A Canadian celebrity is getting a street named after them in the nation’s capital—and no, it’s not Ottawa legend Tom Green. It’s none other than Ryan Reynolds.
Yes, we know the Deadpoolactor is in fact a Vancouverite, but hear us out: Reynolds, who won the Governor General’s Award last year, is being granted his own street—dubbed Ryan Reynolds Way—due to his generosity to Ottawa over the years.
“It’s clear that Ottawa does have a special place in Ryan’s heart,” Mayor Jim Watson remarked during his state of the city speech on Wednesday.
Reynolds actually spent some of his childhood in the Ottawa neighbourhood of Vanier, and speaks fondly of his time there.
Early in the pandemic, Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively made a $50,000 donation to the Ottawa Food Bank. He’s also made donations to the Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region.
What’s more, Reynolds has taken part in a running gag where he pretends to be ‘Bruce,’ the city of Ottawa’s hapless social media intern.
Watson said that when he presented Reynolds with the idea for the new street name, the actor said: “This means the world to me. Thank you on behalf of me and my entire family.”
Ryan Reynolds Way will be located in a new Ottawa subdivision, located near the corner of Mer Bleue and Brian Coburn.
“This is an incredible honour and a deal is a deal, Mr Mayor…,” Reynolds tweeted in response to Watson. “I’ve changed my daughter’s name to ‘Ottawa.’”
