Significant Weather Event

The Significant Weather Event remains in effect due to the large volume of snow on the transportation network and continued cleanup efforts. Stay up to date on the latest information.

Exhibits and events

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Events at the Archives

child wearing a santa hat while writting a letter

Letters to Santa 2024

This year our annual Letters to Santa kit is fully available online for download and printing. The printouts include an activity sheet, letterhead, and letter-writing instructions.  

Letters to Santa kit 2024 Opens in a new tab or window(link is external) [PDF - 823 KB]

For assistance, please email archives@ottawa.ca(link opens email application) or call 613-580-2857.

Guidelines for mailing your letter:

  • Address your letter to Santa.
  • No stamps are required to mail a letter to Santa within Canada.
  • Include your return address and drop the letter in any Canada Post mailbox or post office.
  • Please mail all letters from one family in the same envelope.
  • Santa will respond to your letter in the same language.

This activity is presented to you by the City of Ottawa Archives. The program is delivered by Canada Post. For over 40 years, Canada postal elves have been busy helping Santa sort through over one million letters each year from around the world! Visit www.canadapost.ca/santa(link is external) for more information.

Tours, presentations and exhibit requests

Book a tour

We would be happy to have you visit the City of Ottawa Archives. Tours are free and we are able to accommodate groups of various sizes.  We are always willing to create specialized tours relating to our collections. Please contact us at archives@ottawa.ca(link opens email application) for more information.

Book a City of Ottawa Archives presentation

Our knowledgeable staff are available to present information on various topics such as:

  • Preservation of records
  • Archives and the Future of Copyright
  • Preserving Your History at the City of Ottawa Archives
  • Caring for Your Print Photographs
  • Caring for Your Digital Photographs
  • Introduction to Archives
  • Is it Archival?
  • Creating a Community Archives
  • Researching the History of Property
  • And many more

Display and exhibit requests

The City of Ottawa Archives may partner or provide support for exhibits. Each request and partnership is unique; if you are interested in exhibiting please contact us.

The City of Ottawa Archives has several exhibits and events that highlight the City’s history, local culture and heritage.

Please contact us at archives@ottawa.ca(link opens email application) for more information.