Protests, Homeless, and Crossing the Ottawa River
Looking down from the airplane, Ottawa seemed so peaceful—just vast stretches of green space, winding rivers, and nature. A helpful guy I met at the airport's train station directed me on how to get to the city. But right at the airport bus stop, the city showed a harsher side right away. I saw a mentally ill man yelling and smashing things close to me. Once I arrived downtown, someone jumped a train station gate to dodge a ticket, and homeless people were begging for a living. A self-proclaimed gay man even approached me on the street, saying I looked attractive to him.
Ottawa is politically charged. People were parading through the streets, with messages displayed on the signs held in their hands. Messages written by chalk are at the ground right in front of the Office of Prime Minister.
The contrast here is sharp. On the good side, Ottawa has great food diversity. It also really feels like the capital of shawarma. The cost of living feels relative, the architecture in the National Capital Region is incredible, and there are plenty of green spaces downtown like parks and the Rideau Canal. A thirty-minute walk from downtown brings you to tranquil suburban villages along the Ottawa River, where people walk their dogs past gardens filled with colorful flowers. On the bad side, construction is everywhere. The Center Block of Parliament Hill has been under construction since 2018 and won't be done until 2032. There are also many roadblocks in the region. Wildfire smoke in Ontario hangs in the air, leaving the air quality moderate despite clear blue skies that still aren't as blue as Banff and Jasper.
Then there is the ugly. The downtown homeless crisis creates a stark contrast right next to grandiose Parliament Hill. The smell of weed drifts down the streets near gathering areas where people in dirty, ragged clothes self-talk, circle around, or appear drunk, with odors reaching meters away. At Byward Market, I saw a man drinking water straight from a public fountain. Most public toilets are locked unless you are a paying customer, likely to keep homeless people out—a setup I didn't see in Vancouver, Banff, or Jasper. Walking alone through downtown at night was super scary. Winnipeg felt unsafe with few people around, but Ottawa has much more homeless people alongside regular foot traffic. It feels fine during the day, but very scary at night.
Safety concerns even made basic errands tense. I had read in the news that Dollarama was robbed frequently, so I didn't dare enter at first. But when I couldn't find simple utensils like a water bottle and an umbrella at Metro, a staff member recommended Dollarama. I forced myself to go in and was relieved to find a security guard inside. I also noticed severe obesity around the city, with many men and women unable to walk and relying on wheelchairs.
Still, the city has fascinating quirks. Walking across the Alexandra Bridge over the Ottawa River takes you straight into Quebec. In Ottawa, bilingual info boards put English on top or to the left, but Quebec inverts the order. I went into a bistro where the menu was entirely in French, everyone spoke French, and street signs dropped English altogether, feeling like a whole new country.
In China, rice is the main staple, but in Canada, main dishes are meat like chicken or beef, with rice relegated to a side option alongside salad or potatoes. Between roasted potatoes, French fries, poutine, and potato salad, I have officially set a personal record of eating potatoes every day for seven straight days since the first day at the Canadian!
Boarding a train in Canada is way easier and faster than in China. There’s no security. There are very few people in the station. Food is quite reasonably priced if you forget to bring food, like me. All you need to do is show your boarding pass at the gate shortly before departure.
