Ottawa move queries for a family of 4
May 4th 2020, 6:50 pm
#16
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Joined: Oct 2018
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 19
Re: Ottawa move queries for a family of 4
And, Quebec's provincial taxation regime might prove more onerous, depending on your circumstances.
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Re: education in English. It's a complicated and politically-fraught issue on both sides of the river, and I've been gone far too long from the area to usefully comment on the details of how to navigate it.
But I will make a general observation on the subject: Ottawa is a "company town"; its dominant industry is the federal government, and these days it's pretty much essential to be fluently bilingual (English/French) to get ahead within the federal civil service, or within the innumerable private-sector career-paths that deal with the government as a client.
Assuming you source a high-quality school, giving your child a bilingual or French-immersion education is quite worthwhile, if you intend for the family to 'settle' in Ottawa.
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Re: education in English. It's a complicated and politically-fraught issue on both sides of the river, and I've been gone far too long from the area to usefully comment on the details of how to navigate it.
But I will make a general observation on the subject: Ottawa is a "company town"; its dominant industry is the federal government, and these days it's pretty much essential to be fluently bilingual (English/French) to get ahead within the federal civil service, or within the innumerable private-sector career-paths that deal with the government as a client.
Assuming you source a high-quality school, giving your child a bilingual or French-immersion education is quite worthwhile, if you intend for the family to 'settle' in Ottawa.
Thanks for your response and great point. I see your point with regards to a long term perspective and I too strongly believe, bilingual is always good, and especially with kids, they pick up things so quickly. I will definitely look into it and my son actually had some basic french lessons and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Because I will be so new in the area, I wouldn't know if I'll be sticking around for long, I do hope, I like the area and my work allows me to stay there but either way, this is something I will definitely consider for my kids as it will only be an asset for them both.
Regards,
Vish
