John J. Heney
John Heney is an outstanding advocate for Ottawa history and heritage spending untold time and energy as a volunteer on historical and heritage pursuits. John is the founding and current president of the Friends of the City of Ottawa Archives, which has since 2003 been promoting proper facilities for the City’s extensive internal documents and invaluable community holdings. A permanent home is finally in sight. This facility will stand as a major cultural force in the city for generations to come – sustaining sound City governance, civic history and community heritage. John Heney has had a key role in its coming into being.
The Friends organization also undertakes notable heritage preservation projects, as well as a popular lecture series on local heritage. John Heney was also active in preserving the Saint Brigid’s Church buildings in Lowertown as an Irish cultural centre – a church that the Heney family helped to found in the 1890s. In fact, the Heney family has been an integral part of the fabric of the city since the mid-1800s. These concrete accomplishments are underpinned by John’s remarkable ability to attract others to his cause, to work together with existing authorities at all levels, and create new coalitions wherever needed. John Heney has devoted thousands of volunteer hours to sustaining Ottawa’s links to its past and keeping its history and heritage alive for the future.