Moving to Ottawa! (BC to ON)

kuhltiffany said:

Thanks everyone! We will definitely miss the mild winters here. Right now we have a pool that we open rom mid-April to mid-October, I think we may have to trade it for a hot tub .

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Don't count on it. Our winters are cold, but the summers are hot. Humidex values of 40+ are not at all uncommon, especially this summer. My in-laws (in Kanata, as am I) usually use their unheated pool from late May to early October.

kuhltiffany said:

@ottjdub we are actually looking for a house in that area, DH works for WindRiver. The real estate agent though keeps trying to steer us down towards Beaverbrook and Hazeldean, any idea why? Right now we only have 1 car and would love to stay that way, so we're hoping to find a house DH can walk to work from...

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Depends what you're looking for? Beaverbrook and Hazeldean are the older, more established neighbourhoods. More trees, bigger yards, somewhat smaller houses (in general). Also closer to the Queensway, which can be nice if you're regularly trying to get downtown. For proximity to the Kanata North business Park though, Morgan's Grant or Shirley's Brook are good options, and Beaverbrook or Kanata Lakes would be okay. If you want to avoid a second car, definitely stay north of the Queensway. Walking might be doable in summer, and Kanata is reasonably bike friendly, but you'll probably want to have the option of public transit in winter. For that you'll want to be on the same side of the Queensway as your destination, otherwise a route transfer is guaranteed.

Good luck, and welcome to Kanata!

@mab2012 Thank you! Got back from vacation last night (Disney Cruise to Alaska) and are now going into packing mode, the moving truck comes 1 week today!

We've got a furnished rental for September and October while we look for a house, I've put that on hold until we get there. Any streets we should avoid? Seems like there isn't much available in Morgan's Grant or Shirley's Brook right now anyway…we may have to wait until the spring season.

Any other advice you can give? Recommendations for doctors, dentist, eye doctor, paediatrician, orthodontist, tailor, car service, housecleaning, etc.? So much to figure out

Welcome! We are also in the East end, but agree that there is lots going on in Ottawa, for the Disney-lover and apparently for others too We went to the Disney Store grand opening this weekend and I was pleased with it, prices aren't unreasonable, good selection, lines were nuts but we were there at prime-time. There are also lots of good museums, we spend a lot of time at the Experimental Farm and Agriculture Museum in the South of the city, great for kids to see animals and a nice, low-key outing.

Echo others on the cross-border options, being only an hour from Ogdensburg is great for ordering online and then picking up somewhere like myUSaddress.com. We fly to WDW out of Ottawa, but have young kids, so will likely try cheaper airports or driving when they are a little less labour-intensive.

There is a lot great about Kanata, so hope the house search is going well. Let us know if you have any specific questions!

kuhltiffany said:

Any other advice you can give? Recommendations for doctors, dentist, eye doctor, paediatrician, orthodontist, tailor, car service, housecleaning, etc.? So much to figure out

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sent PM

Welcome to Ottawa! I am in the east end (Orleans), but you will love Kanata and Ottawa in general

Traveling from Ottawa to Orlando is SO easy, time to start planning your WDW vacations

kuhltiffany said:

@mab2012 Thank you! Got back from vacation last night (Disney Cruise to Alaska) and are now going into packing mode, the moving truck comes 1 week today!

We've got a furnished rental for September and October while we look for a house, I've put that on hold until we get there. Any streets we should avoid? Seems like there isn't much available in Morgan's Grant or Shirley's Brook right now anyway…we may have to wait until the spring season.

Any other advice you can give? Recommendations for doctors, dentist, eye doctor, paediatrician, orthodontist, tailor, car service, housecleaning, etc.? So much to figure out

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Nice that you were able to get that Alaska cruise in before it becomes a fly-away!

I really can't think of anywhere in Kanata that you should outright avoid. The whole city is very clean and very safe. It's just a matter of preferred location and maybe site influences, like major roads or nearby schools. But there are no "bad" parts of town that I know of.

I'm not sure I can help a lot with services, at least not for specific recommendations. Doctors around here can be hard to come by. Generally it's a matter of just finding someone who is accepting patients and hoping for the best. There is a provincial program that can help with this: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-family-doctor-or-nurse-practitioner. If you're without a doctor for a bit, there are a number of walk-in clinics in the area that are helpful for the occasional illness or injury. Lots of people rely on the walk-in clinics exclusively.

Dentists are a dime a dozen; I don't think the ones we use are notably better or worse than any others. Probably best just to find one in a convenient location and give them a try.

There is a large practice of optometrists at Kanata Optometry on Kakulu. We've gone there for decades, always good service.

Orthodontist: my daughter has been seeing Dr. Razavi at Palladium Orthodontics for consultations over the past few years. We've been very happy with his manner and approach so far, and his credentials are impressive. We're not actually into braces yet, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend based on what I've seen to this point.

As for housecleaning, I think independent cleaners are best if you can find a good one - please let me know if you do. ;-) Otherwise there are a number of large services in the area. Most have high turnover rates, and the quality of work is usually so-so. We currently use Housewerks; they at least send the same team regularly, and the turnover seems a bit lower than other services we've tried. We've had the same "lead" cleaner for a couple of years now, and are reasonably satisfied with the service. I just try not to look under the couch too often.

If you like to take your car to a dealer for service, you're in luck. There is a large auto-mall nearby (right next to the outlet mall someone mentioned upthread). Most of the major manufacturers are there, and most offer shuttle service within Kanata. If you'd prefer an independent garage I can't help, but I'm sure if you ask around you get here someone will have a recommendation.

Are you hockey fans? If so, you'll be pleased by the proximity of the Canadian Tire Centre (current name for the home of the Ottawa Senators). If not, you'll want to avoid that area of town on game nights - especially the restaurants.

ETA: If you are downhill skiers, you're unfortunately in for a huge downgrade. That said, there are some decent options (by East Coast standards) within a few hours drive - most notably Mont Tremblant (2h away). There are also several local hills within a 30-60 minute drive; these are fine for beginners or those who aren't picky about a lot of variety, but you will find them small (both skiable terrain and vertical drop) and icy compared to what's available on the West Coast.

Other winter options include cross country skiing (there are trails everywhere), snowshoeing, and skating (either downtown on the canal, or on local indoor or outdoor rinks). Whatever you do, plan to get out and embrace winter - it's the only way to survive them!

Hope your move goes well!