Re: Moving from the UK advice please
 

This particular poster did specifically say that she didnt want to live downtown. That really only leaves Oakville Burlington and the equivalent spots on the Lakeshore East GO with manageable commute times.

Re: Moving from the UK advice please
 

Fair enough but the older suburbs, Beach, High Park, etc. would meet the need except for budgetary concerns. How about New Toronto, the gentrifying numbered streets? Or the medium good parts of Scarborough? I say medium good because, obviously, the bottom of Vic Park is unaffordable but, say, Cliffside Village might work. Of course, if the OP and family actively want to live in a Sheena Easton song, the lakeshore GO line is there.

Re: Moving from the UK advice please
 

"But not what?" is the question. :nod:

Re: Moving from the UK advice please
 

It doesn't matter. If they all speak Punjabi or Gaelic or Ukrainian and your kid doesn't that's a problem. It's not especially a racist problem, if they all spoke patios the issue would be the same, it's a fitting in problem. Fortunately, most locations in the GTA offer a complete tangle of ethnicities.

Re: Moving from the UK advice please
 

I agree with everything you said, but the first three words sound like you're disagreeing with me. :confused:

Oh, and the "not what" question is relevant, because what if Kaz is Indian, or Pakistani, or Chinese? She might be Tibetan and object to Chinese, or Iraqi and object to Iranians. :unsure:

Re: Moving from the UK advice please
 

Well then it's complicated. On the one hand Kaz might want to have his or her children blend into English Canada but, on the other hand, he or she would have elderly relatives visiting for months at a time, perhaps even moving, with no chance of learning English. Support for the elderly parents suggests moving to a location of the appropriate language. I knew someone who resigned a big shot job because he couldn't hack the commute from Markham to Guelph any more and was obliged not to move his wife and her parents from their Chinese speaking neighbourhood. If there are immigrants who have it easy, I don't know them.

Re: Moving from the UK advice please
 

Well, you don't know me personally, but I can assure you that we have had it easy ever since we arrived in late August 1968, that's almost 51 years ago.

We've always lived in multi-cultural, multi-ethnic communities, firstly in an apartment with a mix of nationalities (and a caretaker who was of Dutch origin) and with an even great mixt of ethnicities and cultures working in the neighbourhood shops and stores.

Then we've now lived in the same house in the same neighbourhood since 1972, only the second house that we were shown/made an offer on. Our neighbours are of many ethnicities, cultures and religious beliefs. The neighbourhood shopping district is the same mix.

Our working environments were complete mixes.

We had it easy ........... maybe we came with the idea of integrating ourselves into the community and not for them to come to us???? We have reached out to neighbours, co-workers, and people met through other interests, and been received with open arms.

Re: Moving from the UK advice please
 

I think it's a very different world to when you emigrated, sadly, .. and Vancouver/BC isn't Toronto/Ontario. I do agree that a positive attitude of doing the best you can to integrate is important however, even with the best of intentions, in some areas that could prove harder to do - particularly where there are enclaves/concentrations of ethnic groups who perhaps don't wish to welcome 'outsiders' with open arms preferring to 'stick with their own'. Having lived in Hong Kong for over 10 years (where my former husband was a teacher, with pupils at his school from over 40 nationalities), as well as living in Canada for 20 years I have seen how this can make life a little stressful and harder to settle and feel at home, for some.
(I couldn't get much more integrated if I tried, lol)
:)

Re: Moving from the UK advice please
 

HI
re:your reponose I know it's an absolute nightmare but we have work commitments in the UK that we simply can't control I've spoken with our kids schools and they are happy for them to stay in school here up until the day we move and the company we are coming to work for in toronto is offering assistance with relocation so we are hoping they will help make it a smooth transition and thankfully we have 2 amazing outgoing kids who are very excited to make new friends x

Re: Moving from the UK advice please
 

HI and thank you for your response
we are white british dare I say essex born and bred (it's not like the programme in all areas of eessex 😂😂)
It's mix bag where ever you go we understand that totally but as some other people have stated I was looking at markham at one point but was told it was close nit in some places with certain ethnic backgrounds we just don't want to stick out lie a sore thumb and want to make an amazing life for our children by making an easy ish transition xx

Re: Moving from the UK advice please
 

HI thank you for your response
I did look at cabbagetown and it looks like affordable well stocked with shops schools etc but the report i read said don't go out after dark?
I had an idea in my head that it turned into a scene out of lost Boys as it seemed a very odd statement to make
although in London essex wherever really there's always somewhere you'd not intentionally go after dark but to make the statement about the town put me off looking further
is this the case with cabbagetown please ??
​​

Re: Moving from the UK advice please
 

:lol:

Re: Moving from the UK advice please
 

It is urban. You will see people driving Cabbagetown Cadillacs (known as mobility scooters elsewhere) who have pissed themselves. There are some homeless people. At the No Frills the fruit and veg have been nibbled. When I drove the children to school early for swimming there were often still prostitutes on the school steps finishing their shift.

But. It's also rich and gay. Most of the dogs in the dog park are concoctions with "poo" in the name. There are loads of bars and restaurants and it's walking distance to the Eaton Centre and the conservatory in Allen Gardens. People coming and going from the bars and restaurants will necessarily be out after dark. I won't say there's no danger at all but you're looking at Chelsea or Fulham levels of street aggression, not even Camden. What may muddy the waters is that the vast crime ridden Regent Park housing project was just to the south but that's recently been redeveloped, I don't know where the tenants took their crime but reasonably far away. Now if you want scary-at-night you have to walk to St. Jamestown or Moss Park. I would even walk around the necropolis at night; it aint New Orleans.

Somewhere else to look, if you're open to an urban location, is along the Danforth. It's too far to walk to downtown but there's the subway. That's less gritty than Cabbagetown but still alive. My daughter (the one who emigrated to Tower Hamlets) had a lovely 3 bed semi there; no lawn to speak of, she cut it with kitchen scissors until a neighbour took pity and donated a mower, but a nice house. Depending on the exact location you might be in Greektown but that just means easy access to Greek food and a loud party every time Greece wins the Euros.

Re: Moving from the UK advice please
 

I do indeed know that it is a different world, I see that every time I go downtown or to certain malls where the dress shops stock very little larger than a size 2 or other stores are in the stratosphere when it comes to prices. That is where we stand out. But smile and people nod and smile back

However, the basic thesis is still the same ............... this neighbourhood has a similar composition of nationalities and ethnicities as it once did.

The Jamaican has died and his much younger Filipeno bride sold and moved away, but the house was bought by a South-East Asian who rents it out ........ the last tenant was from Ireland, and someone from China rents the basement

The Italians, the DP from Poland and his Canadian-born wife, and the Scandinavian man is still here. A guy from Cyprus now lives down the street. On and on it goes.

The local stores, shops, coffee bars, and pubs (as well as marijuana dispensaries, this being Vancouver) are staffed by a similar varying mix.

That's what I was trying to convey ................. that what once was can still be found, and you can be connected if you are willing to make the effort.

One thing not to do is harp on about "back home", what was better "back home", etc .......... the Australians had a very rude phrase for Brits who did that. Canadians are more polite, but it still doesn't go down well them,

Re: Moving from the UK advice please
 

Where in Downtown?

I can recommend High Park, unless you need a third bedroom, at that budget.

Don't discount using the UP Express to commute. Our station is Bloor (8 mins to Union) - but further up the line (slightly more sketch neighbourhood) is Weston - you might find rental within the budget here, and that would be within 30 mins commute via Rail if work is near Union.

Better schools in High Park I'd assume.