Tour book offers fresh look at capital
By Caroline O’Neill
When a university recruiter described a frozen canal in the winter and the famous “Obama cookies” sold in the Byward Market’s Moulin de Provence, Zainab Muse decided to study in the nation’s capital.
“Ottawa became this place that I needed to be,” said the Nigerian-born millennial. “It was really infectious.”
Since she graduated from the University of Ottawa with an honours bachelor in health sciences in 2014, Muse has co-founded a media company, Wingd, and published a book entitled An Insider’s Guide to Canada’s Capital.
Featuring spots for nature lovers, exciting events and the diverse group of people making Ottawa tick, the book launched in March at the Rideau Club.
Even before its publication, the guide was lauded for seeking to challenge Ottawa’s reputation as a boring, government city and — as a product of Wingd — for promoting millennial entrepreneurship.
“Ottawa was something we just kept coming back to,” said Sam Lehman, a writer and editor at Wingd. “As we sort of set our roots down in the community, it was a natural fit for us to write a tour book about Ottawa.”
Lehman spent the majority of her holiday break from Carleton University in 2016 editing the book.
The first half of the book tells the story of Ottawa through pictures: its architecture, landmarks, the city in all seasons and more. The second part oozes a “Humans of New York” vibe with personal stories told by Ottawa residents from Mayor Jim Watson to others from near and far who’ve found a home in the city.
“It stems from people not really understanding that Ottawa is a creative hub,” said Muse. To cast a broad net that reflected the city in a way that actively engages millennials and others, Wingd used its networks to find compelling tales.
The company created the hashtag #WingdOttawa, inviting social media users to share their stories of the city and in turn, Wingd staff scoured social networks and attended community events and meetings. Early on, Wingd was backed by groups like Ottawa Tourism, MPs, directors of local businesses and the National Capital Commission. The company’s call for stories made Metro Ottawa’s cover in early 2016.
“I really wanted to share a story about common humanity,” said Centretown resident Melanie Bejzyk. After hearing about the planned guidebook from a friend, Bejzyk submitted a story about why The Village — the city’s LGBTQ2 hub — is her favourite part of Ottawa. “I came to Ottawa for a job and I would say that I stayed for love and for community.”
Originally from Winnipeg, Bejzyk wrote in her piece that Ottawa embodies the message “love is love.” She said she and her female partner would not be able to live as openly in other cities as they do in nation’s capital.
Participating in the book has put a host of organizations and individuals on Bejzyk’s radar, as it did for the editors and writers.
“I’ve always considered myself quite well travelled in terms of this city,” said Lehman, an Ottawa native.
“But there’s still so much for me to explore.” In the summer, Lehman said she looks forward to taking advantage of Ottawa’s natural surroundings.
As the editor, Lehman was one of the first to read the stories that contributing students, artists and business owners wrote.
“We’re billed so often as a millennial tour book and it’s true, to an extent,” said Lehman. “I’m glad that we didn’t exclude in order to have just millennials.”
Featuring everyone from Allan André — the artist of the now-iconic Sandra Bland “Black Lives Matter” mural on a graffiti wall near Bronson and Slater streets — to war refugees who have settled in Canada, Muse said she wanted to bring all of the people together who represent Ottawa’s historic roots and dynamic changes.
“Our goal is to discourage people from forming an opinion before visiting,” she said. “Get to know the people before you even get here.”
An Insider’s Guide to Canada’s Capital is available for purchase at Wingd’s and Indigo’s websites.