Lichisadave

Hi All I've been stalking this site for awhile now as there is a chance my hubby will qualify for an ICT to Toronto all being well we'd hope to move over next summer. We have been looking at areas to live and are looking at Barrie, Mississauga and Brampton. Can anyone give us ideas of these areas we have two children aged 12 and 8 so would ideally like to be near schools. TIA

dbd33

Brampton has a primarily Indian population. I know of someone who was recently obliged to move from there to Vaughan, an Italian area. There is nothing to eat in Vaughan, he complains.

Where will your husband be working?

plasticcanuck

So much will depend on where you (husband) will be working. Barrie is over 110km north of Toronto downtown, the other two cities, not so much. All three cities have adequate education facilities.

Lichisadave

Thanks for the replies he'll be working in Toronto and also the airport. Think we'll concentrate our search around Mississauga this seems to be a popular location.

dbd33

I work now with someone who lives in Barrie who used to work near the airport. His commute now is 2 hours each way and it's better than it was when he had the airport job.

Assuming the Toronto days are downtown (south of Bloor) and you seek an old style suburban way of life I'd look at the Mineola area. If you want a large box to live in with no lawn in a street of the same in an ugly treeless housing project without pubs, restaurants or other amenities, then pretty much anywhere north of the QEW will provide that.

DandNHill

It will depend entirely on whether he’s a 9-5 kinda guy.
As dbd said Brampton is very Indian. Very...Indian. Mississauga is more diverse but it’s still a boring huge subdivision with no character.

dbd33

Oh yes, the man going hungry in Vaughan is Indian.

evets

Avoid Brampton, as others have said. Highest car insurance in GTA. Walking round the mall I felt like in another country.

Mississauaga, car insurance still very high and a bland city to say the least(I am being very kind). Then again it may appeal to you depending on what you think you are looking for and what appeals to you for moving to Canada!!!

Cannot comment on Barrie.

The rush hour traffic is brutal and drivers should really need to take another test. Commute from Mississauga/Brampton may be fine initially but after time will drag. Public Transport is not the norm, and in winter conditions may be harder.

Novocastrian

Had it occurred that you were?

dbd33

Accepting, for a moment, that this is a reason to choose a location, what makes you think it has the highest car insurance in the GTA?

Lichisadave

Hi we will be coming over for a look see in the New Year if everything goes well. Still not sure where for definite my husband will be based in Toronto so the comments on commute etc have helped. We are hoping to live in an area that has schools, shops, parks and restaurants nearby as we are planning on only having 1 car (as car insurance seems very high over there) to start with. Thanks again

dbd33

In this circumstance I would look within the bounds of the TTC. We lived perfectly well without a car and then with one car and I know many people who live in Toronto who do not have cars and/or do not drive. My routine was to take the tram to the supermarket and then take a taxi back, plainly this wasn't unusual as Loblaws had a taxi stand. The children went to school by tram and/or subway.

I suspect your husband will need to drive to work and so, if you live in a suburb, there's a risk of being trapped, unable to see anything except your house.

evets

Yes I was well aware of which country I was in, just did not feel like at walking around Brampton shopping mall.

evets

Based on the feedback from my insurance broker, who said my insurance quote would go up(a lot more) if I moved from Mississauga to Brampton.

I cannot comment on which part of GTA has the highest insurance, but believe Brampton is one of them based on what I know now.

dbd33

I haven't needed to go into a mall in Canada but I do go to the Lowes in Brampton. It's not threatening, everyone speaks English, they know about tiles and cupboards and that sort of thing. It's not wildly different from the Lowes in Buffalo or Detroit. I'm not sure what people want in malls but I'm sure they'll have one of them in Brampton, same as in Markham or anywhere else in Canada.

Push your boundaries, live a bit, go into a mall in Brampton!