I'm planning to take a one week trip to Toronto so that I can do some research and fact finding. Any recommendations as to where i should stay. Ideally i would like to stay at a Self Catering place so it is as realistic as possible (as if i live there). Any guidance as to where i should stay and even what airport to use would be great or even where else is worth seeing apart from Toronto (somewhere that is not too quiet) Thanks a million as always.

Kind Regards,
Arash

Start here: http://www.torontotourism.com/ContactUs

I wouldn't bother leaving downtown Toronto. Anything North of Bloor, West of Bathurst or East of Parliament should be considered off-limits IMHO.

I'm sure you'll have a good time- it's a great city. PM me if you want details of great places to eat etc. that you otherwise wouldn't find (in all likelihood)

I'd change that to:

I wouldn't bother leaving downtown Toronto. Anything North of Eglinton, West of Bathurst or East of the beaches should be considered off-limits IMHO.

What's north of Bloor, south of Eglinton and worth visiting?

I'm puzzled by the question about which airport to use, I'd use the nearest one.

I'm assuming he is checking out the area for potential areas to live, Eglinton and Davisville are a good option. Decent shopping, restaurants and places to live before you head into the tundra further north.

Where do I start? Go north on Mount Pleasant from Eglinton and just look at the beautiful houses lining the crossing streets.

The park between Lawrence and Eglinton.

Fairview mall


Budget airlines claim Hamilton is a Toronto airport. Well it is, sort of - ish. ABout as much as Ryan Air claiming Lubeck is Hamburg and Stansted is London.

Sheppard and Bayview is nice to live in as you have the Sheppard line right on your doorstep.
Also near High Park (Bloor and High Park).

Another area I have recently discovered is St Clair and Bathurst to live, it could be an option for me if we can find anything suitable there.

ahhh....Summerhill LCBO. I'll give him that.

Ah-ha! For that I might cross Bloor.

Thank you guys, you all have been great. You are right, I'm looking for a potential place to live in. Guys what is the weather like through out the year and what are my chances of finding a job in Canada. I have a joint degree of Bsc Hons in Information Technology and Computer Communications and also a Diploma in Legal Systems, Consumer Protection and the Law of Contract and Tort (tort is a civil wrong). I am currently working as a Trading Standards Enforcement Officer which basically involves enforcing relevant acts of parliament on businesses and providing consumer advice with respect to civil rights in terms of buying goods and services. In a nutshell, I help consumers to avoid getting ripped off by ensuring businesses behave and act accordingly. Sometimes I have to write a prosecution report and take the businesses to court, that is ofcourse if they avoid warnings and previous cautions. anyway is there a similar authority in Canada that does such work and if yes what are they called. I also have experience in freelance IT work, anything from setting up WANS, LANS and computer configuration and technical support. While I was at university I also worked at the retail industry for 3+ years. I know I have written an essay, so please accept my apology, but any idea on how easy or difficult it would be for me to find a job would be great. Also how affordable is Canada, I mean can you work, pay off your mortage and bills and own a car and still have a life or do you simply stay broke after paying all of these, because that is the case in UK. you basically become broke on the day you get paid. Many thanks for all your replies guys. It is very very much appreciated.
Wish you all a great weekend and look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards,
Arash

Kind Regards,

I can't speak for others but I know my standard of living is way higher here than in the UK. After I've paid my rent, travel cost and food etc I still have more than half my wages in the bank. I just wish I'd bought a condo 7 years ago when I first came over as prices were way cheaper back then. Not sure where you live in the UK but I also find Toronto to be one of the safest cities I've ever been to - in the UK I'd see a punch up every Friday night... never seen any trouble over here yet (though I'm sure it happens... just never seen it).

thanks for your prompt respond soconnell74. I live in London and you can imagine how expensive it is. What is the average price of a house in Toronto. Say a nice 3 or 4 Bedroom house, with a nice Garden. Also I have seen some estate agent sites that are advertising bedrooms as 3+1, what does the +1 mean. Many thanks and Kind Regards,

Arash

Yonge and Eglinton(Y and E, Young and eligible, Young and Easy) is the best place to stay to get started, about 500 pounds a month for 1 bedroom, Tube is right there, access to everything, stores, Restaurants, etc.

Buying in downtown TO like any major city, is expensive, many commute about an hour, count on minimum of 200,000 pounds for decent area decent house,
maybe 150,000 ponds for decent downtown 1 bedroom condo..

Suggest you look at 40 year amortization, but prepay principal when you have cash, try to have at least 25% down to avoid Mortgage Insurance.

Not sure of your age, but maybe google for TO Hostels, might be cheaper way to start, in summer, U of T rents out student dorms.

According to the Toronto Real Estate Board, the latest average price of a resale home in Toronto is about $365,000 CDN , or about 180 GBP.

A 3 plus one means that the home has 3 bedrooms upstairs, and one more in the basement. A 'finished basement " means that there is a living area in the basement with perhaps a complete separate apartment ( living room kitchen bathroom and separate entrance ) that can be rented out to reduce the monthly mortage costs, or it can be a place to keep the teenagers........grin.

Most homes in Canada have a full basement, with the furnace, central air conditioner and water heater and the laundry room down there.

You asked about the weather.....Go here to look at the Toronto weather reports.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/CAON0696

For a cheap place to stay in Toronto, look for "guest houses " such as this

http://www.globalguesthousetoronto.com/rates.html

Compared to the mainstream hotels that are at least double this rate per night, this location at Spadina road and Bloor street west is a central place to hang your hat. 25 metres to the Spadina TTC subway station entrance , and two blocks from the U of T main campus. Lost of good but cheap places to eat in the immediate area.

Jim Bunting. Toronto.

thanks a million, you have been a great help. any info in terms of job hunting with relation to my experience and qualifications?