Where will the next Hintonburg be?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Marshsparrow

Quebec... healthcare, language laws, school regs, imposter syndrome (anglophones) and bridges... no thanks.
.

To be perfectly frank, even I honestly don't know why anglos who don't speak at least some French, don't have a personal connection (ie a spouse), and have no interest in it, would choose to live in Gatineau over Ottawa.

Guess it's like our local version of the American "drive until you qualify": "hold your nose about Quebec and French until you qualify".

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Acajack

To be perfectly frank, even I honestly don't know why anglos who don't speak at least some French, don't have a personal connection (ie a spouse), and have no interest in it, would choose to live in Gatineau over Ottawa.

Guess it's like our local version of the American "drive until you qualify": "hold your nose about Quebec and French until you qualify".

I mean maybe I'm naive but most of us speak some French or more even no?

For me it's one city so really what does it matter if Gatineau is a French run place? How often do I interact with a government institution? If downtown Hull was nicer and I worked in Portage I would for sure live there.

For people who like forest estate style living. Chelsea offers really unrivalled choices. Most of the unaffiliated Anglos I know live there.

Now the suburban developments along Highway 5 or in Aylmer I think are more of a drive till you qualify but both places also offer a lot that equivalent choices in Ontario don't. I think a lot of them cheat too and still use Ottawa recreation, libraries and of course retail and restaurants isn't cheating and easily accessible.

I don't know the net migration numbers but there are lots of Francophones say from Montreal who move to Ottawa for the extra opportunities it offers one being English language education so there is a mix for sure. There is also no Glebe or Westboro or even close on that side of the river.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

I mean maybe I'm naive but most of us speak some French or more even no?

For me it's one city so really what does it matter if Gatineau is a French run place? How often do I interact with a government institution? If downtown Hull was nicer and I worked in Portage I would for sure live there.

For people who like forest estate style living. Chelsea offers really unrivalled choices. Most of the unaffiliated Anglos I know live there.

Now the suburban developments along Highway 5 or in Aylmer I think are more of a drive till you qualify but both places also offer a lot that equivalent choices in Ontario don't. I think a lot of them cheat too and still use Ottawa recreation, libraries and of course retail and restaurants isn't cheating and easily accessible.

I don't know the net migration numbers but there are lots of Francophones say from Montreal who move to Ottawa for the extra opportunities it offers one being English language education so there is a mix for sure. There is also no Glebe or Westboro or even close on that side of the river.

Not saying there aren't any pros. I just think the cons outweigh the pros for most people.

There are always people who'll try it out (an endless supply in fact, like a revolving door) but eventually I'd wager many of them will move back to Ottawa. Especially if the household doesn't have at least one spouse from Quebec. (It's quite common to buy a starter home in Gatineau, then when it has enough equity in it you sell it and use the money to buy something in Ottawa. Many people did that on my old street. My current street doesn't have starter homes, though.)

Montreal francophones and other Québécois who land in Ottawa also often move to Gatineau once they have kids. Then again, having an anglophone spouse seems to root these people down more firmly on the Ontario side.

[harls]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

I mean maybe I'm naive but most of us speak some French or more even no?

Yeah, I'm going to call you out on that one. There are a lot of people that don't know a lick of French in Ottawa.

[Fading Isle]

Originally Posted by harls

Yeah, I'm going to call you out on that one. There are a lot of people that don't know a lick of French in Ottawa.

According to the most recent census, 60% of Ottawans only speak English. There's no way to measure this, but there are probably also a fair number of people who can't say they only speak English, but aren't truly bilingual either. I'm thinking people that took French immersion in school and haven't spoken it in years.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Fading Isle

According to the most recent census, 60% of Ottawans only speak English. There's no way to measure this, but there are probably also a fair number of people who can't say they only speak English, but aren't truly bilingual either. I'm thinking people that took French immersion in school and haven't spoken it in years.

Yeah I guess that makes sense and yet I hear everyone say you can't get a job in Ottawa without French. I guess I live in a bubble but everyone I know speaks passable French and most send their kids to French Immersion or even French Public system.

[Fading Isle]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

Yeah I guess that makes sense and yet I hear everyone say you can't get a job in Ottawa without French. I guess I live in a bubble but everyone I know speaks passable French and most send their kids to French Immersion or even French Public system.

I think it differs greatly depending on where in the city you are. Growing up in a west-end inner suburb almost no one spoke French and French immersion was really not very popular. Back then this seemed consistent across all of west and south Ottawa, including the urban west-end. The starkness of the difference between west/south and east has likely changed a bit since I grew up, but it's still my impression that there are relatively few people 30 and over who speak French in west and south Ottawa.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Acajack

To be perfectly frank, even I honestly don't know why anglos who don't speak at least some French, don't have a personal connection (ie a spouse), and have no interest in it, would choose to live in Gatineau over Ottawa.

Guess it's like our local version of the American "drive until you qualify": "hold your nose about Quebec and French until you qualify".

$