Ottawa's Giant Snowman 'Waldo' Has Moved & This Is Where You Can Find Him

Have you been asking where Waldo is this year? If you've never seen the giant snowman as tall as a two-story house, now is your chance to find him in Ottawa.

Waldo is a massive snowman that's been made annually in Ottawa since 2009. He used to live in the neighbourhood of Orleans each winter but has moved this year as his creator continues this tradition in a new home.

The creator of the snowman, Luc Guertin, told Narcity how Waldo came to be: "Where we were living in Orleans, there are not many places to put my snow so I built a snowbank and with the record amount of snow that we got that year, my snowbank became a wall and it reached a height of 18 feet."

Guertin made the news for his snow wall that year in 2008, but there was less snow the following winter and he decided, "I'll just make it a snowman." He gave his creation the name Waldo after his grandfather.

After last week's record-breaking snowstorm in Ottawa, Guertin had enough snow to build his snowman in his new front yard in the Elmvale Acres neighbourhood. Waldo currently stands around 18 feet high, continuing to grow as it snows.

"I'm thinking I want to beat my record. Last year I think it was pretty close to 20 feet, I'd like to try maybe 25 this year," Guertin said. Guertin builds up Waldo throughout the season depending on the amount of snow. The snowman has been known to get festive, sporting sparkly hearts for Valentine's Day and green shamrocks around St. Patrick's Day in past years.

You can find Waldo on Holt Crescent in Elmvale Acres, near the neighbourhood of Alta Vista.

Building this giant snow creature is a labour of love for Guertin, as his wife Diana puts it. "It's completely voluntary and it's just something he loves to do. It brings a smile to people's faces, it warms their hearts. Everybody is really thrilled by it actually."

Luc and Diana are accepting donations in support of the CHEO Foundation. You can donate online at any time, or scan the QR code for the donations page when you visit Waldo. The giant snowman should be around through the month of March, depending on the weather.