bodgerx

It's the classic BritishExpats conundrum - Move for the place and then the work, or the work then the place. Maybe there is a sensible balance somewhere between those options...

Phoresis

Aaah I want the opposite. I'm trying to escape peace and tranquility to have an interesting life full of hustle and bustle. Each to their own I suppose.

shelley748

Some parts of GTA are not safe!! Just be careful thats all.

Oakvillian

not safe for whom in what circumstances? That seems a gross generalisation that has been done to death in many other threads in the last couple of days. Outside of a few relatively small neighbourhoods, Toronto and its environs are no less "safe" than any other city of comparable size. Any number of crime statistics have been thrown around the forum recently, but the general consensus seems to be that unless you go out of your way to find trouble (or you're extraordinarily unlucky) the GTA is a reasonable place to live as regards threats to life and limb.

Phoresis

Appreciate the concern, but that seems like kind of a strange thing to say. There are safe places and unsafe places in every city. Largely if you keep yourself to yourself and have some common sense you will be fine.

I will never worry about anything like that because if it happens then it happens, nothing can stop that, and besides Hull where I currently live near is not exactly safe either.

shelley748

Understood-depends where you are. I did'nt meant to be so general- I have just heard from friends who work in TO downtown that you don't wanna be for example in Scarborough in some areas, there are a lot of gang activities in some areas, some shootings and apparently New York is safer than TO these days! Only going on what I have been told. Last time I went to TO it seemed ok to me.

tioram

Likewise. I love the vibrant hustle and bustle of a city but I love the outdoors too. As far as I can tell, Toronto seems to be about the closest thing to "the best of both worlds" that the English speaking world has to offer. I'm thinking, live in York Region for the outdoors (Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill, King etc.) and work and play in the city (Downtown, Markham, Vaughan, Mississauga). Sounds good to me

dbd33

What about London? Live in Herts or Bucks for the outdoors (Chesham, High Wycombe, Rickmansworth) and work and play in the city (West End, Harrow, Slough, Hayes).

tioram

It's not the same in the UK, the outdoors only exists for 4 or 5 months of the year. The rest of the year the outdoors shuts down (maybe a slight exaggeration but you get the point).

dbd33

I don't get the point at all. For three or four months a year in Ontario the primary pastimes are knitting, reading and TV, by the end of February everyone has cabin fever. What prevents someone from, say, walking the dog, in February in the UK?

Oakvillian

Huh? I'm afraid I don't get your point at all. Have you visited Ontario in the winter? By what measure is there less of an ability to recreate outdoors in the UK than in Ontario? This seems a very strange point of view somewhat counter to the reality. What is it that you think "shuts down" in the UK that isn't likely to here?

For example, outdoor team sports (rugby, football, etc) don't happen in an Ontario winter. The season stops in late autumn. There's hockey, but except for pond hockey tournaments or backyard rinks, that's not an outdoor pursuit. Theme parks and whatnot also tend to close for the season in the fall. Cross-country skiing or snowmobiling I suppose could take the place of going for walks in the country in the UK, but if you're planning on moving to Canada because you think the British countryside shuts down for the winter, I fear you will be sadly disappointed when you get here.

tioram

The British countryside doesn't just shut down for winter it's crap for all but 4 months of the year. I live in North Wales which for 4 months in the summer is amazing but the rest of the year if it's not raining then it's been raining the day before and the kids can't even play in the garden without getting covered in mud. If it snowed here for 4 months straight in the winter I'd be out in it every day - taking the kids to the park, playing in the garden etc.

dbd33

They'll whine that they're freezing and that they want to go in. And then the snow will melt and there'll be mud everywhere. And then it'll be too buggy to put the kids outside unless you coat them with chemicals. Ontario has its merits but a usable outdoors isn't one of them; Wales is better in that respect.

tioram

I'd choose the Ontario climate any day!

Oakvillian

this seems quite a long way divorced from reality. When, many years ago, I lived in Chester we used to go for long walks with the dogs in the hills around Llangollen pretty much year-round. Bala Lake on a crisp December morning was beautiful in a way that the Ontario countryside very seldom is. I've also been up & down Snowdon in all but the harshest January weather, but I wouldn't contemplate hiking on the Niagara Escarpment when it's -25C outside with a windchill down to 30-odd below. Weather here is a different order of magnitude. You might get to the park, but the swings don't swing because the snow comes over the seat, and the slide might slide but the climbing frame it's attached to is treacherously icy. Plus you can only stay outside for half an hour or so before frostbitten extremities become a real possibility.

And anyway, the whole point of being a child is to get covered in mud, isn't it?