We have been to Ontario and have secured a job offer which is fantastic!! We had decided to concentrate on the East in particular Peterborough. My partners potential new employer have been in touch to say they have a position in Ottawa if we wanted to research there and let them know.
Any advice welcome

It seems to me that the choice is Ottawa or stay where you are. In that case, it depends how much you want to move to Ontario, doesn't it?

We do have the option still to go to Peterborough as they have bases all over Ontario with various vacancies , just we hadn't considered Ottawa so dont know anything about it

Ottawa is a much larger city versus Peterborough and with that comes generally a more international outlook, a more diverse population and more entertainment options. The house prices may be a wash although there are probably more expensive/large homes in Ottawa.

Peterborough is on the edge of the Kawartha Lakes and may be slightly warmer in the winter and I believe a little bit less snowfall. Lakeside properties and semi-rural lots are closer to Peterborough versus Ottawa.

Being bi-lingual and interested in government related work and government workforce culture is more important in Ottawa than Toronto.

Ottawa is a two hour drive from Montreal and a 45 minute drive to the US border.

Good luck in your decision.

If you've visited Peterborough and think that's a nice place to live, then go for it.

Ottawa,, on the other hand is infinitely better (although the winters are a bit harsher and you might bump into politicians).

Yes bumping into politicians isn't high on the selling features of the place

Is it not Canada's version of DC?

Hi Twink. You probably already know the basics from your own research and will obviously be aware that it's not really a like-for-like comparison, so the answer to your question will probably depend on your own family needs and lifestyles.

For my part, we've lived in Peterborough for almost 4 years and we like it here. In a nutshell, it's a fairly small city and, as you'd expect with that, it's fairly laid back, generally speaking.
People are almost always polite and friendly, the "rush hour" here is laughably tame compared to just about anywhere in the UK of any size.
It's close to "cottage country" and there are plenty of nice places to visit within a reasonably short drive.
Downtown Toronto/Pearson Airport can be reached within 2 hours (traffic pending, of course) if you like big city activities/international travel.

The downtown in Peterborough itself can seem a bit "sketchy" in places, and it does seem to have its share of problems in terms of things like substance abuse/panhandling etc, but I have to say I've never found it particularly threatening. It is also reasonably "arty" with something of a student/hippy vibe (there is a large student population here).
There are also some decent, independent restaurants - as well as the usual chains you'd find in any Canadian city.

Obviously it can never be as cosmopolitan as Toronto or indeed Ottawa, but I've met a surprising number of people here from all corners of the globe (mainly through sports activities), not to mention quite a few of the obligatory Brits!
There is another BE forum user who has lived in Ptbo longer than me. He may also be along to offer an opinion or two.

As for Ottawa, we've visited several times, and would have been quite happy to live there (or indeed Kingston) 4 years ago had any job offers been forthcoming, but we're not too unhappy at how things have turned out.
Winters are decidedly colder in Ottawa than Ptbo so I believe, not that it's particularly warm here between December and March though!

Anyway, that's just a broad outline. Please feel free to PM if you have any specific questions.

I'm not sure how one can really compare the two.

Ottawa is 10 times bigger, for a start (that's just Ottawa itself and not the greater sprawl).

Peterborough is about 95% white and almost entirely anglophone.

Perhaps 25% of Ottawa's population is non-white and probably about 40% of the population is bilingual.

There are obviously more differences than that.

Not been to Peterborough, but after many trips to Canada checking out a lot of places (being Toronto born and raised myself), we plumped for Ottawa (more accurately the southern suburbs).

Lovely city, not too large but everything you could want in a city and on a human scale. Climate can be extreme but hey - this is Canada! Love the Winterlude every February and have skated the canal on two occasions now! But will always be a Leaf fan!

If you want civilisation, decent veggies in grocery stores, culture, and can afford the difference in house prices then Ottawa every time.

I've lived in the Peterborough area for ten years, it's ok but not thrilling and is too far from Toronto for easy trips for a city fix.

We researched both (before deciding on neither) and much preferred Ottawa - housing is surprisingly cheap there by big-city standards, though the winters are a bit nastier than down here by LakeOntario. We didn't like Peterborough as much as we expected - stayed there for a few days and found the downtown a bit grubby, though the park by the lake was pleasant enough. But there seems to be much more to do in Ottawa - and we felt that being close to Quebec would be a great benefit. (Think cheese!)

I'd often wondered who the Leafs fan was............

Yes, one should always think cheese.

Civilisation, culture and affordable housing yes, but where are these decent veggies in grocery stores of which you speak?