By Nancy Miller Chenier
Skating on the Rideau Canal continues to be a highlight of winter for many Lowertown residents. And in 1986, the Skateway was the site of a Winterlude speed-skating race named for Jack Barber, longtime Lowertown resident and son of Paul Barber, the first Black man to settle in Ottawa.
The Jack Barber 50-kilometer Skate Challenge was not the first honour for John Alexander (Jack) Barber. Just a year earlier, he had been inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame with recognition for his speed skating career and for his work with local youth. His name was already in the Speed Skating Canada Hall of Fame, acknowledging his long-term involvement and exceptional contribution to the development of speed skating in Canada.
Jack motto was “You never know what you can do till you try it” so at the age of 31 years, he tried speed skating. With this motto in mind, he went on to win local, provincial, and national championships, skating competitively until he was in his seventies.
But he never forgot the Lowertown community where he lived, first on St Joseph Street and after his marriage on St Andrew Street. Over the years, he officiated at speed-skating races at Bingham Park, and in the 1960s he pushed for a bigger oval at Anglesea Square (now Jules Morin Park). He regularly organized events that invited skating clubs from Ontario, Quebec and Lake Placid, New York.
In 1947, Jack became president of the Ottawa Speed Skating Club and worked vigorously to promote the sport and to encourage participation by young people. He bought skates, kept them sharpened and had them ready for any eager beginner who paid a dollar to join the club.