7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Moving to Ottawa from Manitoba

I moved to Ottawa from Manitoba for university in 2018. I grew up in a small town in rural Manitoba with a population of about 100 people, and we live an hour and a half from the nearest small city. I had lots of adventures there, living close to both national and provincial parks, where we hiked, swam and water skied. In the winter, I did downhill skiing and a lot of figure skating. Here are some things to know before moving to Ottawa:

My First Time In Ottawa

I visited Ottawa in high school as a participant in a program called Forum for Young Canadians, where we learned about the Canadian parliamentary system. I became very interested in policy during that trip and decided I wanted to be a public servant when I grew up. I visited one more time in 2017 before making the final decision to move. While my interest in studying policy was a driving factor in my decision, I’d also fallen in love with the city. 

Why Ottawa Was Different

When visiting other cities, I’d felt overwhelmed by the number of people, the enormity of the buildings and the complete lack of space. In Ottawa, I felt like there were still glimpses of the beautiful green space I’d grown up taking for granted. I loved that there were spaces right in the city that could make you feel like you weren’t in a city at all. Over the five years I’ve lived in Ottawa, I’ve explored pretty thoroughly and found even more things to love. 

Things I’ve Learned About Ottawa Through the Years:

You’ll Run Into Familiar Faces

I was surprised to find that, even in a city this big, you can run into people you know or see the same people when you’re going about your daily routine. In that sense, Ottawa can feel like a small town and provide a sense of community. On my very first day living in Ottawa, I briefly met a girl living in residence only to run into her in a store downtown a few days later. As a newcomer to the city this was very reassuring.

You Can Find Your Community

You’ll be able to connect with others that have similar interests when moving to Ottawa. For me, that was adult figure skating. I was happy to learn that Ottawa also has a strong adult figure skating community. One of my first big adventures was figuring out how to take the bus from downtown to the Nepean sportsplex to be on an adult synchro team. This was a huge adventure for me because I had never used public transit before and never skated synchro. Thankfully, I was welcomed in with open arms, and I’m still on the team now.

Ottawa is Far From Boring

Ottawa often gets a bad rep for being boring, but I have to disagree. Another one of the things that I love about Ottawa is that there are always things going on. As a university student, I took advantage of many of the free events happening on campus. I was always surprised that you could find something to do or some free food to eat just by walking through campus. Off-campus, I also enjoy budget-friendly events such as spending time in the green belt, taking the free shuttle to Gatineau Park in the summer and visiting the museums. Ottawa also surprised me with the number of festivals they have. Some of my favourites have been Buskerfest, The Best of Times and Les Grands Feux. Of course, when I first moved to Ottawa, I did all the touristy things as well. 

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Ottawa Can Be Challenging Without A Car

The longer I live in Ottawa, the more I’ve expanded my radius. Without a car or a complete understanding of the transit system, exploring the city seemed daunting, and I mostly stuck to things within walking distance or on the few bus routes I was comfortable with. Over time, I’ve learned that some of Ottawa’s gems are a little more off the beaten path and that long bus rides can absolutely be worth it, especially if you aren’t on a time restriction.

While there are many things I’ve loved about Ottawa, this was my first truly solo adventure, and there were many things to adapt to. As I mentioned above, learning how to use public transit was a big hurdle. If you’re new to Ottawa and don’t have a car, you need to download the app Transit. This was a big game changer for me, and the bus arrival times are more accurate here than on Apple/Google maps. Also, some buses only run on certain days, so if you’re planning ahead, make sure you adjust your departure time to get the most accurate schedule. 

Traffic In Ottawa

Another thing I had to adjust to when moving to Ottawa was the traffic. For my first year here, car horns would regularly make me jump while my friends remained unphased. Perhaps the best illustration of how much I had to learn was my issue with the traffic lights. Not long after I moved to Ottawa, I made the trek to Nepean by bus to skate synchro for the first time. Making it on the bus was clearly already a pretty big accomplishment. I’m standing across from the rink, feeling both excited and nervous to meet the team, and the walk signal light is taking forever to change. After a while, a man comes over and is also waiting for the light to change. A few more minutes pass, and the man looks at me and says, “did you press the button?” I had no idea that you had to press a button to get the light to change! This embarrassing incident was probably the funniest learning curve for my friends. 

It’s Worth The Leap

While the differences between home and Ottawa could be challenging, I have come a long way and learned a lot moving to Ottawa. Moving to a new place can be scary and overwhelming, but it can also push you to grow as a person, and you get to have so many new experiences. This move helped show me that every day can be an adventure if you take the right approach, and now this is a mindset that I’ve completely adopted. If you’re new to Ottawa, you can rest assured that you’ve chosen a beautiful city to explore. 

Find fun things to do in Ottawa here.