I Live in London, but I want to Move to Canada (Toronto). What's it like to live and work there?

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Perplexed Music Lover

I am in Vancouver on the West Coast of Canada, but I am very familiar with Toronto. Toronto is a large bustling metropolis, with an ethnically diverse population. Toronto is the commercial and manufacturing capital of Canada. The economy of Toronto is quite strong and resilient and there are many good job opportunities. There are excellent schools, housing and health care. That's the good stuff. Now for the bad stuff. First, the weather - in a word, it is atrocious. In the winter, November to February or later, it is often freezing cold and there are frequent snowstorms, even blizzards. In the summer, the heat and humidity can be stifling. Toronto also has a reputation as being a bit boring (but, then again, so do most other Canadian cities, except Montreal). Gun violence and violent crime in general are on the increase, mainly due to ethnic gang warfare. Toronto the Good, as it used to be known, has certainly lost its innocence. In addition, there are lifestyle issues to consider: terrible traffic jams and long commutes, longer than average work hours, and high real estate prices for any properties within 90 minutes commuting time of the city. Honestly, if someone offered to double or triple my salary, I would not move to Toronto.

You may wish to consider other, better alternatives, like Calgary, Alberta, which is experiencing a booming economy right now, and has milder winters and a more casual air.

Honestly though, if you have the opportunity, consider moving to my hometown, VANCOUVER. It is beautiful and cosmopolitan. Not too big (although some rudely refer to it as The Village). Outdoor activities are available year round. Imagine - playing golf in the morning, walking along the beach at noon, and skiing in the afternoon. You can do that in Vancouver. The climate here is mild - temperate - just like the U.K actually, only a bit better, usually. Okay, so it rains a lot in winter (you're from London, you're used to that), but at least it doesn't snow much if at all. The temperature in January seldom falls much below zero, and in August seldom goes above 25 degrees. Traffic is not as bad as in some cities, and violent crime is not a significant concern. If anything, I would say Vancouver is too quiet and peaceful, somewhat boring if you like BIG CITY life, I suppose, but what a fantastic place to raise a family or just enjoy life. The education system is world class, the quality of health care is first rate, and the cost of living is generally moderate (EXCEPT FOR the cost of housing, which is insane - prepare to rent, or live in the suburbs or in a tiny downtown condominium - but wait, I forgot, you're from London so you know all about ridiculous real estate prices). Anyway, the bottom line is this - if you have a choice, move to Vancouver instead of Toronto. If that's not an option, take lots of warm underwear and your wellies when you leave for Toronto. If you want more information about moving to Vancouver, please refer to the URL address <>.http://www.movingto.com/Vancouver.htm>. Good luck!

By the way, I am originally from the U.K. too and have absolutely no regrets about moving to Canada.

momsapplepeye

Well never having the pleasure to go to England I am not sure how to compare,It is different that I am sure. Transportation is good you can get anywhere in the city and beyond on it. We have the subway/underground which runs till 2am. If you like city life working here can be a pleasure,after work plenty to do. We have great theaters,restaurants,parks shops. I am pleased to say if you like your English fish and chips there are plenty of places to go for a bit of home.We get the full four seasons, summer can be very hot,winter cold but refreshing ,spring and fall wonderful. It will be a pleasure to have you should you decide on us as home.
I hope this helps give you a little preview, Take Care
God Bless The Queen! ~A~

Simon Y

It depends on what career you are contemplating . downtown Toronto are the heart of financial district. IT, accounting firms, securities, foreign exchange markets, investment funds, banking and finance. If you are an IT expert, computer network analyst, financial analyst, banking investments and securities guru. Then Toronto offers lots of opportunities. Currently Toronto is also promoting tourism. so background in hospitality management, travel and tourism, hotel management will also do well. If you are in engineering, then many engineering companies are evenly spread out around the city, when means you will need a car to commute for work. Rent wise, you are looking at 700 - 800 USD for a simple 1-2 bedroom, or if you want first class condominion service, around 1000-1200 USD per month rent is average. if you want to rent a house for yourself , around 1500-1600 USD per month. Most homes have shared accomodation and you can find ads on local newspaper. another thing you can try to do is to share residences with exchange travellers , so residents in Toronto can live in your home in London if they are travelling to UK and you can stay in their residence in Toronto, This will save you a lot of money. There are some traveller acommodation sharing networks floating around..i dont know of one immediately..but you can find them on the internet.

a word of advise...there are lots of small companies in Toronto who hire frequent travellers to work as door to door market compaigners..these jobs offer no quarantee income.but based on commission only..if you are first time in Toronto and have no work contact ..you can work at these jobs temporary until you find more stable employment. Most large companies ( non banking, finance, or IT firms) locate their head office outside Toronto due to cheaper rents and taxes, you may have to take the bus or taxi to work in these places. so beware...
Entertainment, foods, shops, and tourist attraction are comparable to first class cities...the difference is Europe has a lot of historical monuments and classical stuff which you may not find in most cities in USA and Canada, except in the province of Quebec, Montreal, which is eastern Canada French speaking population.

jonnygaijin

TORONTO ROCKS!!!!!!

Learn the rules of HOCKEY and follow the Maple Leafs and everyone will love you

(Vancouver is better but still follow the Leafs)

michael2003c2003

This might get you some perspective?

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I don't actually live there but have grandparents that do and have been going ever since I remember.

It is a very clean city, and also very expensive. The taxes are horrible (that is taxes on purchases) at 15%, and the gas prices are extremely high when you compare them to prices in the US (even with the exchange rate and metric conversion), and not to mention the cost of a house, condo, or apartment. But, still, very clean. And also, Toronto is the most diverse city in North America if its world cultures that youâ€™re looking fore.

leelee

canada offers alot most especially for those who want to live and work there, they really support those who want to work in their country

if you want to be convinced enough with what i'mtelling you, go browse their job database and their offered benefits, you can even bring your whole family within 6mos time if you become a resident there

Move to U.S.A avery thing is great hear.

Toronto is the biggest city in Canada, you can find many opportunities there to get an occupation, it's also multicultural and alive, the weather in summer is really hot, it could be up to 34 degrees Celsius, in winter it could drop down to minus 40 degrees, that's all i know

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