New for 2020
Peoples’ History Walking Tours is constantly developing new tours and other services for the enjoyment and education of visitors and local residents alike. This season, we are developing a new tour about key labour struggles in Ottawa's history, requested by the Historical Society of Ottawa.
We urge you to inquire about custom tours. Got a special need or interest that is not covered by one of our existing tours? Do you want a radical take on the exhibits in the Canadian History Hall of the Museum of History? How about a radical take on the history of the military, Ottawa labour history, or some other topic? Maybe you need a radical history of Ottawa for an American audience. Contact us about your special interests and we will try to accommodate you.
Other services
Besides walking tours, we also provide popular educational services (e.g., talks, lectures and presentations). Brian McDougall has spoken about local history and current movements for social and climate justice for many kinds of audiences (academic, professional, historical, student, union and activist) around the city. Contact us for more information.
Among our past clients are the following groups and organizations:
- Trade Unions: United Steelworkers Summer Program // Ottawa CUPE District Council // Industrial Workers of the World (Ottawa) // CUPE 4600
- Educational Institutions: Bishop Strachan School (Toronto) // Learning in Retirement Program - Carleton University // Indiana University
- Student Organizations: Ontario Public Interest Group - University of Ottawa // Delta Lambda Phi Social Fraternity // Graduate Student Association – Carleton University // OPIRG - Carleton
- Professional and Academic Conferences: Committee on River Ice Processes and the Environment // International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences Inter-Congress // Ontario Heritage Conference // International Sustainability Transitions Conference // Smiths Falls Heritage Conference
- Other Organizations: Ottawa Public Library // Jane’s Walks Ottawa // Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ottawa // International Friendship Club (Puerto Vallarta) // Patented Medicine Prices Review Board // Workers History Museum // Ottawa Historical Society
Special note: Impact of construction on tours
There are two major construction projects that may impact some of our tours: the decade-long rehabilitation of two buildings on Parliament Hill (Centre and East Blocks), and the seven year clean-up of industrial contaminants on Victoria Island.
The Parliament Hill construction may require changes to our normal routes for two tours: An Unauthorized History of Parliament Hill and Indigenous Peoples and Colonialism. The work on Victoria Island requires changes to the regular route for the Colonialism and Class Struggle in the Chaudière District tour.
What our clients say
“An interesting and informative history of the Parliament buildings, a history you will not learn in the "official tours". The history of the workers, of citizens and their struggles to be heard on the Hill while still visiting all the major buildings and monuments - only seeing them through a different lens. Informative and challenging. A great addition for visitors Continue Reading
“I've lived in Ottawa for ages and can't believe how little I knew of our city's past. The tour leader has distilled an impressive breadth of research on these subjects, and in addition to presenting an engaging story, is seemingly impossible to stump for an answer to any related questions! It was time well spent and I'd recommend the tours Continue Reading
“…Brian exhibits a deep understanding of the array of mechanisms employed in…the settler-colonial agenda and its goal of forcing the indigenous inhabitants into submission and off their land - be it through brutal force or entrapment. In addition, he provides insights into the aboriginal resistance and…the multiplicity of strategic visions, ranging from anti-colonial struggle to collaboration…. But the story does Continue Reading