Museums and Culture

A free self-guided City of Toronto urban walk past culturally important National Historic Sites, including Massey Hall, the Studio Building where the Group of Seven worked and the Royal Conservatory of Music. Plan on one to two hours; the 506 College streetcar is the closest transit. Download the route map and see the outsides of these landmarks at your own pace. Free, no booking.

A free self-guided audio walk, hosted by Nora Young, to the downtown places tied to media thinker Marshall McLuhan, with interviews from people who knew him. It takes one to two hours; St. George and Bay stations are the closest. Download the City of Toronto route map and listen as you walk. Free, no booking.

A free self-guided audio walk through the Annex, the neighbourhood where urban thinker Jane Jacobs lived from 1968 to 2006. Listen as you go and learn about the area's history and the city ideas she championed; it takes one to two hours. Start near Spadina subway station with the City of Toronto route map. Free, no booking.

The Shenkman Arts Centre in Orléans has several exhibition spaces in one building, including the City of Ottawa's Trinity Art Gallery, the Ottawa School of Art Orléans Campus Gallery, Promenade Arteast and the LaLande + Doyle exhibition space. Together they show work by local and regional artists in many media. Admission to the galleries is always free; call the box office at 613 580 2700 for current hours.

Âjagemô is the Canada Council for the Arts exhibition space on the ground floor of 150 Elgin Street, showing contemporary Canadian art, often from the Canada Council Art Bank collection, along with performances and events. It is an easy cultural stop between Confederation Square and City Hall. It is open daily from 7 AM to 9 PM and admission is free.

SAW is an artist run centre for contemporary art inside Arts Court, at the corner of Nicholas Street and Daly Avenue in downtown Ottawa. Its exhibition spaces show bold new work by Canadian and international artists, and the whole centre is wheelchair accessible. Exhibitions are open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 AM to 6 PM, and admission is free and open to all (events at Club SAW are often ticketed).

A lively bronze group by Jules Lasalle (2015) showing Marcelle Mallet, founder of the Sisters of Charity of Québec, surrounded by orphans and an elderly woman, her hand held out as a sign of unconditional love. It stands on a small plaza between avenue Honoré-Mercier and rue des Sœurs-de-la-Charité, a short walk from Parliament Hill and Saint-Jean-Baptiste. Outdoors, free at any time.

A bronze statue by Jules Lasalle (1991) of Marie-Catherine de Saint-Augustin, a young Augustinian nun from Normandy who arrived in New France in 1648 and spent her life caring for the poor and the sick at the Hôtel-Dieu. It stands in the small garden beside the Augustines' church at 32 rue Charlevoix, near the corner of rue de l'Hôtel-Dieu. Outdoors, free at any time.

A bronze statue of Marie de l'Incarnation, who founded the Ursulines of Québec in 1639, the first school for girls in North America. Émile Brunet made it in 1942, showing her looking down at two young pupils, one French and one Indigenous. It stands by the Ursuline monastery on rue Donnacona, a quiet corner of Old Québec close to the Ursulines Museum. Outdoors, free at any time.

A bronze statue of Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, the first Canadian cardinal, stands on a red stone base in the middle of Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, one hand reaching toward the basilica where he served. Made in 1923 by André Vermare, it has reliefs showing his life, including his help to Irish immigrants struck by typhus in 1847. The renovated square has benches and tables, between City Hall and Notre-Dame basilica. Outdoors, free at any time.

Share the enjoyment of good books in a relaxed monthly book club at the Hazeldean branch of the Ottawa Public Library in Kanata. Upcoming picks include The Devil Reached Toward the Sky by Garrett M. Graff (Nov 6) and Emma by Jane Austen (Dec 4), with more titles through June. First Friday of the month from November 6, 2026 to June 4, 2027 (no January meeting), 1:30 to 3:00 PM. Free drop in program, no registration needed.

Three large murals by artist Coco Fusco list, in grids that recall mausoleum walls, the names of imprisoned artists, journalists killed at work and environmental activists assassinated in 2024. Part of the Toronto Biennial of Art 2026, at the Harbourfront Centre Main Building and Parking Pavilion. Free and viewable 24 hours a day until December 31, 2026.