Moved From Midlands to Toronto Area - My Experience
Jul 30th 2011, 2:30 am
#31
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 14,227
Re: Moved From Midlands to Toronto Area - My Experience
Jul 30th 2011, 7:25 am
#32
Assimilated Pauper
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 40,018
Re: Moved From Midlands to Toronto Area - My Experience
Ok,
Hope anyone thinking of making the big move from the UK to Canada find this helpful:
Last year (2010) my wife and I with our two young children moved to a town in the greater Toronto area called Vaughan (about 30 mins from downtown Toronto). Let me put your minds at ease, if you want a significant increase of quality living, more opportunities and a vastly superior world for your children to grow up in,
Hope anyone thinking of making the big move from the UK to Canada find this helpful:
Last year (2010) my wife and I with our two young children moved to a town in the greater Toronto area called Vaughan (about 30 mins from downtown Toronto). Let me put your minds at ease, if you want a significant increase of quality living, more opportunities and a vastly superior world for your children to grow up in,
Jul 30th 2011, 3:42 pm
#34
Soulless bureaucrat
Joined: Aug 2006
Location: Ottawa
Posts: 361
Re: Moved From Midlands to Toronto Area - My Experience
The whole shameful booze-buying thing at the government mandated monopoly is annoying.
Although I do buy less booze here than I did in the UK, because I'm often too lazy to make a special trip to go to the LCBO or the 'Beer' Store.
If I could pick it up in the supermarket, I'd have more in the house and I'd drink more of it.
Although I do buy less booze here than I did in the UK, because I'm often too lazy to make a special trip to go to the LCBO or the 'Beer' Store.
If I could pick it up in the supermarket, I'd have more in the house and I'd drink more of it.
Jul 30th 2011, 4:40 pm
#36
.
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 20,185
Re: Moved From Midlands to Toronto Area - My Experience
Jul 30th 2011, 4:44 pm
#38
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 14,227
Re: Moved From Midlands to Toronto Area - My Experience
It doesn't help that people like obama use phrases like 'eat our peas' as if they are some kind of vegetable abomination.
Jul 30th 2011, 6:52 pm
#39
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 15,883
Re: Moved From Midlands to Toronto Area - My Experience
Jul 30th 2011, 8:51 pm
#42
Account Closed
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 30
Re: Moved From Midlands to Toronto Area - My Experience
You'll soon get sick of the food. I try to hunt down proper restaurants now, I have had enough Kelseys, Milestones, keg, Montana's ect to last me a lifetime.
Oh and try not to be down on the UK, the country that I presume educated you and made you what you are today, it's not an endearing trait.
Oh and try not to be down on the UK, the country that I presume educated you and made you what you are today, it's not an endearing trait.
Jul 30th 2011, 9:59 pm
#43
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Oct 2009
Location: Toronto, ON
Posts: 1,244
Re: Moved From Midlands to Toronto Area - My Experience
Ok,
Hope anyone thinking of making the big move from the UK to Canada find this helpful:
Last year (2010) my wife and I with our two young children moved to a town in the greater Toronto area called Vaughan (about 30 mins from downtown Toronto). Let me put your minds at ease, if you want a significant increase of quality living, more opportunities and a vastly superior world for your children to grow up in, Canada (or at least Southern Ontario) is your place. Heres the pros and cons:
Pros:
1) Pretty much guarantied 3 months of great hot summer weather every year. Unlike the one good Summer Day you may get in the UK if you're lucky. We were all in our outdoor pool from June through early September. One week we were out in the pool till 8pm. Fantastic. When can you do that in the UK?
2) Shopping is fantastic, the malls are great. Check out the Eaton Centre, York Dale or Square One.
3) Completely different culture than Britain. No pissheads walking the streets or stuck in the pub every night. Not a yob culture at all. No football violence either. Its more like the American culture where most people eat out as a family rather than piss off down the pub.
4) Very business friendly climate. Government are on the ball.
5) Close proximity to all the places you want to vacation ie..Bahamas, USA, Mexico etc....
6) Tons of brand new homes. Definitely not cheaper than UK but nicer.
7) More parks and attractions for your kids to do. Including having one of earths natural wonders on your doorstep.
8) Food is the best ive ever had. Restaurants are great. Some of the best are Alice Fazoolis, Monterey Jacks and my favorite The Keg.
Cons:
1) First and foremost GTA is massively overpopulated or at least it seems that way. Concrete jungle to say the least. Don't expect the pictures of Canada you see on TV with the mountains and stunning vistas. You have to do serious car time to get to these places. Hours and hours. The GTA is completely saturated with some of the worst traffic ive ever seen and endless rows of homes. One night I decided to pop out for a quick KFC which is 10 minutes around the corner. I was out for two hours stuck in traffic.
2) Drivers are terrible, and I mean terrible. In my opinion UK drivers are the best in the world. Canadian drivers are mean,...sorry!
3) Everything is so damn expensive except for petrol (which is a lot cheaper than the UK however everywhere is 30 minutes away so you burn through the same amount of petrol money every week anyway).
4) Winter weather is horrible. It was snowing in the first week of May last year. Then overnight it can literally go to 85 degrees.
5) Day Care is horrible for anyone thinking of moving with small children. Believe me, my wife was bought to tears on numorous occasions by the disgusting quality of day cares. You wouldn't put your dog in these places. Its almost like parents don't make day care a priority and will just settle. Having said that there is one day care company which strangely enough is absolutely fantastic..problem is they only have four centers. Check out "ChildVentures".
6) Cell phone contracts are very expensive.
Im sure everyone has different experiences but these are the things we found. Canada is a funny mix of American and UK. I would say slightly more American than UK which is definitely a good thing.
PS. you still get your BBC and Coronation street channels though.
Hope this helps.
Good luck.
Hope anyone thinking of making the big move from the UK to Canada find this helpful:
Last year (2010) my wife and I with our two young children moved to a town in the greater Toronto area called Vaughan (about 30 mins from downtown Toronto). Let me put your minds at ease, if you want a significant increase of quality living, more opportunities and a vastly superior world for your children to grow up in, Canada (or at least Southern Ontario) is your place. Heres the pros and cons:
Pros:
1) Pretty much guarantied 3 months of great hot summer weather every year. Unlike the one good Summer Day you may get in the UK if you're lucky. We were all in our outdoor pool from June through early September. One week we were out in the pool till 8pm. Fantastic. When can you do that in the UK?
2) Shopping is fantastic, the malls are great. Check out the Eaton Centre, York Dale or Square One.
3) Completely different culture than Britain. No pissheads walking the streets or stuck in the pub every night. Not a yob culture at all. No football violence either. Its more like the American culture where most people eat out as a family rather than piss off down the pub.
4) Very business friendly climate. Government are on the ball.
5) Close proximity to all the places you want to vacation ie..Bahamas, USA, Mexico etc....
6) Tons of brand new homes. Definitely not cheaper than UK but nicer.
7) More parks and attractions for your kids to do. Including having one of earths natural wonders on your doorstep.
8) Food is the best ive ever had. Restaurants are great. Some of the best are Alice Fazoolis, Monterey Jacks and my favorite The Keg.
Cons:
1) First and foremost GTA is massively overpopulated or at least it seems that way. Concrete jungle to say the least. Don't expect the pictures of Canada you see on TV with the mountains and stunning vistas. You have to do serious car time to get to these places. Hours and hours. The GTA is completely saturated with some of the worst traffic ive ever seen and endless rows of homes. One night I decided to pop out for a quick KFC which is 10 minutes around the corner. I was out for two hours stuck in traffic.
2) Drivers are terrible, and I mean terrible. In my opinion UK drivers are the best in the world. Canadian drivers are mean,...sorry!
3) Everything is so damn expensive except for petrol (which is a lot cheaper than the UK however everywhere is 30 minutes away so you burn through the same amount of petrol money every week anyway).
4) Winter weather is horrible. It was snowing in the first week of May last year. Then overnight it can literally go to 85 degrees.
5) Day Care is horrible for anyone thinking of moving with small children. Believe me, my wife was bought to tears on numorous occasions by the disgusting quality of day cares. You wouldn't put your dog in these places. Its almost like parents don't make day care a priority and will just settle. Having said that there is one day care company which strangely enough is absolutely fantastic..problem is they only have four centers. Check out "ChildVentures".
6) Cell phone contracts are very expensive.
Im sure everyone has different experiences but these are the things we found. Canada is a funny mix of American and UK. I would say slightly more American than UK which is definitely a good thing.
PS. you still get your BBC and Coronation street channels though.
Hope this helps.
Good luck.
