Buy local

City of Ottawa Small Business Week Contest

We’re celebrating Small Business Week in Ottawa with an Instagram contest! To be eligible to win one of five $100 gift cards to a small business of your choice. perform the following steps:

Like this post (originating from the City’s Instagram account promoting the contest)
Follow @cityofottawa or @villedottawa on Instagram
Post a photo or video of yourself in front of or inside one of your favourite Ottawa small businesses of fewer than 50 employees and,
Within the same post, tag one of your favourite Ottawa small businesses and
Tag #OttawaSBWContest

The contest begins Sunday, October 15, 2023 and closes at 11:59 pm on Sunday, October 22, 2023. Winners will be announced on Monday, October 30 via Instagram. Each post with an appropriate photo or video and a tagged Ottawa small business counts as one entry. The tag and the photo do not have to feature the same business. A limit of three entries per account, per day, is allowed. You may not feature or tag the same business in multiple posts.

By entering this contest you are agreeing to the Official Contest Rules available at ottawa.ca/buylocal.

City of Ottawa Small Business Week – Official Contest Rules

As a condition of participating in the City of Ottawa Small Business Week Contest (the Contest), entrants agree to be bound by these Official Contest Rules (the Contest Rules).

An Ottawa small business, for the purposes of this contest, is any legal business that exists within the borders of the city of Ottawa and that has fewer than 50 employees.

Eligibility

To be eligible to participate in this Contest, you must be a resident of a province or territory in Canada, have reached the age of at least sixteen (16) at the time of entry. This contest is not open to current employees or contract workers of the City of Ottawa nor their immediate family members. Entrants who are under the age of majority in their province or territory of residence must obtain parental consent prior to entry. Should an entrant who is a minor be selected for a prize, a parent or guardian will be required to accept the prize on behalf of the entrant.

How to enter – no purchase necessary

To enter the Contest you must meet the eligibility requirements above, like the City’s Instagram post promoting the contest, follow @cityofottawa or @villedottawa on Instagram, post a video or selfie from in front of or inside an Ottawa small business, and tag the contest hashtag #OttawaSBWContest and an Ottawa small business. The Entrant must obtain any appropriate consents necessary to take and publicly post photographs and videos. Contest entries will be accepted starting on Sunday, October 15, 2023 at 12:01 am ET and the deadline to enter is Sunday, October 22 at 11:59 pm ET (the “Contest Period”). Entrants may submit a maximum of three entries per day into the contest, provided no small business is featured in more than one entry. Only one prize can be awarded per eligible person. Entrants who submit more than three entries in a day will only be entered into the draw three times that day. Entrants who do not have an Instagram account may enter the contest by emailing contest-concours@ottawa.ca with the name of their favourite Ottawa small business and a photo or video of themself in front of or inside an Ottawa small business that the City of Ottawa may post publicly on Instagram.

Prizes

Eligible Contest entries received during the Contest Period will be eligible to win one of five $100 gift cards for the Ottawa small business of their choice.

Prize selection process

On Monday, October 23 (the “Draw Date”) in Ottawa, Ontario, the City of Ottawa will perform a random draw (the “Prize Draw”) from among all eligible Prize Entries received during the Contest Period and the first five (5) selected entrants shall each be deemed potential Prize winners. The odds of winning a Prize will depend on the number of eligible Prize Entries received during the Contest Period.

The Prize Draw will be conducted by City of Ottawa staff who will monitor submissions on @cityofottawa and @villedottawa Instagram pages through a numbered spreadsheet generated by Sprout Social. A random number generator will be used to generate five prize winning numbers. The corresponding Instagram accounts in the spreadsheet will be deemed potential prize winners.

The City of Ottawa will contact all five winners directly no later than 5 pm on Monday, October 23 on Instagram. Please note that failure to respond within three (3) days of the date at which the City sends a prize notification email or Instagram message will result in disqualification and the City reserves the right to select another winner. Selected winners will also be required to execute a legal release that confirms the winner’s (i) eligibility for the Contest and compliance with these Contest Rules; (ii) acceptance of the prize as offered; (iii) acknowledgement that the City of Ottawa may announce and publicly display their winning entry; and (iv) release of the City of Ottawa and Instagram from liability as outlined in section 7 of these Contest Rules.

Prize conditions

The following conditions apply to the prize in this Contest: (i) the prize must be accepted as awarded and is not transferable or convertible to cash; (ii) there are no substitutions permitted, except at the City of Ottawa’s option; and (iii) the City of Ottawa reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to substitute any prize or a component thereof with a prize of equal or greater value.

Limitation of liabliity

By participating in this Contest, entrants agree to release and hold harmless the City of Ottawa, its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents from any and all liability or any injuries, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this Contest or prize won, including any travel related thereto. Entrants further acknowledge that this Contest is administered solely by the City of Ottawa and is no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram. Entrants release Instagram from any responsibility and liability in connection with this Contest. Posts including any comments do not imply any City endorsement of any kind by the City of Ottawa of any business.

Instagram terms of use and privacy

Entrants acknowledge that by entering this Contest they will be subject to the current Instagram Terms of Use and Privacy Policy that are available on the instagram.com website. Personal information collected by the City of Ottawa including the Contest entrant names is collected by for the purposes of administering the Contest. Entrants consent to their name and photographic image being disclosed publicly via Instagram and by the City, including without limitation through the Contest Website and other media accessible to the general public. If you have any questions about the collection and use of personal information by the City of Ottawa, you may email contest-concours@ottawa.ca..

Compliance with Applicable Laws

This Contest is intended to be conducted in the Province of Ontario and shall be subject to all applicable federal and provincial laws, by-laws of the City of Ottawa and City of Ottawa policies, procedures and protocols.

Cancellation, modification, suspension of contest

The City of Ottawa reserves the right to cancel, modify or suspend the Contest at anytime subject to applicable law, if the City of Ottawa determines that the Contest cannot be run as originally planned or if fraud or any other occurrence compromises the fairness or integrity of the Contest.

Support Ottawa’s economy, buy local now!

Ottawa’s small and locally owned businesses are woven into the fabric of our city.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many changes to every facet of Ottawa residents’ lives. These have been challenging times for everyone.

Many local businesses are struggling financially as a result of the current restrictions due to COVID-19.

You can help them get through this difficult time by supporting local stores, restaurants and services. Be sure to observe all Ottawa Public Health guidelines and stay COVIDWise!

Get out and explore your neighbourhood or a new part of the city with family or friends. Ottawa Tourism provides a weekly update of fun and interesting happenings around our city. Please visit What’s Happening in the Ottawa Area to see what’s on.

Please scroll down to see a list of resources for you to use and share with your family, friends, neighbours and communities.

Let’s show our support for Ottawa’s small businesses. Buy local now!

City initiatives to support the local business community

Economic Partners Task Force

On March 16, Mayor Jim Watson struck an Economic Partners Task Force, co-chaired by Councillor El-Chantiry, with partners from key local business organizations:

Mark Kaluski, Chair, Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas (BIAs)
Sueling Ching, President and CEO, Ottawa Board of Trade
Lise Sarazin, directrice générale, Regroupement des gens d’affaires (RGA)
Michael Crockatt, President and CEO, Ottawa Tourism
Carole Anne Piccinin, Executive Director, Ottawa Festival Network
Michael Tremblay, President and CEO, Invest Ottawa
Bruce Harvey, Film Commissioner, Ottawa Film Office
Jamie Kwong, Executive Director, Ottawa Music Industry Coalition

The City of Ottawa, through this task force, will continue to identify emerging business issues and opportunities to support our local economy now and in the months ahead.

Buy local now please!

Ottawa’s small and locally owned businesses are woven into the fabric of our city, and many are struggling as a result of the pandemic and the current restrictions in place. We’ve assembled useful links and resources on this page to help you support local businesses today!

Shop Ottawa

Shop Ottawa is an online directory of local businesses, products and services.

Local Eats Ottawa

Local Eats Ottawa offers a compiled list of Ottawa restaurants offering food delivery or pickup.

Savour Ottawa

SavourOttawa.ca - your one-stop site on how to buy locally produced food and beverages in the Ottawa region.

Together Apart

Together-Apart.ca - This site is meant to be a resource for the residents of this city to find local spots to order from and support.

Edible Ottawa

Community is at the heart of what we do and it's important now more than ever. It's time to ensure that our local food communities remain strong.

Love Local Delivery

Order from Ottawa’s best independent, locally owned and operated food businesses! Easy Scheduled & On-Demand delivery provided by dedicated, carefully vetted and smart-serve trained drivers.

Shop Local Ontario

Shop Local Ontario is an online farmer's market. We aim to help vendors reach their customers directly and offer a way to do this online.

market13

market13 is a local online marketplace under Incubator13, an accessible entrepreneurship hub in Ottawa. We offer an online platform where small businesses and young entrepreneurs can sell their products and services free of charge.

Stittsville Business Association

Old Ottawa South Community Association

Osgoode Ward Business Association