The Return of the Ottawa City Tartan

By Jen Hill

Did you know that Ottawa has its own tartan?

Designed in 1966 as part of Canada’s Centennial celebrations, the Ottawa City Tartan was officially adopted by City Council to represent the capital and its Scottish heritage. Over time, however, it quietly slipped out of use and has not been widely woven since the 1980s.

Now, nearly 60 years later, and as Ottawa prepares to mark the 200th anniversary of the founding of Bytown, there is an opportunity to bring this historic tartan back into the spotlight.

Through a partnership with ScotlandShop, the Ottawa tartan has recently been featured on their website as a printed design, available on a growing range of products. More excitingly, they are exploring the possibility of returning it to full production as an authentic 100% wool tartan woven in Scotland, if there is sufficient interest.

What better way to honour the city’s Scottish roots than by bringing its tartan back into use, not just as a historical reference, but as something to be worn, shared, and enjoyed.

If you would like to see the Ottawa tartan woven again, or purchase one of the printed items currently available, you can explore the collection and register your interest in their online form provided on their page.

As part of our partnership, you can also use the code OTTSCOT5 to receive 5% off your purchase, while an additional 5% supports Scottish Society of Ottawa events.

Perhaps, in the months ahead, we will begin to see Ottawa’s tartan once again at gatherings, ceilidhs, and celebrations across the city. And if we do…we’ll know that a thread from 1966 has been picked up and woven back into the present.

Check it out: https://www.scotlandshop.com/en-ca/tartan-finder/ottawa