About Us
Delivering the Canadian dance experience, from Eh to Zed.
The History behind the Name
We’re officially known as the By-Town Open (Formally the By-Town Ontario Open), which is the original name of Ottawa. It was founded in 1826 and incorporated in 1855. And then there’s Lieutenant-Colonel John By who laid out the town and streets, while also overseeing the construction of the Rideau Canal.
Our government started making radio stations focus on Canadian content back in the 70s, which launched many musical careers. One band from Winnipeg that became famous was Bachman-Turner Overdrive, also known as BTO. Our Floorshow called You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet and the MC theme song, Takin Care of Business are two of their top 40 hits.
Our Vision
The By-Town Open was started in 2019. Our goal is to create an annual West Coast Swing event that has a Canadian feel, held in the nation’s capital and attracts dancers from all over the world. We want everyone who attends to leave feeling happier and better because of their experience.
To achieve our vision, we strive to provide a “full-circle” experience in which every participant can SOCIALIZE, EMBRACE, EVOLVE, and REPEAT.
Our Event Director, Brad Willis, CD
Brad’s time in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was just perfect for his active lifestyle and focused mind. He’s been good at teaching martial arts, helping military fitness, and West Coast Swing.
Brad started the BTO Open in March 2019. He got a lot of support from local volunteers and dancers across Ontario and Quebec, so he decided to make it an annual event that’s part of the World Swing Dance Council (WSDC). This happened after applying back in 2020.
Brad uses his military experience, organizational skills, and love for WCS to make sure this great event runs smoothly and efficiently as planned.
Spirit of Zed – Event Associate Winners
Recognizing those who best represent commitment to our success through industrious effort and teamwork.
- 2023 Greer McNally
- 2024 Caroline Gauthier
Our Event Associates who made BTO 2024 Amazing
- Ashley Larson
- Caitlin Lindon
- Caroline Gauthier
- Cathy Jones
- Chelsea Mosko
- Deborah Rowe
- Diane Manguera
- Elza Duarte
- Gagandeep Kaur
- Glyn Storey
- Gourav Asija
- Jaden Stutzmann
- Jeanna Finney
- Jody Glanzer
- John MacDonald
- Judy Makin
- Justin Reisinger
- Kamalpreet Kaur
- Laura Cancela
- Leanne Sharzer
- LibWooton
- Malcolm Betts
- Miranda Lisowski
- Monique Dawsons
- Monique Sidebottom
- Nicole Devlin
- Nitish Nitish
- Pam Meunier
- Rohan Mulchandan
- Sandeep Kaur
- Tasha M
- Tatiana Walker
- Taylor Ash
- Taylor Kupfer
- Ted Caron
- Trish Stolte
- Udhey Singh
- Virginia Mott
- Zach Lynn
Our Mascot, Zed
Zed is honoured to be the official mascot of The BTO Open. You might not know too much about beavers, so here are a few tidbits.
Beavers are a lot like West Coast Swing Dancers!
- They’re industrious, creative, social, collaborative, and adaptable.
- They live in colonies and work together to adapt our environments to grow our communities.
- In the Winter, they don’t hibernate—they work and play all year long!
- And, like dancers, they are nocturnal.
They proudly hold official status as a Canadian emblem and have a cameo appearance on the Canadian five-cent coin.