The building of the Rideau Canal system is one of the main factors in the development of the city of Ottawa in the first place. The Rideau River system supports the canal and the many series of locks, and enables the controlled fluctuation of water flow and levels in the canal between seasons in order to preserve the structures of the canal system from the damaging effects of ice in the winter.
The name of the Rideau Falls, and consequently the river as well, comes the French word for curtain. For an article regarding the development of the Rideau Canal and the Rideau River system and its important role in Canadian history visit this website.
Here are a few images I took with my camera-in-the-sky looking back towards the falls. The kite and camera equipment were out over the Ottawa river to get these shots (Kite Aerial Photography, or KAP for short). Most vacation snaps of the falls are either side shots from the lookout where am standing, or shots from low down in a tour boat which comes near the base of the falls.
This is Rideau Falls in the winter. Sussex Drive and Old City Hall are at the top of many of the pictures. The river splits into two and the Old City Hall building is actually on an island.
A downward and angled perspective of the falls.
The larger section of the falls is at the left where the lookout is (to the left of that and out of the picture) and the smaller section to the right. The Rideau Falls are at the junction of the Rideau River and the Ottawa River.
These are the smaller of the two sets of falls. You can also see the National Research Council building and the Lester B. Pearson Building (Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada – DFAIT). You can see the Peace Tower at the Parliament Buildings in the distance.
Ottawa River looking upstream (west) from Rideau Falls. You can see the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge and further away the Alexandra Bridge. You can see the Peace Tower at the Parliament Buildings in the distance.
This is the visitor’s lookout for Rideau Falls where I am flying the kite and KAP gear to take these pictures.
Further downstream, looking east, is the Embassy of France and beyond that is the Prime Minister’s residence.
You can see additional pictures from my KAP 2008-12 outing in the Kite Aerial Photography Gallery on my website.
Rob's Photo Blog 
Hi there,
I’ve been looking at your kite photography of the Ottawa River and it is fabulous!
I am the Executive Director of Ottawa Riverkeeper, a non-profit dedicated to protecting and promoting the ecological health of the river.
Would you consider allowing us to use some of your photographs of the river for our publications, etc.?
Let me know if you would be open to something of the sort.
Best,
Meredith