Walkley

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Rev. Albert Walkley

The First Minister
Albert Walkley grew up in Ottawa in the last half of the nineteenth century. While we are not sure of the events of his early life, we might imagine that he was exposed to the free thinkers and Unitarians who,after several attempts, finally organized a Unitarian congregation in 1898.

To complete his education he went to divinity school to study for the Unitarian ministry. While he was a Canadian, he only found jobs in the States in his early ministry. When the new congregation in Ottawa was looking for its first minister, they found the Ottawa native, a Canadian, an author and well known minister, very attractive. He was called and later installed as the first minister of the Church of Our Father on Elgin Street, the first Unitarian congregation in Ottawa.

One of the important things about Mr. Walkley was his willingness to speak out about the things he believed in. Albert Walkley is best known in Ottawa today for the street named after him. Most people have forgotten that Albert Walkley spoke out against the rich in favor of street cars running on Sundays so that the poor could get to Westboro Beach in the summer to cool off. He called the streetcar the "poor man's carriage" and denounced the rich who used their horses and carriages to get to the beaches on Sundays. Through persistence his stand carried the day and street cars ran on Sunday.

Walkley also spoke out on environmental issues, calling for action which would prevent large Michigan lumber companies from depleting the pines of Ontario as they had done in their native Michigan.

Some of his opinions were based on principles of free thought, so he opposed laws which made it mandatory for all citizens to observe the Sabbath, no work or commerce on Sunday. He argued that people could not be made good through law but rather through the exercise of their own decision making. For the same reasons he did not like vaccinations. He believed that they were an intrusion that stood against personal liberty. People should be able to choose, not have vaccination mandatory.

Albert Walkley was a principled man who was not afraid to speak out on his views, as a result he changed a few things like getting the street cars running on Sunday for the poor to go to the beach.

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Updated: January 03, 2004

Rev. Albert Walkley
The First Minister Albert Walkley grew up in Ottawa in the last half of the nineteenth century. While we are not sure of the events of his early life, we might imagine that he was exposed to the free thinkers and Unitarians who,after several attempts, finally organized a Unitarian congregation in 1898. To complete his education he went to divinity school to study for the Unitarian ministry. While he was a Canadian, he only found jobs in the States in his early ministry. When the new congregation in Ottawa was looking for its first minister, they found the Ottawa native, a Canadian, an author and well known minister, very attractive. He was called and later installed as the first minister of the Church of Our Father on Elgin Street, the first Unitarian congregation in Ottawa. One of the important things about Mr. Walkley was his willingness to speak out about the things he believed in. Albert Walkley is best known in Ottawa today for the street named after him. Most people have forgotten that Albert Walkley spoke out against the rich in favor of street cars running on Sundays so that the poor could get to Westboro Beach in the summer to cool off. He called the streetcar the "poor man's carriage" and denounced the rich who used their horses and carriages to get to the beaches on Sundays. Through persistence his stand carried the day and street cars ran on Sunday. Walkley also spoke out on environmental issues, calling for action which would prevent large Michigan lumber companies from depleting the pines of Ontario as they had done in their native Michigan. Some of his opinions were based on principles of free thought, so he opposed laws which made it mandatory for all citizens to observe the Sabbath, no work or commerce on Sunday. He argued that people could not be made good through law but rather through the exercise of their own decision making. For the same reasons he did not like vaccinations. He believed that they were an intrusion that stood against personal liberty. People should be able to choose, not have vaccination mandatory. Albert Walkley was a principled man who was not afraid to speak out on his views, as a result he changed a few things like getting the street cars running on Sunday for the poor to go to the beach.