christmasoompa

It may not be a regular occurrence, but the only place I've ever been a victim of crime was Toronto, where I was grabbed and assaulted on the street. There's no way I personally would move to Toronto with children, but then I also wouldn't move to London with them either. We just wouldn't be able to afford the life we want to give our children in a city, and they wouldn't have the same freedoms and opportunities.

You're obviously in a different situation from the OP though, as you have family in Canada and have visited, so know it and love it.

DandNHill

dbd33

I think you're conflating a couple of posts here. If you compare, say, Camden Town and Cabbagetown you will find that the owners of swimming pools in either place are fabulously wealthy and likely brought their money from someone else. If you compare dormitory towns, say Reading and Oakville, you will find that people who have lived there for a long time can afford a pool either because they've earned the money or because the increased equity in their houses allows them to finance it. It's certainly true that, if you live in Camden now and move to, say, Ajax, you'll get more house but you could equally well move to Canvey Island. The days when one could sell up in Kilburn and move to one of the better family parts of Toronto, say Leaside/High Park/Beach, are gone.

Jimbo2012

I can't offer a London (UK) / Toronto / Vancouver perspective having never lived in those cities, but my overall experience is that youth/teenagers in Canada (or at least the parts of Ontario with which I am familiar) are generally happier, healthier and more respectful than their UK counterparts.

I've never really witnessed the yobbish behaviour to which you alluded since moving to Canada, although I certainly saw it when I lived in the UK, and also again on visits back there. I've often pondered why this difference exists and I think there are few factors.
The most obvious is the deeply-ingrained alcohol culture in the UK and the ease with which younger people can acquire it. Sure, people like a drink in Canada but it's somehow more contained. It's also pretty expensive to get properly pissed, so that might be a factor! As others have said, you are more likely to walk past someone smoking a joint here, and a stoner is hardly likely to pick a fight with you.
Also I have personally found that Canadians are far less belligerent than Brits generally, across the age spectrum. Maybe that's just a cultural difference?
Again, just speaking personally, most Canadians I've met also love their country and what it gives them whereas Brits tend to wear their discontent on their sleeves. Again, this may be somewhat cultural i.e. more superficial than real - but it's better to be around optimists than pessimists!

Of course, wherever you live in "the West", teenagers will be faced with the same pressures, temptations and challenges - and Canada is no different. If your family are outdoors types, then Canada has a lot to offer and this can only aid your mental health. But this would also involve embracing potentially extreme winters (in Ontario) and often buggy, humid summers.
I personally prefer the climate here due to the increased sunshine levels over all the seasons, but I get that it's not for everyone.

It's not a decision you should to take lightly obviously. Work/life balance here still lags behind most of Europe for example, even allowing for both your careers. The golden rule is that the pull always needs to be stronger than the push.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

dbd33

At the time of my daughter's emigration from Canada her partner was a trauma surgeon (they met across a bleeding body). He had come to Canada to do his residency (or whatever it's called). They moved to the UK (though that was not his country of origin) and he got a job doing the same in Romford. About a year later I asked him how it was going and he said he was enjoying dealing with stabbings; all he got in Toronto was shootings. It takes all sorts. There's something in that though, the violence is there in both places, it just comes in different flavours.

ann m

MillieF

Shard

From what you've said, it sounds like it shouldn't be.

Shard

Why are so many teenage girls dealing with anxiety issues? Is it the internet / social media? I don't recall this level of anxiety when I was a teen in the 80s ??

Hurlabrick

I have to say, proper 'parenting' seems to be the norm in Canada which I saw as being the exception in the UK. I just saw at least half a dozen examples of parents teaching their kids why and wherefore at the local rink rather than letting them run riot!

Shard

Confirmation bias.

Danny B

I think it must be.
My Daughter is 16 and she spends far too much time on her phone 'liking' other peoples Instagram posts. It is tough being a teenage girl these days, there is so much more pressure now compared to being an 80's teenager. When we went to the Philippines earlier this year we made a deal to only have 1hr of screen time per day, and what a difference it made. It was so nice playing board games etc and socializing in person instead of everyone staring into a phone.

BEVS

From what I observe here in New Zealand and what I know from pals in the UK and also around the world, I think this is likely the case.
Always on demand. Always on alert. Always accessible.
So may ways to need to fit in. So many ways to not be so.
Never just being . Never being free or truly private.

Parents. All parents have something of a Morton's Fork to face these years .

scrubbedexpat091

Probably plays a role. Social media in general isn't healthy even for adults, probably even worse for youngsters.

It's also more acceptable today to speak about having anxiety or other mental health issues vs the past, so maybe in the 80's teens suffering stayed quiet about it.

Twitcher1958