Shiners’ War

From 1835 to 1837, Peter Aylen and a band of perhaps 200 Irishmen remained in Bytown (Ottawa) after winter timber operations and terrorized the village. The “Shiners,” as his followers were known, virtually controlled the working-class Lower Town, and engaged freely in physical assaults and petty larceny. The lack of a professional police force allowed the Shiners to act with impunity. The pattern was set in July 1835 when Aylen was arrested for assault; the enraged Shiners went on a rampage that ended when they destroyed a canal steamer in Bytown harbour.

Shiner rioting reached a peak in March 1837, when magistrates, supported by a citizen organization, formed armed night patrols and swore in special constables to arrest lawbreakers. With determined community action, the Shiners were brought under control in April and May 1837.