An Acre of Time: The Enduring Value of Place

by Phil Jenkins

Winner of the Ottawa Citizen Award for Non-Fiction

Winner of the Canadian Authors Association Lela Common Award for Non-Fiction

Shortlisted for the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Nonfiction

Where is here? That question, Northrop Frye believed, was the key to Canadian identity, the secret of our collective psyche.

For Phil Jenkins, "here" is a single acre of land on LeBreton Flats in the nation’s capital, Ottawa. In this strikingly inventive book, he stakes that acre and recounts the story of its life. He rides a glass elevator up from the earth’s core, describing the geological strata he passes through before reaching the surface. He watches the land submerge beneath salt water that rises as high as the tallest Ottawa skyscraper, a place where 10,000 years ago beluga whales cavorted. He climbs a pine tree and sees Samuel de Champlain paddle up the Ottawa River, intent on converting the native Algonquins and claiming the acre for France. He walks down Duke Street in the early nineteen hundreds and reports on the desolate acre of today, studying its endangered flora, fauna and future.

The acre was part of the land expropriated by the National Capital Commission in the 1960s. Buildings were bulldozed, lives transplanted, and a huge government complex was envisioned. The Pope held a mass on the site in 1984, but to this day nothing has been built. The acre may eventually be included in a native land settlement; for the moment it serves as home to a group of street kids and as an overnight parking lot for tour buses.

An Acre of Time is about the way land becomes territory, territory becomes property, and property becomes real estate. It’s about the process by which man alters the place he inhabits. By taking a single acre of Canada and examining it in unexpected ways, Jenkins has produced a highly original celebration of place, a book at once eclectic, invaluable, and unique.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

243 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and often engaging history of an area of Ottawa, Ontario known as Lebreton Flats located close to the Ottawa River and the downtown core of the city. The book follows the history and settlement of the area from about 1820 until 1965 when it was depopulated for a future urban renewal project. Ironically, the planned renewal project has still not been carried out and today (2023) the land remains the same barren landscape it was in the late 1960s. This is a well written local history that should be of interest to the residents of Canada's capital.

[Dan Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character in this historical tale isn't a person, but a place. An acre of the LeBreton flats in my hometown of Ottawa. I think Phil Jenkins did a great job of framing historical perspective by not glossing over the millions of years prior to human arrival. His handling of the aboriginal rights and perspective is well done also.

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book timed with a return trip to Ottawa - and I did just that this weekend. One of my favorite cities I’ve ever lived in. This book was a trip through Canadian and Ottawa history from the perspective of one very specific part of town, an acre in what is now LeBreton Flats — future home of the Ottawa Senators! (41/2025)

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having lived in Ottawa for over 30 years in Ottawa in an area not far from Lebreton Flats I really enjoyed this book written in a sort of lyrical,personal style.It's an excellent study of the history, geography & culture of one acre in Ottawa from the beginning of time up to almost the present. Included is the story of the expropriation of Lebreton Flats by Canada's National Capital Commission plus also how the development of the country affected the native population who were here first. The debates & various proposals over this particular area has been on going for over 50 years & had just recently resurfaced in the news with two new proposals from two major consortia. The city of Ottawa along with the National Capital Commission both appear to be finally interested in developing this area after so many years of ill-will & bickering, not to mention wasted funds for countless studies.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book -- a history focused on one acre in Ottawa, from early geology, flora and fauna, to pre-human and pre-European history, to exploration, development, up to almost the current day. Its lyrical, personal style helps make it much more than a local history. It speaks to change and how ephemeral certain (often long) periods are. The focus on a small area makes it all the more real. It's a very intriguing way to look at the world, at a particular place, and the variety of people, plants and animals who've called it home. It's also a great targeted local history, of an acre that's changed dramatically even since the book's publication not twenty years ago.

[Alex Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew next to nothing about local history in Ottawa, and I learned so much from this - particularly that I now hate Jaques Greber! Phil Jenkins captured so much great stuff in here, and I found myself getting really emotional towards the end - hopefully the promise of the new plan for development of the Flats lives up to its potential.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

a fascinating in depth look at the history, geography & culture of Ottawa & the disgusting expropriation of Lebreton Flats by Canada's National Capital Commission

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an excellent read.It went through the history of an acre of land in Ottawa. Packed with history and told in a readable and interesting format.