I am writing this petition from the offices of the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC), a stone’s throw away from the station at 601 Booth Street. The GSC was created in 1842 to survey Canada and establish the wealth of its natural resources. It was home to extraordinary men, from William Logan the first Director of the GSC, Georges Dawson, Albert Low, and so many others. They have contributed to shape the Canada we know today.

Perhaps the most tenacious of them, however, is little known and yet contributed fundamentally to the development of our region and indirectly to the planning and construction of the Light Rail Train infrastructure.

I am referring to Alice Evelyn Wilson. Alice Wilson was born on August 26, 1881.

She joined the GSC in 1909, becoming the first female member of the GSC. She also became the first Canadian female geologist –a field almost exclusive to men because of the necessity to camp in remote locations-. Not allowed to participate in remote surveying trips, she was confined to the Ottawa region and surroundings, and even in that limited scope of work she was constrained as she was denied the use of a vehicle.

But that didn’t deter her. Alice traveled the region on foot, on her bike, and by all means possible, in the process covering 15,000 kilometers to produce the 1934 Geology of Ottawa, printed in 1938. This unique work led to the current knowledge of our regional geology –what lies beneath- and through which our new train is being driven.

For 54 years her office was right next to the current Carling Station. Women and men in science still pay tribute to this trailblazer, a pioneer in her field, a passionate, determined individual who let nothing stand in the way of her profession. When Dr. Wilson took mandatory retirement at 65, 5 people were hired to replace this firebrand who refused to see the glass ceiling.

The Canadian Federation of University Women stood with Alice, appealing to Members of Cabinet, in her successful seven year quest to get the GSC to grant her permission to take leave to obtain her PhD. Now I am on a quest to have her recognized in perpetuity for her contribution to Ottawa and environs and for so many firsts: