Where to live?

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snowbarbie

I am from the north of England originally, but I came to live in Canada thirty years ago and I love it here. I live in a fairly small Southern Ontario town - St Thomas.

This is a great place to live, its a fairly small Canadian city with a population of 34,000, yet close to London, Ontario, which has a population of 300,000. London has a University, several world-class hospitals, Art Galleries, Museums, Festivals, lots to do in the summer.

Summer here can get pretty hot and humid, but we have breath-taking Autumns, the fall colours are beautiful as we have tens of thousands of Maple trees.

Winters are not too cold - they are crisp and crunchy - you are almost sure to get a "white" Christmas here! We can ski and ride our snowmobiles here and our children can skate.

We have affordable housing, good schools, lots of open spaces and recreational activities (hockey, soccer, baseball), a hospital, a Municipal Airport, enough industry to keep people employed, and we are surrounded by agricultural land - corn, soya beans, tobacco, dairy farms and lots of orchards and vineyards.

You can still buy a brand new detached home here for under $200,000 Canadian dollars and there are several homes in St Thomas for sale that are under $140,000 (Â£70,000)

We are about ten minutes from the beautiful sandy beaches on the north shore of Lake Erie and are less than two hours drive from Toronto, Niagara Falls, Windsor or Detroit.

Southwestern Ontario has been a great place to raise my family and I have no regrets about moving here from England.

Check out this site that tells you all about the area of Southern Ontario where I live, as there are several cities such as Kitchener & London, smaller towns like Stratford & Ingersoll, and some pretty and interesting villages in this area - Sparta, Port Stanley, St Marys.

This site gives some info - http://www.discover-southern-ontario.com it has information about the area - you can click on the "Communities" and "Favourite Villages" buttons for info about the towns and cities in this area.

Good Luck with your decision if you are thinking of emigrating to another country.

senior2tor

Hi I am living in Canada for the summer in the wee town of Terrace Bay on Lake Superior. My house is empty all eight months of the winter. You can use it for paying the taxes and heat for one winter . Then you would know if you like the north country. There are three bedrooms and a full finished basement . All the ceilings are cathedral. I spend winters in Missouri on my farm there. Mom went to heaven and paid for all this. She was Canadian. There are only two languages spoken here. The border is no problem if you have the new US passport.

Amber D

i would deff. say manitoba.. one of the cheapest places for housing compared to like calgary or bc or ontario.. thoughs places prices for housing is insane.. a house in manitoba for $110,000 can go up to $700,000 in other provinces.. plus manitoba has some beautiful spots to visit.. but so you know.. manitoba has some of the coldest winters.. going to -50C with the wind chill.. sometimes a lil tiny bit colder..

James S

The cost of living in Canada is no worse than the US. My family paid $900/month for crappy health insurance in Pennsylvania, where we just pay our taxes in Ontario to get great health care for no out-of-pocket cost. I'm speaking for Ontario. I've spent 19 of 24 years here.

Because the economy is booming in certain parts of Canada, like Alberta and the Greater Toronto Area, things like rent are a bit more expensive than they would be in an economically depressed area (like Harrisburg, Pennsylvania). One big thing I'm trying to do while I'm planning my life away from home is not owning a car. In Ontario, if you live within three hours of Toronto, you will find that rent is somewhat expensive and similar to a place closer to where you work. So, in the end, if you live within walking distance of your work place, your rent will likely be the same as if you also drove two hours each way to get to work. Commuting really isn't sensible.

One thing I noticed about Ontario vs. Pennsylvania is the pay scale. For my occupation (Respiratory Therapist), I can make an enormous amount of money more in Ontario. The Union pay scale for RTs is $24-35/ hour, where people with the same job in Pennsylvania are making $18-20/hour, having to pay for health insurance in addition to that, with no Union to protect them.

If you want to come to Canada, marry a Canadian! LOL! That is probably the easiest way to do it. I know from my time in the US that it is a pain to get anything done with Homeland Security. I was an International Student for the entire time I was in the US and my family has been unable to get permanent status there (my mom is an RN). I hope we're better than that in Canada. My experience in the US is about them making sure we know that we're outsiders and pushing skilled people away (they have lost a Nurse and a Respiratory Therapist) because of their extreme immigration policies.

To work in Canada, you would need to be a skilled person, get a job, then have your employer sponsor you for a work permit. You don't need permission if you're from the US or Mexico to enter Canada, but will need a work permit before you can work here.

Safe in Canada? It sure it! Toronto has a couple million people in it and the news has the same number of violent crime stories in it as Harrisburg, Pa has (pop. approx. 40,000). I was mugged in Harrisburg and haven't had problems in Ontario at all.

A spot where I would recommend starting your life in Canada is Toronto or surrounding area. Because it's so big, there are lots of jobs and housing to choose from.

frozen

Thunder Bay, ON is great! I grew up in Toronto and moved here. We enjoy a great lifestyle and low low cost of living. it is a city of 100 000 people, but in the middle of the bush so nature is always at your doorstep. The only problem is the job market isn't great. On the bright side I'm going to buy my first house for under $100 000!! 5 bedrooms, full basement and big backyard in a nice quiet neighborhood in the city, close to nature trails and all amenities!!! Not many other places I could afford a house for the same price I'm paying in rent right now ($650/mo for spacious 3 bedroom apartment close to university) In toronto it would probably be worth a million bucks or something for the house i'm looking at!! Also people are nice here. It's a not redneck town (too much), and people have respect for each other. There is a decent night life and lots of cuture.

kenoplayer

One of the maritime provinces are probably your best bet(New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland). The crime rate is relatively low. The cost of gas is higher than the rest of the country, however, food, clothes, rent or mortgages are at the lower end of the scale. Employment is pretty good, if you live in the major cities. Good luck.

fatsausage

The place to live is on Oak Bay in Victoria, British Columbia - or as close to it as you can get.

â™¥â™¥Hold the applause its CALLIEâ™¥â™¥

Not Canada...KENTUCKY!

Everything cost more in Canada!

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