Sonya Singh, now a celebrated bestselling author, first captured Ottawa's attention as a familiar face on local television screens. During the mid-2000s, she served as a weather presenter broadcasting from 87 George Street in the ByWard Market for The New RO and A-Channel, a role that would later inspire her literary career.
From Weather Forecasts to Bestseller Lists
Singh arrived in Ottawa at age 18 from her hometown of Guelph to attend Carleton University, and she credits the city with teaching her both how to date and how to love. Now 47, she reflects on those formative years with fondness and appreciation for how they shaped her creative journey.
Following the success of her 2022 debut novel Sari, Not Sari, which follows a businesswoman running an agency that ends relationships for clients, Singh is preparing to release her second romantic comedy, The Fake Matchmaker, next month. Her transition from television personality to acclaimed author represents a remarkable evolution in her professional life.
The Unique Experience of Dating as a Local TV Personality
"It's so much fun!" Singh exclaims when asked about being a single TV weather presenter in a city obsessed with forecasts. "From police officers to football players — it was an interesting time."
She describes Ottawa's weather as constantly changing and often extreme, with record-breaking temperatures and snowfall that made her weather segments feel like breaking news. This professional backdrop created an unusual dating environment during a pre-internet dating era.
"I would receive emails from viewers who would be interested in going on a date — which I never did!" she clarifies with amusement. "But celebrities would come through, sports professionals playing in the city who'd be interested in going on a date."
Singh recalls these experiences with visible joy, noting that she maintains "a huge smile on my face" when remembering how those Ottawa years taught her about love.
Ottawa's Unexpected Romantic Atmosphere
When asked to convince skeptics about Ottawa's romantic potential, Singh becomes particularly animated. "You get there and there's a soft background of romance that ignites this flame inside of you," she describes. "It's the stuff that's like in the movies, right?"
She lists quintessential Ottawa experiences that create magical moments:
- Skating on the Rideau Canal
- Snow-globe moments on George Street
- Getting a warm cup of coffee on a cold day
- Bumping into someone at a bookstore and exchanging numbers
"Things that happen in the movies have happened to me — in Ottawa," she emphasizes, confirming that the city's charm extends beyond political stereotypes.
Favorite Romantic Spots and Memorable Moments
Singh's preferred dating locations centered around the ByWard Market, where she worked and lived much of her Ottawa life. She particularly loved Oregano's, an Italian restaurant that once stood across from her broadcasting studio at 87 George Street.
"Anything in the Market — it was so romantic," she recalls. "There was that element of watching a Hallmark movie and you had those sorts of cobblestone moments. That's what I would encounter when I went on a date in the ByWard Market."
Not all memories are picture-perfect, however. Singh shares an awkward dating story involving a local DJ who asked her out. On the day of their date, while getting her hair done with blonde highlights, chunks of hair began falling out due to over-bleaching — a decidedly unromantic preparation for what should have been a special evening.
But the romantic highlights outweigh the mishaps. Singh experienced her first kiss in Ottawa at age 18, on a railway overpass behind Carleton University with snow falling softly around them. "Of course I was going to write rom-coms!" she laughs, connecting this formative experience directly to her current literary success.
Through her novels and personal reflections, Sonya Singh continues to celebrate Ottawa's romantic spirit, proving that love stories can flourish even in Canada's political capital. Her journey from local weather presenter to bestselling author demonstrates how personal experiences in a specific place can blossom into creative inspiration that resonates with readers nationwide.
