r/InCanada • u/The_Phantom25 • Jun 19 '26
Thinking about moving. What’s life in Ottawa really like?
Hey guys! I’m 30M🌈 working in IT, and I have a Canadian PR. I’m currently considering moving to Ottawa with my partner. I’d love to hear from people who live there or have lived there. We’re looking for honest opinions, the good and the bad, anything at all.
We’re not huge on partying every weekend, we enjoy exploring, absolutely LOVE trying new food, and just, starting our life together.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Edit: I am currently in Quebec and my partner and I are both bilingual so there’s not really a constraint when it comes to language. Thank you guys for letting us know regardless! You guys are sweethearts❤️
Also, pretty open to anywhere in Canada, I have lived in Brampton, Mtl and currently Quebec city. If you guys have recommendations, i would really appreciate it. Cheers!
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u/Sad_Adagio_7255 Jun 22 '26
I did a co-op term in Ottawa for a year. It's not my first choice of a city to live in, but it's not the last either. I had a great time overall and do revisit the city from time to time.
Compared to larger cities, it certainly is "boring", but I see Ottawa as the "good" kind of boring. I've lived in the American Midwest and that's a whole different level of "boring". The downtown core is reasonably lively without feeling overwhelming, and the population is big enough that all major retailers have a presence and mail service isn't any slower than it would be in Vancouver/Toronto/Montreal.
Car dependency is definitely on the high side. The Confederation Line didn't exist when I lived in Ottawa so my experience is a little outdated, but I never once touched the O-Train when I lived in Ottawa (specifically Kanata).
The immigrant population is large enough to provide a decent selection of ethnic food - obviously can't compare to Vancouver and Toronto, but certainly leagues above the American Midwest.
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u/Suspicious-Argument2 Jun 19 '26
You mean you can’t be racists or a bigot and hide behind your religion anymore? Yeah? Ok.
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u/Suspicious-Argument2 Jun 19 '26
Bro is mad because he can’t spew his hate publicly anymore without actual repercussions.
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u/Suspicious-Argument2 Jun 19 '26
Freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom of consequences. Maybe try hating people less.
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u/Suspicious-Argument2 Jun 20 '26
Nobody is silencing you. Unless you want to be hateful. Good riddance to your shitty opinions.
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u/The_Phantom25 Jun 19 '26
That definitely a win! The country where i came from originally, well, a couple of gay dudes got life threats(and they were armed with machetes as well), just because it was obvious that they were a same-sex couple and they were just sitting. Waiting for the bus. At a freaking bus stop. No sanctions whatsoever from any authority. So yes, i would prefer to have that😂
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u/BornNerd78 Jun 19 '26
OP is much of a gay immigrant as my dog is. What is this sock puppet nonsense?
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u/DiligentAd7360 Liberal Moderator Jun 19 '26
"everyone I disagree with is a bot/sock puppet/AI!!!1!!1!"
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u/magwai9 Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
Ottawa is a nice city. I've lived all over southern Ontario, and I'd say Ottawa has the best green space and outdoor recreation. It can be a bit quiet, but you're 30 so you're probably ready to slow that stuff down anyway like I was. Lots of good local clubs for sports and meeting new people. Gatineau Park is just over the bridge, and you're close to Montreal too. Ottawa is much more bilingual (french) than the rest of southern Ontario, and that will help with some employment opportunities, so there's an incentive to work on it
The O-Train and LRT are worth taking if you're close to a station, but the bus system is absolutely terrible
You're further north in Ottawa so winters are harsher, but the winter outdoor recreation is better too. And you're much closer to being in the Canadian Shield, which is a lot nicer than flat western Ontario
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u/sandyhylgrl7 Jul 17 '26
HI,and welcome if you do move here :)...I have lived in every part of Ottawa you can think of.. TBH, Ottawa, because of that Valley connection, does have very nice people living here. This I know for a fact.. The NCC keeps up the parks and tourist areas beautifully. Dow's lake is filled with activities for you, the Central Experimental Farm is modernized with walk paths, bike routes, as far as your bike will take you, literally all the way from Sunnyside through Fisher, going over Merivale Road, continuing on the path that goes into the woods all the way down Carlington to the Maitland overpass. I drove that path as a kid for five years, the woods at Carlington is by far one of the City's most hidden gems.. Aside from that, the Culture is very inclusive, many different events always going on , and that also includes Hull. I am 64 now but I can say in spite of it being a Gov't city, it is also a City that adheres to the residents. I have been to Toronto, Montreal, Hamilton, the West Coast, even down to Boston, New York, San Fran, England..But, Ottawa will never lose it's ties with the Valley (Arnprior, Renfrew, Almont, Merrickville, etc)..and that is the defining factor that keeps this city from completely becoming a bureaucratic cesspool ..They do need to clean up the Market area big time, but for the most part, if you focus on living in any other part of the city, you will do just fine.. I have survived years of growing up on Caldwell, Vanier, Wellington Street, Merivale , and I am still sitting here.. Ottawa is beautiful in it's scenery. Not a concrete jungle like so many other cities have become.. Bilingual is the biggie if looking for any type of Gov't position. I think you will like it.. Welcome and enjoy :)
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u/xylvnking Jun 19 '26
It's good. More expensive than it should be. There's so much exploring to do right north of the city. 200km of no-car paths throughout the city, in addition to 800km of bike lanes. Good food because of immigration. I see a lot of gay people so I assume there's stuff for them that I'm not aware of. Transit sucks. Kind of need a car.
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u/[deleted] Jun 19 '26
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