Report: Ottawa goes mostly cash-less during COVID-19 pandemic

Photo by Clay Banks/Unsplash

Cash is no longer the preferred method of payment for Ottawans, at least according to a new report from Square. The payments company says Ottawa is now the country's most cashless city, with its residents preferring to pay with plastic because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, 31.3% of purchases in the city were paid by cash. But since COVID-19 hit, cash sales have dropped to 1.7%. 

Now, most purchases in Ottawa are paid for with cards at a rate of 98.3%. Montreal comes in a close second at 97.2%. The highest percentage of purchases paid for with cards includes breweries, wineries and distilleries, food and drink vendors, and leisure and music entertainment.

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Ottawa joins the 'Waze for Cities' program

Photo by Peter Fazekas from Pexels

The city of Ottawa partners with Waze to share its traffic data to help provide drivers with improved real-time updates during their commutes. Ottawa will be offering traffic data related to crashes and construction, allowing drivers to plan their routes better. The city says in a press release that the combination of Waze user submissions and traffic information will help provide more accurate information regarding road conditions.

Waze has partnered with other cities like Toronto and Montreal in Canada and New York and San Francisco in the US for this program. The partnership is also part of Ottawa's Smart City plan, where they plan to use innovation, technology, and leading practices to improve residents' experience when it comes to getting information and accessing services in the city.

Apple Maps Transit coming to Edmonton, Ottawa and Quebec City

Apple Maps Transit information is available starting today to users in Edmonton, Ottawa and Quebec City.

Transit in Apple Maps launches in these three cities with local signage that carefully mimics their local public transit branding, so directions have the same icons as you’ll see on the bus or train.

In Edmonton, residents using Apple Maps can now enjoy the addition of Edmonton Transit Service; in Ottawa, the OC Ospo and in Quebec City the RTC.

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Apple Retail Store to open in Bayshore Centre Ottawa this Saturday

The Apple Retail Store at the Bayshore Centre in Ottawa will open on September 8th. This will be the 11th store in Ontario, the  26th store in Canada and the 380th Apple Store in the world.  Located at 100 Bayshore Drive Ottawa, Ontario the new store opens to the public on Saturday, September 8, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. Limited edition store t-shirts will be given to the first 1000 visitors.