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My partner and I are both gay men in our early 40s, we are both from Colombia in South America and because of his work with an international organization, he has been assigned a spot in Ottawa (The Capital of Canada) for the next four years.
We will be arriving there in May 2020.
He obviously will be employed full time, I am the spouse that tags along doing the expat thing. Have in mind that due to the funny enough OTTAWA agreement, spouses of foreign diplomats and expats can work in the country where their spouse is serving, so I will be entitled to work in Canada while we live there.
While I have never been to Canada, I have done googling in regards to Ottawa and I have become aware that is a pleasant city, welcoming, friendly, Canadians are generally open minded and friendly too.
Those aspects are nice.
However, I have some points that worry me terribly.
1. Most jobs are with the Canadian government, which I cannot do, however how is the job market outside of that government sector?
I am a Special Ed teacher, I am actually licensed to work in the US as such but I am not sure that will work in Ottawa. but I am open to other jobs that do not entail teaching kids.
2. I know the weather is cold, but is it depressing like European weather?
Right now we live in Europe and although we love it, I HATE THE WEATHER. Let me tell you, European weather is an ATROCITY! It has not stopped raining for the last 12 days, continuous gloom and dark. I want the sun, even if it is -15 degrees out.
3. Is the city a giant suburban sprawl like many US cities?
Can you live in the city and have a proper city with walking areas, public transport feeling and so on, or is it like US cities where what they call city is an enormous suburban sprawl where the only option to move around is to own a car.
4. How is Ottawa Boring?
We are aware it will not be a mega city like Tokyo with tons of things to see and do. I am aware it is more of a mid size city.
But when Canadians say it is boring, boring exactly how?
I do not like big nightclub, party all night type of fun, in fact I rather sleep. So the lack of loud 24/7 Ibiza type nightlife does not affect me. I do however love coffee shops, artsy places, theater, movies, some shopping here and there, and a nice cozy bar for some drinks with friends. I am big on jazz, salsa dancing, music places, picnics, summer bike rides etc.
Will Ottawa be boring for me?
5. Is Canada as obsessed with race, ethnicity, political views, genders, sexuality etc, as the US?
One of the things I love about Europe and South America and that makes me absolutely dislike the US, its the fact that you can navigate through life without having to be labelled as a race, as an ethnicity, as a left winger, as a right winger, as an LGTBQ member etc. In Europe like in South America you are absolutely free to be who you are without having society push a label on you, which is what happens in the US where I feel society cannot live without calling you latino, lgtbq, minority, left winger, cisgender blah blah blah.
6. I can speak French, it's speaking French and advantage in regards to jobs, making friends etc?
Last edited by xiloponeums; 10-01-2019 at 07:51 AM..
1. Most jobs are with the Canadian government, which I cannot do, however how is the job market outside of that government sector?
I am a Special Ed teacher, I am actually licensed to work in the US as such but I am not sure that will work in Ottawa. but I am open to other jobs that do not entail teaching kids.
It may be easy to obtain if you are US-certified, but I am 100% positive that you will need a certification from the province of Ontario to work in any Ottawa school in your field.
The general job market in Ottawa is very dynamic right now. Including jobs not in the government.
A large part of the city - maybe most of it technically - is sprawly and auto-oriented but there is a fairly large inner city that is walkable with shops, transit, etc. Of course these tend to be the most expensive areas but it's not as bad as in cities like Toronto or Vancouver. Or probably where you live in Europe.
A large part of the city - maybe most of it technically - is sprawly and auto-oriented but there is a fairly large inner city that is walkable with shops, transit, etc. Of course these tend to be the most expensive areas but it's not as bad as in cities like Toronto or Vancouver. Or probably where you live in Europe.
I am fairly familiar with the US.
Which city would you compare Ottawa with when it comes to the US?
Which city would you compare Ottawa with when it comes to the US?
In general ambiance I mean.
In terms of size and being a capital, I'd say either Austin or Albany, but I'm not sure either comparison is all that useful in communicating the feel of Ottawa. For example, neither city has rapid transit, nor do they have the breadth of museums and cultural institutions that come from being a Federal rather than State capital. Ottawa isn't as auto-oriented as a typical US city of its size and young age, so a walkable urban type life style is certainly possible there, but it's still a young sprawling North American style city at the end of the day, where owning at least one car in your household would be desirable in order to access the region and make the most of your time there. It probably feels a bit like Minneapolis.
Quote:
Originally Posted by xiloponeums
2. I know the weather is cold, but is it depressing like European weather?
Right now we live in Europe and although we love it, I HATE THE WEATHER. Let me tell you, European weather is an ATROCITY! It has not stopped raining for the last 12 days, continuous gloom and dark. I want the sun, even if it is -15 degrees out.
Ottawa doesn't have a cloudy coastal climate like the Netherlands, it's far inland and thus has plenty of sunshine, although not to the point of being a dry climate. Rain in Ottawa happens occasionally in larger storms rather than being cloudy and lightly raining very often as in the NL.
Quote:
Originally Posted by xiloponeums
4. How is Ottawa Boring?[/b]
We are aware it will not be a mega city like Tokyo with tons of things to see and do. I am aware it is more of a mid size city.
But when Canadians say it is boring, boring exactly how?
I do not like big nightclub, party all night type of fun, in fact I rather sleep. So the lack of loud 24/7 Ibiza type nightlife does not affect me. I do however love coffee shops, artsy places, theater, movies, some shopping here and there, and a nice cozy bar for some drinks with friends. I am big on jazz, salsa dancing, music places, picnics, summer bike rides etc.
Will Ottawa be boring for me?
No, you will be able to do all of those things in Ottawa so probably won't find it boring.
Quote:
Originally Posted by xiloponeums
5. Is Canada as obsessed with race, ethnicity, political views, genders, sexuality etc, as the US?
One of the things I love about Europe and South America and that makes me absolutely dislike the US, its the fact that you can navigate through life without having to be labelled as a race, as an ethnicity, as a left winger, as a right winger, as an LGTBQ member etc. In Europe like in South America you are absolutely free to be who you are without having society push a label on you, which is what happens in the US where I feel society cannot live without calling you latino, lgtbq, minority, left winger, cisgender blah blah blah.
Hard to say, I'd really have to have lived in both Europe, the US, South America, and Canada to speak in an informed way as to how they are different regarding this, and I haven't. Certainly, Ottawans are more political than other Canadians, living as they do in the capital city. Americans definitely are more obsessed with race than Canadians and have a very different history with the concept, so I know that will be different, but as to the other stuff, I don't know those other societies well enough to compare.
Quote:
Originally Posted by xiloponeums
I can speak French, it's speaking French and advantage in regards to jobs, making friends etc?
Depends on the job, but it doesn't hurt. Gatineau right across the river is a French speaking city in Quebec, and there are many Francophones in Ottawa and the surrounding region in Ontario. That said, Ottawa is definitely an Anglophone city where English is the predominant public language and plenty of people in public facing roles do not speak French. But I wouldn't say speaking French isn't of use in Ottawa, certainly it might open some doors for you, and if nothing else will help you feel comfortable interacting with and visiting communities in neighbouring Quebec.
Which city would you compare Ottawa with when it comes to the US?
In general ambiance I mean.
You got some excellent comments from BIMBAM already. I will try to add some more info.
In terms of U.S. cities I've often felt like Portland, Oregon was a good comparable for Ottawa.
Austin like BIMBAM said was a good one though if I think of Albany NY the inner city of Ottawa is in better shape and more "alive" over a considerably larger area.
Minneapolis is also a good one though the Twin Cities area is quite a bit larger in population than Ottawa-Gatineau is.
6. I can speak French, it's speaking French and advantage in regards to jobs, making friends etc?
It's definitely an asset, especially for jobs. Though not always essential. The private sector employment market in Ottawa can be surprisingly English only, though there are of course some demands and needs for French.
Socially basically all native French speakers in Ottawa can speak English though some prefer to speak French among friends, or speak a mix of French and English if the gathering is mixed between the two groups.
In Gatineau the majority of people are bilingual but there is a decent chunk (maybe one third) that speaks only French.
Most people do cross the river with ease, and this includes Ottawa anglos who speak no French.
In my experience French-speaking Canadians are quite a bit more likely to speak at least some Spanish (as a third language) than English-speaking Canadians are.
Hard to say, I'd really have to have lived in both Europe, the US, South America, and Canada to speak in an informed way as to how they are different regarding this, and I haven't. Certainly, Ottawans are more political than other Canadians, living as they do in the capital city. Americans definitely are more obsessed with race than Canadians and have a very different history with the concept, so I know that will be different, but as to the other stuff, I don't know those other societies well enough to compare.
.
I'd say that Canada in general is quite relaxed on such matters. And Ottawa pretty much follows the Canadian trend.
Ottawa tends be fairly "Liberal" (centrists) in the Canadian political universe though all of the other tendencies are present in the region including Conservatives, NDPers (Canada's social democrats), Greens and even Quebec separatists... so people are used to all of that.
For specific angles that might interest the OP more the area has a reputation for being very gay-friendly and open, and contrary to the U.S. being "Hispanic" here doesn't really carry any political or demographic baggage that people would impose upon you.
The main historic tensions are between English speakers and French speakers, often symbolized by how much of a presence French should have in Ottawa, vs. how much of a presence English should have in Gatineau.
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