The
Thornton
Family

In 2019, Rob landed the kind of opportunity that doesn't come twice — a senior engineering role at Shopify, headquartered in Ottawa. The catch: we'd have to pack up our entire lives in British Columbia and move across the country. We didn't hesitate for long.

Orleans turned out to be an easy choice. Natalie and Kaitlyn were both enrolled in Early French Immersion, so we wanted a community with genuine French character and a family-oriented feel — and Orleans delivered on both counts. What started as a practical decision has become something we're genuinely proud of. This corner of the Ottawa Valley has quietly, steadily become home.