3 kids? Your Quebec tax liability just plummeted.

Why do you think we bought a one way ticket outta there!!!

What I found most frustrating in Ottawa though was people trying to tell us that it was cheaper to live in Quebec and work in Ontario.........yeah ....whatever..........

I think it can be. It depends on your situation. It is pretty clear that comparable houses are cheaper on the Dark Side. Personal taxation is certainly much higher, particularly if you are young, free and single.

I saw some research not long ago that indicated that a "middle class" couple with kids and both working would be financially better off north of the frontier.

I will be studying international business at Concordia. I intend to drive in if possible, after sorting out the kids in the morning I will not have 2 hrs to commute.

With regards to living in quebec and working in ontario, its an option I have considered and will probably do that if work is hard to come by due to my french not being up to scratch. Afterall Ottawa is only 1.5hrs away from Montreal by train. Commuting for hours has always been a way of life in london, which I am hoping to change when I relocate, but if I have to I will.

It's two hours each way from Montreal to Ottawa and that's rail station to rail station, suppose 3 total. And then, when you get to Ottawa, they'll want you to speak French anyway.

https://reservia.viarail.ca/search/tripresult.aspx?t=D


The return fare is $110.

When the roads are dry, it takes 1 hour 40 minutes from Laval to Ottawa by car. Of course if you get pulled over, it takes a wee bit longer. ;-)

My roommate used to live in Laval, but got so frustrated with Quebec that he couldn't wait to get out of there. He's enjoying Ottawa a whole lot more, and so am I.

gules - you describe Montreal as laidback and with a good vibe - I can agree with you to a certain point, Montreal will always be one of my favorite cities, but I got tired of the "each to his own"-mentality I often encountered there. Hardly ever would anyone hold a door they were passing through, nor would they say thank you if you held one for them, bus drivers were shellshocked if you said good morning when you got on the bus, and don't get me started on the quebecois drivers... Let me just say that for the longest time I believed ARRET (as you see on stop signs) simply meant "slow down just enough to not get that pedestrian's blood on your car"...

In Ottawa, people are different - I rarely take the bus here, but the times I've done so, I've always gotten involved in conversations with fellow passengers. The cashiers at our supermarket greet us when we come, and chitchat a little about this and that. I've had people passing me on the street dropping a comment about the weather, and homeless people asking me how I was, without expecting anything in return. People in cars wave to me to go ahead, even if I'm a mere pedestrian and they have the right of way. I love it!

And yeah - it's an advantage to know French, and even required (not sure how well it's actually followed) for governmental positions, if I'm not mistaken. But there's a lot of positions out there where English will do just fine, so I wouldn't worry about that.

Good luck with wherever you end up!

Oh! that would be a right carry on. I would avoid that situation at all costs. What kind of work will you be looking for? I am sure that if you have the will you will find a job in Montreal without being biliingual.

What are you driving? A wheelbarrow? My missus can do South Shore (St Hubert) to north Gatineau in 2.15. Mind you, she does have a lead foot.

Tip for speeding on the 417 and the 401. Don't do it near places beginning with a "C".

Thanks for the advice, I will be renting for 6mths to get adjusted to Montreal so I think I will be alright. The culture here in London is far worse, people are so impolite its a joke, I guess thats why I thought Montreal was a huge improvement. I will visit Ottawa as well to see what its like.

I am qualified to work in the airline industry, finance (accounting assistant) and also working with children who has learning difficulties in schools (I'm not a qualified teacher).

My husband is English Canadian, born in Montreal, raised outside of the city of Montreal, and retired to Ottawa after 36 years with the RCAF and if anyone has a lead foot, he does.

He would make the trip from Chateaguay <sp> to Ottawa in just under 2 hours. And btw he hates Montreal and especially Quebec province and loved Ottawa and the suburb of Gloucester where he owned his townhouse.

Ahhh but I would have loved to live there

Montreal is where they make the flight simulators for training pilots, maybe there's an angle there ?

aaahhhh! well, i wouldn't have thought that you would have too much trouble finding work. Network with english speaking people and i am sure you would find something.

I am glad to hear that you are going over first for a holiday. I was under the impression that you were moving over there and looking for somehere as soon as you got there. That is a relief as I think you would find Laval to be extremely French....to the separatist side..................not a pleasant atmosphere to live in.............

I have just come back from visiting in Montreal and am now enjoying 4 dozen bagels........mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. The best you can get.

I see a bright future for you training Air Canada staff.

Is there a bridge over the St Lawrence I'm not aware of? If not, Chateauguay to Ottawa in under two hours? Ye Gods!

I spent New Years's Eve in Chateauguay. So I'm told.