What's Ottawa like?
 

Hello All

We currently live in North Vancouver but are considering a change as the cost of living is pretty horrendous and we are finding it quite tough on one salary - I stay at home to look after our two toddlers.

We are thinking about Ottawa, having heard that it is still very beautiful with good job prospects but a more manageable cost of living - my husband works as a Software Engineer.

Do you live there? Do you love it? Let me know! thanks :)

Re: What's Ottawa like?
 

I worked there for a year. I thought it was lovely, for a fortnight in July. Otherwise a nightmare of cold and blackflies.

Re: What's Ottawa like?
 

Add to that lots of snow and freezing rain in winter.

Re: What's Ottawa like?
 

Well yes, my enduring memory of Ottawa is of the day my car battery froze solid. Unable to drive, and needing to get to work, I ran for the bus. It was at the stop but I slipped in the middle of the road and fell. The bus driver pulled away, giving me the finger as he did so. Laying there I wondered how he knew I was an anglo.

Re: What's Ottawa like?
 

When were those pictures taken...mid 70's?

Re: What's Ottawa like?
 

Moving from North Vancouver to Ottawa is like moving to a different country.

It has an extreme climate - hot and muggy in the summer, cold and snowy in the winter. Winters last much longer - spring begins to show its face in May. It has a much smaller growing season because of it. This is only relevant if you enjoy gardening, as you don't get the same kind of diversity nor the perpetual greenery like around North Van.

Ottawa's downtown is small and walkable. It has many large (for Canada) museums. It has a completely different architectural style than the west coast. It's an older city than Vancouver. There's less of an Asian influence than the west coast but it has a large Lebanese community. You'll also hear French on a daily basis, and being the national capital of Canada, the government plays a prominent role.

Re: What's Ottawa like?
 

December 1972.

Re: What's Ottawa like?
 

Ottawa had an IT industry developing in the late 1990s, some of it is probably still there.

Other than that a lot of jobs are federal government - usually Canadian citizenship + French language are needed.

Re: What's Ottawa like?
 

Why don't you just get a job and then you could afford to live here? :confused:

Re: What's Ottawa like?
 

Not if you're willing to work as a contractor. There are lots of contract positions with federal agencies. Not something for everyone, of course.

Re: What's Ottawa like?
 

A second job might, just might, cover their care costs.

Re: What's Ottawa like?
 

Daycare is going to cost 60k to 70k? Most people do it, if they want to give their family a good standard of living.

Re: What's Ottawa like?
 

Hi Greenstriper

I live here and (mostly) love it. As you can tell from other posters from other parts of the country, the place tends to elicit certain reactions from those living elsewhere principally relating to:
- it being home to those n'er do wells in the federal government
- cold/freezing/generally unfit for humans
- quiet/dull/souless etc

I note that dbd tends to use his bus story every six months or so to deter various new posters from the place.

Everyone's experience is different, depending on where they live in the city and what they do, but here's my thoughts.

Stuff I like about Ottawa

- great affordability compared to bigger urban centres, really good neighbourhoods in the city (Glebe, Westboro, Wellington, New Edinboro) and plenty of space in 'burbs/country if you want land to build
- plenty to do if you're prepared to look for it - some great restaurants, bars, decent arts scene, museums etc. Some visitors come to the Market and assume the city is dead - they are looking in the wrong places.
- good access to nature (although not compared to Van I'd assume). Gatineau Park for hiking, biking and mini-skiing, Mont Tremblant 2.5 hours away, canoeing etc. Rideau canal skating is fun and pretty unique.
- having the English/French influence provides an interesting cultural mix
- decent economy, even with somewhat of a downturn in high tech. I'm not seeing too much recession impact around here.
- good place for a family - very family-centred, French-immersion schools if you like that
- direct flights to UK in 7.5 hours, although not always so cheap. But makes a week away in the UK possible, if needed
- pretty attractive for a North American city - historic buildings, green spaces etc. Note - there's plenty of the usual grim sprawl too.
- shopping is not too bad at all - Rideau Centre has almost all of the major stores and meets our needs
- Only a couple of hours to Montreal if you want somewhere a bit bigger. And some nice parts of the US (Vermont, New Hampshire) are not too far either.

Stuff I don't like so much:

- winter is long, which is worse than it being cold. And if you don't like the cold, seriously don't come.
- some people can be introverted - tend to be shy which sometimes comes over as rude. If you've come from a friendlier part of Canada you probably won't like that.
- if you don't speak French, there are some jobs you won't get. And if you're not a citizen that is a major barrier with working with the Feds, as is the need for a security clearance
- it doesn't have the buzz and edge of places like Toronto or Montreal. Or London, which is where I moved from. But doesn't usually have the crime, traffic or social nuisance type stuff either.
- it suffers from under-ambition and under-sells itself more than it should; small-town politics in a big city which leads to some dumb decisions.

So that's my take. Am sure you'll get others.

cheers

Re: What's Ottawa like?
 

I really think that's a gross exaggeration. For the majority of people with two children it would be perhaps $25-30k with some tax relief available. I assume, if you believe your numbers, you're an elitist.

Re: What's Ottawa like?
 

Still, it's difficult for a person who hasn't worked for a while to land a job that will cover the cost.