Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa | ||
|---|---|---|
| City in Canada | ||
 The Ottawa Bahá’í Centre
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| Location of Ottawa
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| Statistics: | ||
| Number of Bahá'ís | ||
| - | Bahá'í source | >1,000[1] |
| - | Non-Bahá'í source | |
| Clusters | 1 | |
| Local Assemblies | 1 | |
| History: Firsts |
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| - | Bahá'í to visit | Queen Marie of Romania (1926) |
| - | Local Bahá'í | Winnifred Harvey (1940) |
| - | Local Assembly | 1948 |
| How to contact: | ||
| - | Phone | 613-742-8250 |
| - | info[at]bahai-ottawa.org | |
| - | Address | 211 MacArthur Avenue Ottawa ON K1L 6P6 |
| Official Website | http://bahai-ottawa.org/ | |
 Related media
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Ottawa is the capital of Canada, and the home of a large Bahá’í community with over 1,000 members.[1] As the seat of Canadian government, the city is home to the Office of Government Relations of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada. As well, the Association for Bahá’í Studies in North America is headquartered at the Centre for Bahá’í Studies on the campus of the University of Ottawa.[2]
The Bahá’í community of Ottawa dates back to 1940, when Winnifred Harvey became the city's first Bahá’í resident. The first Local Spiritual Assembly was formed in 1948. The community experienced rapid expansion in the 1970s, and welcomed many Bahá’ís of Persian background as refugees after they fled persecution following Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979. A municipal amalgamation in 2001 led to the consolidation of several local spiritual assemblies into one for the new City of Ottawa.[2]
Overview[edit]
Ottawa is one of the major cities in the province of Ontario, situated on the Ottawa River, which acts as an interprovincial border separating it from the city of Gatineau, Quebec. The current City of Ottawa is the result of the amalgamation in 2001 of several smaller cities to form one large "mega-city" of around 1 million people, with a consequent amalgamation of many smaller Bahá’í communities into a much larger Bahá’í community. Ottawa is also home to a number of notable Bahá’í institutions; to take advantage of its status as national capital, the Canadian National Spiritual Assembly operates its Office of Governmental Relations in the city. The Association for Bahá’í Studies in North America is also headquartered in Ottawa, on the campus of the University of Ottawa.
As of 2011, there were approximately 1100 members in the Ottawa Baha'i community, along with a number of other Baha'is in nearby communities such as Gatineau, Chelsea, Arnprior, and Russell.
History[edit]
Ottawa's Spiritual Assembly was the 14th in Canada to be established, in April 1948. One of the first Bahá’ís in Ottawa was Winifred Harvey, who arrived in 1940 from Winnipeg, Manitoba.[3] Bahá’ís had visited before, such as Queen Marie of Romania in her visit to Canada in October 1926, as well as Laura Dreyfus-Barney in 1932.[4]
Contact[edit]
211 MacArthur Avenue
Ottawa ON K1L 6P6
Phone: (613) 742-8250
Email: info[at]bahai-ottawa.org
Ottawa Bahá’í Centre
211 MacArthur Avenue
Ottawa ON K1L 6P6
Phone: (613) 742-8250
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Pratka, Ruby (Dec 2010). "Baha'i Centre of Ottawa in Vanier since 2007" (PDF). Perspectives Vanier. Archived from the original on 15 August 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Ottawa Bahá'í Community - The Bahá'í Community of Ottawa". www.bahai-ottawa.org. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- ↑ Van den Hoonaard, Will. The Origins of the Bahá’í Community of Canada, 1898-1948. p. 224.
- ↑ Van den Hoonaard, Will. The Origins of the Bahá’í Community of Canada, 1898-1948. p. 185.
