Hi, we are looking into relocating from a rural Yorkshire village to Ontario. My husbands new job will hopefully be in Kanata. We'd like to settle within commuting distance. Would Merrickville be an option? We are looking for an arty, quiet community, small school. Please help.

probably at least about a 45 minute drive door to door. It is 60 km one way and only the last 25 or 30 km is on a motorway.

Have you considered Almonte, Pakenham, Ashton (great pub), Dunrobin, Fitzroy Harbour, Constance Bay. They are closer and if your husbands job is in the high tech area of Kanata they are on that side of Kanata.

Hi,...thank you so much,...i'll look at those areas,...and we do like a good pub!

Then I would avoid the Goose and Gridiron in Merrickville. Rough customers there, so I hear.

Kanata has pubs and it's not a bad place to live. North Kanata is better than the south side.

Thanks everyone for the info...its a massive help.
Does anyone have any idea about schools? Our boys are 7 and 5 and currently go to a small farm school with 8 kids in each year. I dont want to throw them into a big school and freak them out.

Generally small schools like that have been phased out in Ontario. Kids are bused in yellow school buses to schools with usually about 400 kids with about 8 years of students up to grade 8 (age 13). If you live in the centre of those towns/communities there is a good chance your kids can walk to school.

There are 4 school boards in Ontario. English public, english catholic, french public and french catholic. I imagine the last 2 are not relevant. Not sure on the requirements for the catholic schools. Each school has its own catchment area that is all mapped out. School usually starts the first tuesday in September and ends around June 25.

In the communities I listed most parents send their kids to the local school. In bigger cities, some parents invent/concoct reasons why their entitled child couldn't possible go to school at the local school.

Hi, thanks again for your help. I have been looking at all the areas you suggested, and their schools. Thanks for your help. My hubby mentioned I should be careful of 'backwater' places......would you care to embellish on this? Also, would Dunrobin have its own community? It seems like an extension of Kanata. Many thanks.

Not sure what you mean by 'its own community'. Dunrobin isn't really much of a place. There is a high school there which also serves the north end of Kanata. It is about a 15 minute drive from Dunrobin to the north end of the built up part of Kanata through farmland and rural estate homes.

We know people who live in the community around Dunrobin Lake and bears are seen at times...just putting it out there.

https://goo.gl/maps/uliAc

Backwater places bring out the canadian redneck types. Ask your husband about Don Cherry and Bob and Doug type canadians. He should know what I'm talking about.

Ottawa is full of them. Take that Harper fellow, for example.

Haha....my husband is a Canadian.....called doug. I will ask him about don cherry though.

Hi Joannarose, I live about 15 minutes west of Kanata, between Kinburn and Carp. If you need any info on the area, please message me.

Trish

I work in Kanata and live in Manotick, nice village feel with shops, pubs and restaurants, 30 mins up the 416 to work, about 30 mins to centre of Ottawa. A nice place without the houses being on top of each other like in Kanata or Barrhaven. Have a look !!!