Tamis Cafe & Restaurant, Ottawa, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Tamis Cafe & Restaurant, at 374 Bank St in Ottawa, is a neighbourhood eatery and a stop for street art. Its address is tied to We Demand, a mural painted in 2011 to mark 40 years since a landmark 1971 protest for gay rights in Canada. If you want a piece of public art that carries real political history, this is a good one to see on foot.

The story behind it

The mural was painted in 2011 by Robbie Lariviere, who works under the name FallDown, together with Dan Metcalfe. It honours the 40th anniversary of the We Demand demonstration, which is described as the first large-scale queer civil rights demonstration in Canada.

On August 28, 1971, protesters gathered in Ottawa and Vancouver at the same time. They presented the federal government with a brief prepared by Toronto Gay Action, titled We Demand. It set out ten demands to end discrimination against the gay community. These ranged from changes to the Criminal Code to human rights protection, and included ending the ban on gay people entering the country. The mural shows a young Charlie Hill speaking under an umbrella as he lists those demands.

What to look for

• The figure of Charlie Hill, shown speaking, which turns a protest from 1971 into a single human moment you can stand in front of.
• The umbrella above him, a simple detail that makes the scene feel like a real day on the street rather than a staged portrait.
• The idea of the ten demands as you look at the image: think about which ones would seem basic today and which ones were radical then.
• The setting itself, a mural at street level on busy Bank Street, where the artwork shares space with ordinary shopfronts and passers-by.

Tips for your visit

• Allow about ten to fifteen minutes to look at the mural, read about the protest and take photos.
• Visit in daylight, when the colours and details are easiest to see. Walking up close and then stepping back across the street gives two very different views.
• The mural is outside and can be seen from the street. If you want to eat at the cafe, check current opening hours first.
• Bank Street has plenty of cafes and shops close by, so it combines easily with a longer walk through the area.

See it on a quest

The mural is one stop on Ottawa: In the Eyes of a Street Artist, a self-guided walk with a street art theme. You reach it on foot as part of a longer route through the area, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group. You can start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join.