About Ottawa Real Estate: Trusted in Moose Jaw Since 1910
Moose Jaw's trusted advisor since 1910
We’ve been helping Moose Jaw families and businesses buy, sell, and protect what matters most for over 115 years. Ottawa Real Estate Co. Ltd. is the original real estate and insurance broker in the city — independently owned, locally rooted, and still operating from our office on Main Street North.
Our work is straightforward: real estate brokerage on one side, insurance brokerage on the other, both delivered by people who live here, raise their families here, and know this market the way only a 115-year-old firm can.
Our Story: A Stop That Became a Lifetime
Ottawa Real Estate was founded in 1910 by Frank McRitchie. He was 23 years old, on his way from Ontario to Lethbridge, Alberta, when he stopped in Moose Jaw for what was supposed to be a few days. Those days stretched into the rest of his life.
Frank had grown up in Bothwell, Ontario, and worked at the Merchants’ Bank in Thamesville, Hanover, and Owen Sound before heading west. He spent his first winter in Moose Jaw camped in a tent on what is now the corner where the Bank of Nova Scotia stands — back then, the edge of town. After working as an accountant at the Grayson & Armstrong law firm, he became a partner in the Ottawa Real Estate and Brokerage Co., the firm that carries his name and legacy today.
Frank loved animals. He kept driving and racing horses, and in the late 1920s he started promoting the idea of a Wild Animal Park in Moose Jaw — a community-driven conservation project supported by local animal and bird lovers. To this day, farms held by the McRitchie family remain working grain land and sanctuaries for deer, beaver, ducks, pheasants, blue herons, and songbirds. No hunting allowed. That conservation spirit is part of who we are.
From Real Estate to a Dual-Service Brokerage
Our Team
Ottawa Real Estate began as a brokerage company, but the needs of Moose Jaw families changed over the decades. Buying a home meant insuring it. Selling a farm meant transferring coverage. Running a local business meant protecting it. Rather than send our clients down the street, we built the insurance side of the company so we could handle both transactions under one roof.
Today, Ottawa Real Estate & Insurance is a dual-service brokerage offering:
- Residential, farm, and commercial real estate brokerage across Moose Jaw and surrounding RMs.
- Home, tenant, farm, auto, commercial, and business insurance through multiple carriers.
- Motor licensing, notary public services, and commissioner of oaths services for everyday client needs.
- Bilingual post office services on-site.
- Property management and accounting support for property owners.
One office, one phone number, one local team — for the full picture of buying, selling, and protecting what you own.
Our Moose Jaw Real Estate Agents
Our REALTORS®, insurance agents, and support staff are licensed Saskatchewan professionals who live and work in Moose Jaw. Most of us have served the same families across two and three generations.
Insurance, Motor Licensing, Accounting & Support
- Krista Buckingham — Motor License Agent, Auto Insurance Agent, Notary Public
- Crystal Jarvos (CJ) — Insurance Sales, Postal Clerk, Motor Licensing, Social Media, Notary Public
- Daphne McRitchie — Accountant, Property Management, Motor Licensing, Notary Public, Commissioner of Oaths
- Susan Johnson
- Sarah Lang
- Pier-Luc Doyon
- Carolyn Hogg
- Mona Chow — Accountant
Why a 115-Year-Old Independent Firm Matters
Most real estate signs in Moose Jaw belong to national franchise brands. Ottawa Real Estate is different. We’re independent, we’re local, and we’re old enough that our reputation walks through the door before we do.
What that means in practice:
- Decisions are made here in Moose Jaw — not at a head office in Toronto or Calgary.
- Our REALTORS® and insurance brokers know each other and work as one team. Your file isn’t passed between strangers.
- We carry institutional memory: 115 years of Moose Jaw transactions, neighbourhoods, families, and farms. Some of our current clients are great-grandchildren of people Frank McRitchie served.
- When you call (306) 694-4747, you reach our office and a live team member — no automated answering service. When you walk in to 324 Main Street North, you talk to the people who handle your file.
- We answer to our community, not to franchise quotas.
Community Involvement
Being in Moose Jaw for 115 years means showing up — for our customers, our neighbours, and the wider community.
- Conservation legacy: family-held farms managed as working land and as sanctuaries for native birds and animals, in keeping with Frank McRitchie’s original wildlife park vision.
- Active member of the Moose Jaw & District Chamber of Commerce.
- Ongoing support for local sports, fundraisers, and Main Street businesses through our REALTORS® and staff.
- Saskatchewan REALTORS® Association and CREA member firm — we follow national standards while staying firmly local.
Visit Us, Call Us, or Send a Note
We’re right on Main Street, easy to find, easy to drop into.
- Office: 324 Main Street North, Moose Jaw, SK S6H 3J9
- Phone: (306) 694-4747
- Email: info@orecol.ca
- Hours: Monday–Saturday business hours; showings available anytime, including evenings and weekends
Whether you’re thinking about buying your first home, listing a farm, switching insurance, or just want to ask a question — we’re happy to help. Call (306) 694-4747 or email info@orecol.ca.