Re: Final decision
 

Schools are the biggest source of spread in Ontario. They've done little to improve them over 2 years. When you shut the schools cases fall and when you open them they rise.

Canada missed the boat on boosters, lateral flow tests, growing the health service, explaining critical data to the public and as mentioned schools.

With regards to the UK I miss:

- Proper high streets

- Proper sport

- Proximity of family and friends

- Proper trains

- Sense of humour

- Proper economy

- Proper media

Also for me personally salary in the Uk would be 50% more.

I've been in Canada far too long.

Re: Final decision
 

Thats a massive salary difference!

How about Hooters? :wink_smile:

Re: Final decision
 

There are flip sides!

One of the key things that kept me in Toronto over the years was short commutes because I lived Downtown. This was not a thing working in London.

The pandemic has massively shifted the market so what was a massive advantage to living in Toronto is now gone. Most tech sales jobs in London are now remote or hybrid with little commuting.

Re: Final decision
 

Honestly it seems like a lot of the complaints people have stem from the UK's urban and walkable town and city centres, that lend themselves more to high streets, pubs, variety of small businesses as well as good public transportation options. Compared to Canada's more car-oriented city design, with business parks, lonely residential exclusionary suburbs and frequent public transit only closer to the centre of the city. I think when you're looking for a place to live in Canada you just have to factor in how connected it is to your local area, a lot of people fall in love with giant houses that are not within walking distance to anything.

Re: Final decision
 

There's something to this but one can choose to live in an area similar to a British city. In Toronto I lived in the Beach which is like Ealing or Finchley, my daughter lives in Kitsilano which is similar ("like the Beach only with an actual beach" was how she described it). The advantage of such places compared with living in the real Ealing or Finchley has always been that houses were cheap in Canada. That's much less the case now, if one can afford a place like Ealing but in Canada one can probably afford Ealing proper so there's no need to emigrate and put up with the cold.

Re: Final decision
 

Yeah, the out of control housing market basically overshadows many of the positives. I think if I was a new immigrant to Canada today I would probably head back to the UK. I have been able to avoid it only because I got my foot in the door buying a townhouse in 2013, which isn't exactly fair.

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Although not really much help, and slightly off topic, this may help to a small degree with any culture homesickness: On a Roku TV search in "Streaming Channels" page for "UK Entertainment". Costs $2/ month. (That's right the same as a Tim's) For that you get every UK channel ....live. BBC 1, BBC 2, ITV, Ch 4 Dave...... you get the idea. ( and don't go back.)

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I give that a few months at most before it's shut down. These services never last long.

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I think most people have figured out how to access what shows they want ;)

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I'm not sure how to phrase my reply, er, I think Tiry is in deeper than a few tv shows.

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I'm insulted by the idea that Tim Hortons products should be a frame of reference. That's a loathsome corporation and the bahviour of the sort of person they attract is appalling. One should no more know the price of "a Tim's" than the price of a catalytic convertor removal saw.

Re: Final decision
 

😆

You know looking back, I wonder if half the problem was that I never really tried to fit in culturally. We just streamed whatever we wanted from the UK, and left “Canadian tv and sports alone”. Even now, we’re all set for the six nations starting tomorrow but whatever football that all my Canadian Facebook friends got excited about this week passed us by completely.

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I think that’s good recognition of an issue - similar with getting British goods here. Whilst it’s nice for a treat, sticking with the familiar and want you know you like means you remain more bedded to what you've physically moved away from and refreshes those ‘pangs’ constantly so it’s a spiral.

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I haven't embraced Canada to the extent of watching Canadian television, hearing Canadian radio, or having Canadian Facebook friends. I know we live here but there's a limit to the extent to which one wants to engage.

I didn't think there was any football last weekend, no EPL games anyway, maybe some ACON matches.

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Or find Canadians that are into UK orientated sport... I was never into soccer so don't miss that, but for the the 6 nations I always find a pub that likes to televise it, or ask Canadian friends around to watch it at my place.... I remember one of my local pubs used to make a huge thing about the 6 nations. Ironically I always miss the begining of the the 6 nations now as I am always out snowmobiling! So I guess im fitting in with Canadian culture in that way... but I always catch the last few games and importantly "Super Saturday" when all 6 teams play and usually the champsionship/grandslam decider as all the the snowmobile trails are melting by then! So I guess I am a bit of British and Canadian.

I hear you on the NFL CFL though... boring stupid game! lol