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-ABILITY TO USE BIKE AS TRANSPORTATION AROUND THE CITY.
If I live centrally, will I be able to do grocery shopping on my bike? (I have a nice city bike I bought here in Amsterdam)
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Yes, but winter will probably prevent you from doing this all year. There is a growing winter cycling crowd equipped with "fat bikes" and such but generally speaking most people do not bike in the winter.
But October and even much of November (depending on the year) is a cyclable month. Today it was 3C in the early morning but the maximum will be 15C with bright sunshine. So definitely good cycling weather.
Usually by early April (sometimes late March if you are lucky) it's OK to cycle again.
-HOW ARE THE FOLLOWING AREAS IN REGARDS TO WALK-ABILITY, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION INTO CENTRETOWN (Where my spouse will work)
Vanier
Sandy Hill
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If by "Centretown" you mean the area immediately south of downtown Ottawa CBD, then there is not much difference in commuting by transit from Vanier vs. Sandy Hill. All of the routes from Vanier go through Sandy Hill anyway.
Though if you are living in the southern part of Sandy Hill and working in the central-western part of Centretown you can probably walk there faster than taking a bus. There is a pedestrian bridge over the Rideau Canal near the uOttawa O-Train station.
During part of the year (2-3 months) you can also walk across the canal at any point because the water will be frozen solid - this is perfectly safe, and the canal will be cleared of snow for ice skating.
Sandy Hill is generally a nicer area than Vanier. Vanier has some nice areas but also much of it is struggling so it has a bit of a poorer vibe.
Much of Sandy Hill is a student neighbourhood due to the proximity of the University of Ottawa. It also has quite a few embassies, and a large "professional" upper middle class population.
Overall I would say Sandy Hill is not as "pleasantly walkable" as other areas in Ottawa like the Glebe or Westboro or Golden Triangle/Elgin because Rideau St. is a bit shabbier than the main streets in these other districts. But functionally it is OK. The residential streets south of Rideau which form the heart of Sandy Hill are quitr attractive though.
The main street in Vanier, Montreal Road, is quite shabby as well. It's walkable too but in terms of "pleasantness"... not so much.
On the northern edges of Vanier (technically in New Edinburgh, and not Vanier) you have Beechwood Ave. which is both walkable and pleasant.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Hey, I just spotted "Vanier" in one of your recent comments. I don't have time to read through the thread but you're not planning on LIVING in Vanier, are you? It's low on culture, but big on crime.
I personally like the idea of moving to Ottawa now that I know much more about it.
My biggest worry and one that gives me anxiety is WORKING.
Since my spouse has expat status, I will be given a residency permit which allows me to live, travel, work fully in Canada for the duration of the time he is in Ottawa working *3 years*, obviously I will have to look for work in Ottawa since I will be living there.
I keep reading stuff about foreigners not getting work because they lack Canadian experience, or Ottawa job market being very government oriented meaning *Canadian citizens only*
I do not want to have a career in Canada, it will be pointless as I am there only four years, but I do want to have an income. My goal will be to visit employment agencies, and start networking around, walking into anything not government related.
This worries me a LOT!
Acajack or any other Ottawa local>
Besides the government what are other big employers. I specialize in children with Special needs in the field of education, but I read Ontario has too many teachers... I can work with the elderly if I have to which is a big growing field all over the world.
Entry level even, minus shopping mall retail *I cannot stand that line of work*
Ottawa has a pretty big hi-tech sector that's mostly concentrated in the western suburbs of the city. They don't care about your citizenship and they have lots of different types of jobs - not just "tech" focused.
As I mentioned already the paragovernmental sector of associations, councils, federations, etc. is big and generally very open to non-citizens.
You might want to contact a temp agency like Excel HR, Barbara Personnel, etc. to see what they say. Government and other employers rely on them a lot. They probably don't require citizenship for government jobs but they do require a minimal government-issued security clearance. They'll tell you what the deal is though.
Being a very diverse city with lots of immigration there are lots of organizations that help newcomers find work. You're not technically an immigrant but they still might be of assistance. I don't have any names but I know they exist.
As for Canadian experience I think it's more of a hindrance when you're looking to start building a career here.
For the types of jobs you will be looking for (and I don't necessarily mean retail) it probably won't be as big a barrier.
. I specialize in children with Special needs in the field of education, but I read Ontario has too many teachers... I
Not sure if it's so much that Ontario actually has too many teachers, or that the Conservative Ontario government *says* the province has too many teachers.
In any event, they seem to be determined to cut the number of teaching positions, and I think the attitude is that if that increases class sizes, it's no big deal.
If you are a special ed teacher you might also be able to work privately in a kind of tutorial capacity with certain families who are willing to pay out of pocket. (I doubt they'd be eligible for insurance reimbursement if you're not licensed in the province.)
How much does 2.000 Canadian dollars will get me as far as renting goes?
Ideally an apartment with 2 bedrooms would be nice for me.
Obviously it depends on a lot of factors (the neighbourhood, the building, etc.) but generally speaking this should be fine. Sorry I can't say more but I am not into the renting scene.
BTW this morning we woke up to a very light dusting of snow. So everything was white but the sun melted a lot of it during the day.
The maximum so far has only been +1C.
This is very cold for this time of year. Normally the maximum is around +7C in early November.
The legendary Dr. Foth referred to Ottawa as The Town That Fun Forgot.
But speaking as an American with some fluency in the difficult Canadian language, I like it. It's just a little underwhelming as a *World Capital*. It is amusing that the dopey Sens don't play in Ottawa proper, but in Kanata.
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