurent and Chomedey in Laval, but they're not really branded as Maghrebic "districts".

Ville St-Liban as my kids' friends all call it!

One thing about ethnically branding these areas is that demographics are inherently changeable. In Toronto there are a bunch of places branded as "Little A" with signage and everything, but that are now dominated by ethnic groups X, Y and Z and group A is long gone.

Ottawa's Little Italy almost certainly has more Asians than Italians living in it now, although for the moment the Italian business sector there is still strong.

Anyway, nothing really wrong with any of that, though it does make things look funny sometimes.

DEWLine · #12 Posted **Jan 20, 2015, 4:25 PM**

I'm personally inclined to call that stretch of Somerset "Pan-Asia Town", given the diversity of residents and businesses active there.

DEWLine · #13 Posted **Jan 20, 2015, 4:27 PM**

This thread does inspire a question I've been wanting to ask for a while: do we have enough of an Inuit presence in Ottawa now to trigger the formation of a "Little Iqaluit" district? With all the cross-traffic between Ottawa and Iqualuit for business, medical, cultural and other reasons growing by the year, it seems almost an inevitability.

TheGoods · #14 Posted **Jan 20, 2015, 8:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by begratto

While it is not "Arabic" per se, Montreal does have a "Petit Maghreb (or Little Maghreb)" district, mostly centered on Jean-Talon between Pie-IX and St-Michel.

There are also quite a few other other neighbourhoods with a high concentration of Algerian/Tunisian/Morrocan stores and restaurants, like Villeray, Ville St-Laurent and Chomedey in Laval, but they're not really branded as Maghrebic "districts".

Montreal also has high concentration of Lebanese stores around Cote Vertu and L'Acadie and there is a street called rue Liban which is off L'Acadie /Sauve, near Marche Adonis and La Sirene de la Mer, where the Lebanese church is located.

kwoldtimer · #15 Posted **Jan 20, 2015, 8:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DEWLine

This thread does inspire a question I've been wanting to ask for a while: do we have enough of an Inuit presence in Ottawa now to trigger the formation of a "Little Iqaluit" district? With all the cross-traffic between Ottawa and Iqualuit for business, medical, cultural and other reasons growing by the year, it seems almost an inevitability.

Although that would be neither an international nor an ethnic community.

Acajack · #16 Posted **Jan 20, 2015, 8:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Although that would be neither an international nor an ethnic community.

Neither is "French" (sic) in Vanier BTW!

DEWLine · #17 Posted **Jan 21, 2015, 1:57 AM**

The Inuit have their own internal divisions of opinion on the subject of whether or not they're a nation, I'm sure. But it would be an ethnic community in its own right.

Kitchissippi · #18 Posted **Jan 21, 2015, 3:45 AM**

A restaurant serving igunaq and kiviaq, anyone?

kwoldtimer · #19 Posted **Jan 21, 2015, 3:51 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

Neither is "French" (sic) in Vanier BTW!

Obviously not. Did someone suggest it would be?

Acajack · #20 Posted **Jan 21, 2015, 2:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Obviously not. Did someone suggest it would be?

It's alluded to in the third post on this thread. Not that it's a big deal - I probably should have used a smilie with a wink or something...