Oi! Quit that NW Ontario bashing claptrap! FYI Thunder Bay is not "Godforesaken". Personally I find the GTA a dreadful place; overcrowded, expensive, smoggy and far too USA-wanabee for my taste. Each to their own of course but I'm curious as to whether or not you've visited here in order to create such a negative opinion of this little jewel in Ontario's crown .

Love it here. Plenty of huntin', shootin', fishin' n' wifeswappin' for all!!!

For the OP: If your wife's concerned about the snow and cold then it's a no brainer: Vancouver/BC interior and forget Torontario.

Yes, I've been to Thunder Bay. Twice!

And lot's of apostrophes too!!

You can keep the hunting, shooting and fishing, but hold on to the wife swapping, mate. Always comes in handy on a frigid night.

BTW, I hate to be going on in this vein, but air pollution in Thunder Bay is often very bad indeed.

I got stranded in Thunder Bay once, on my way to a conference at Dalhousie (NS). It reminded me of Fort St John, BC, where Walmart sales can cause a veritable stampede, there is so little to do in the winter. Ah...the wife swapping, gotcha.

Thanks all for your opinions and views. I am off to Vancouver in July and hope to get a personal feel for the place. However there is only so much one can do in 3 weeks. I hope to visit Toronto at Christmas in order to get a different perspective. I have visited Toronto before but due to circumstance I was restricted primarily to the Mississauga area. I am interested in the Durham & Hamilton regions.

Any thoughtful insight to these areas would be appreciated, especially in relation to schooling, commuting, jobs, and quality of life.

Thanks all again

Trapped in Missisagua....it's a recuring nightmare of mine. Glad you survived and werent put off canada altogether!

There will not be a stelar difference between Durham and Hamilton in those terms. I guess commuting will depend where you work. Obviouly you dont want to be crossing the GTA from one side to the other everyday for work,

Hamilton gets a bad rep due to the steel works everyone drives by on the QEW, but away from there its nice enough. By Durham do you really mean Oshawa / Ajax, or are you thinking more rural than that?

Thanks Notiaink

I guess Oshawa/Ajax/Pickering is where I was thinking. If you have any observations on these places I would love to hear them. Also is there anywhere else you may suggest would be worth looking at? I am popping over for about a week at Christmas.
In an ideal world I am looking for a small pleasant location comparable to York UK. Close to amenities yet away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. If you know New Jersey (USA) then something like Chatham.

All feedback appreciated.

Nearly all of the parts of Canada that Ive seen have had at least some redeaming features that would make life bearable there. Its generally a very livable place and the UK obsessions with "the right school" or the "the right neighbourhood" generally dont apply here in quite the same way.

As a teacher, looking to carry on teaching in Canada, my advice is seriously to head to wherever your research tells you you are most likely to get a job in a reasonable time frame. Then if you find somewhere better later on, you are in good shape to make a smooth transition.

Ahhhhhh, somebody else in NW Ontario besides me, Gezza and Keg'n'Mash!

I have managed to narrow it down to the York area of GTC, specifically Richmond Hill for a visit. Any experiences/opinions of this area would be appreciated.

Thanks