Novocastrian

That Ustinov remark is a bit out of date though. I think "Chicago run by an incompetent bag of lard" is more appropriate today.

How long

"No, Sir, when you find a man who is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford"

Shard

Are you kidding? There are plenty of people who would choose Toronto regardless of work. It's a vibrant place. Just not quite the same league as London or NYC etc.

I think dbd33 was making the point of London or a provincial city. Manchester has a financial community, though much smaller than Zurich. It also has a growing media community now that the BBC has relocated some divisions. Shite football clubs, but that's another story.

JamesM

I'm not sure what the perceived additional "lifestyle" will be for you?

You''ll definitely be earning less. Transit here is worse. Traffic is almost comparable and there is less choice in terms of food and clothes.

You'll also no longer have your family and friends and you'll have less vacation/ annual leave.

If you were increasing your income or able to get within 10% then you may achieve some lifestyle benefits from having a larger home but otherwise there is really not many lifestyle add on's here.

brit09

I'd say London. Canada is OK but for all the hassle its worth & you both seem reasonably comfortable in jobs (which are quite hard to find in UK) I'd say stay. Yes, houses are bigger here but winters can be very cold, you pay a lot of taxes, my social life is nonexistent lol but ss advised take a trip & see bearing in mind summers are no comparison to the winter unless you like a lot of skiing, ice hockey etc.lol

brit09

I agree, well said

dbd33

Oh. Well, yes, I can see choosing to move to Toronto if you're in Regina, but people don't move from London for the vibrancy, that has to be about opting to give up excitement for consumer durables; it only works if Toronto offers more televisions with bigger screens and the chance to drive a Buick.

Lychee

Is your husband in love with the romantic stereotype of Canada? Log cabins? Snowy mountains? Bears? Northern Lights? I'm curious to know what exactly it is about Canada that he's so in love with, and why he thinks he'll find that in Toronto.

Scribble

That was written in the 1700s!
No question about it, quality of life is better in Canada.
If you added up how much money was being wasted in rip-off Britain then it might be an eye opener.

Shard

dbd, what about the North America argument? Some people want to live in Canada/US because it is a different culture to that of Europe. London may trump Toronto on purely city to city to comparison (though that's debateable too) but it is a major city in NA and that had its own positives: less crowded, less class ridden, more optimistic, greater opportunities for sport and leisure. I don't think it's consumer durables at all, with exception of square-footage, Britain has the same consumer excess and possibly even more.

MarylandNed

I think you've answered your own question. If you think it's a "hassle" then I think you have to question if you have the right attitude. You have to want to move and be determined to make a go of it to get over the inevitable bumps in the road. Attitude is a major factor in a successful move.

I've lived in Manchester, London and Toronto (all mentioned in this thread) and I'm glad I did - I have fond memories of my time in all 3 cities. Regardless of anyone's views on which city is the "best", sometimes life is more interesting when you live somewhere simply to experience something different and gain a different perspective on life, the world and on yourself. And the "best" is very subjective anyway and changes over time as your circumstances change.

There are plenty of Toronto bashers here but the fact remains that Toronto is consistently rated as one of the best cities in the world to live in. For example, the Economist Intelligence Unit rated Toronto #4 in the world behind Melbourne, Vienna and Vancouver. Some people will obviously scoff at this but the fact is that Canadian cities consistently rank high in these studies.

Does Toronto have issues? Yes but what city doesn't? I think some of the high density development on the lakefront could have been better planned. I think it's obvious that Toronto public transit is not what it should be in the 21st century and consequently traffic can be horrendous. I think the current mayor has been a disaster. However, Toronto is still a relatively clean, safe, friendly and modern city with a high standard of living.

Is Toronto ugly? I'm a frequent visitor and I would say 'no'. My daughter who lives in Canada just sent me a bunch of photos from her trip to Toronto this weekend. I see a great city with great recreational opportunities. The photos she took on Toronto Islands are stunningly beautiful. All cities have good and bad areas. Toronto is no exception. Neither are London, Manchester, Birmingham or Edinburgh. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

How long

And its still true today. The OP asked is asking which would be better for them, London or Toronto, if you compare what each city has offer in the arts, sport, theatre, live music, access to Europe, not too difficult to get to N America, then in my opinion and many others, London wins hands down.
I don`t see how `rip off Britain`would directly affect them, rip off Canadian cell phones, car insurance, kids clothes very well may do. Would their quality of life be improved by earning less with no family or friends close by and no job to start with, not very likely. If they wanted to come to a country the husband had never visited for an adventure, then thats a different matter.

dbd33

I don't think there's a case for urban Canada as a destination of choice.

Cities in Canada are just clones of minor American cities, Chicago was mentioned above in connection with Toronto and I think that's fair. Chicago is a place where one might move if it meant a promotion, it has quite a nice aquarium, it's not notable better in any way than Cleveland. I don't think there's any case at all that people move from London for the, small c, culture of Canadian cities, if they want that they can more easily move to Milton Keynes.

I don't for a moment accept the contention that Toronto offers greater opportunities for sport and leisure than London. In fact I think that absurd. I don't imagine there's any sport which people do not play in London whereas, for example, I don't think there's any polo in Toronto. I think it's true that my daughter, who's from Toronto but who now lives in Tower Hamlets has taken up a sport, boxing, there that was not available to her "here".

I see the case for moving to Canada as being strong if you like the things that Canada offers and the UK doesn't. Horses in the backyard, foxhunting, hunting with guns, ATVs, ice fishing; things one does in a plaid shirt. In terms of cities, there's a good case if you come from somewhere with problems, Sunderland or Belfast. To move from an big exciting city to Toronto though only makes sense to me if the person moving gains in tangible goods, the ability to have a Kia and a Hyundai in the two car, side-by-side, driveway and a television in every room.

Atlantic Xpat

Dbd33 in his own inimitable way has hit the nail squarely on its head!

Shard

Nice turn of phrase We'll have to agree to slightly disagree on this topic. BTW have you been to Tower Hamlets recently?