HughSelwynMauberley

I'm a young Scottish artist living in Glasgow and I'm considering moving abroad, I have several places under consideration but I'm especially considering Canada because I'm a Canadian citizen through my Canadian father. The only Canadian cities that I can see myself living in are Toronto and Montréal, for a great number of reasons.


Everyone knows that Québec is Francophone while the rest of Canada is English speaking, and as a bilingual person I don't mind that. However, aside from language I don't know much about what sets Toronto and Montréal apart, can you tell me?

Danny B

The winters in Montreal are atrocious compared to Toronto.

HughSelwynMauberley

How so?


If it's just cold and snowy, I don't mind, I'm quite used to it actually....Scotland is considerably colder than most anywhere in Europe outside of Scandinavia.

scilly

hmmmmmmmmmm

how cold is cold????

how about -30C or -40C??

Actually, Montreal is traditionally not as cold as that ................. can be -20C plus overnight, -10 to -18C daytime.

We were there last December when over 20 cm of snow fell in one day. The city just carried on as usual

Toronto is slightly warmer, but seems to come to a grinding halt when snow falls ........... we've been in planes unable to land there when about 3 cm of snow has fallen. Even Vancouver doesn't do that!


As far as I am concerned, and I am not a French speaker, I would live in Montreal over Toronto any day.



Your average winter low in Scotland appears to be around 0C. Let's just say that the jackets you would wear in winter are not even warm enough in Vancouver let alone Toronto or Montreal.


I think you need to do a lot of googling to find out the differences between the 2 cities.

Danny B

Yeah right, we all say we love the snow at first, then the novelty wears off and you get to deal with ice storms.

Vulcanoid

Montreal famously has an underground city, with miles of covered spaces, tunnels, and some bridges linking the metro system with shops, offices, apartment buildings, etc.

Much as I loved visiting the city, I think it says a lot that, to my knowledge, none of Edinburgh, Glasgow, or Inverness have felt a need to do that so they can function for half the year...

HughSelwynMauberley

- 30 is a bit much, December weather in Glasgow varies between 3 degrees and - 5, sometimes getting down to - 10 on cold nights.



Googling is less effective than talking to a human. I came on this forum to ask actual people who can answer me much better than Google can. It's a wee bit petulant and rude to answer a query with 'Google it' don't you think lad?

HughSelwynMauberley

That photo isn't of regular snow, it seems like an ice storm. I like the snow, especially since I won't have to shovel or dig out my car, but ice storms aren't snow.

HughSelwynMauberley

Is the underground city a novelty, or are streets above ground empty during winter time?



About 12 people live in Inverness and I reckon they all look and act like Outlander characters, you mean Aberdeen?

Jerseygirl

You don't really know what cold is until you have spent a winter in Toronto or Montreal. I live in Toronto... -20c+ days are common...add the wind chill on top of that number. eek:

Toronto also has an underground walkway system linking offices/hotels/condos/railway station. There are stores, hairdressers, dentists, cafes etc and it links to the Eaton Centre Mall. Apart from the mall...all are mostly closed at the weekend although the Path is open to walk through.

Former Lancastrian

Toronto has a bigger airport.
Montreal has a better ice hockey team.
Montreal doesn't have a pro baseball team or NBA team.
Both have MSL teams which is still shite football.
Montreal is closer to the mountains.
Toronto has a big lake.
Beer is sold in more places in Montreal.
Montreal is closer to the US Border.
The PQ or Block don't run candidates in Toronto.
Daycare is cheaper in Montreal.
Drivers suck big time in both cities and Montreal drivers are more aggressive.
Both have horrendous rush hours if driving.
Both have eagle eyed tow truck drivers waiting to pounce and tow you away.

Partially discharged

On the island of Montreal itself you still can't turn right on a red light. The pedestrians need some semblance of a chance.

Skiing/outdoor pursuits wise Montreal wins hands down.

Oakvillian

Toronto has delusions of being a global metropolis. Montreal plays to its "quasi-European" charms more than is justified. Neither has the cultural chops of somewhere like Glasgow, so set your expectations accordingly.

For a young artist, I think both probably have a sufficiently thriving artistic community that you would have no difficulty fitting in. Montreal probably has a reputation for being a little bit more indie to Toronto's mainstream, but I don't know that there's anything real behind the reputation. Both have great festivals for music, theatre, comedy, visual arts, etc etc.

For sure, ice storms are not a weekly occurrence in either city's winter, but Montreal does get consistently significantly colder than Toronto in wintertime. And while the ville souterraine is much more extensive than Toronto's PATH network, it's possible to move around the downtown of either city without going outside if the weather's really nasty. Montreal's metro is miles and miles better than Toronto's creaking transit infrastructure.

And, of course, as Former Lancastrian has pointed out, you can buy booze in a dépanneur in Quebec, they're not quite so precious about alcohol as puritanical Ontario seems to be.

Given the choice, I'd take Montreal - it's closer to other stuff (ski hills, Europe, New York...) and the cost of living is a little lower.

BristolUK

That looks like a close up of one of my favourite ice storm pics.

If it is, I believe it's actually Lake Geneva.

Siouxie

You might find this article - and 'reader' photos - of use, regarding snow in Montreal.

Your photos of Montreal buried under mountain of snow - Montreal - CBC News