Toronto or Calgary?
 

We are hoping that our application for Permanent Residence will be accepted. If it is, we are wondering where the best place for us would be to live in Canada, as the country has so many wonderful areas. We have done extensive research, but information from anyone who actually lives in these places would be more valuable.

Our first thoughts have been the surrounding areas of Toronto, however we also feel that Alberta is beautiful. We have a daughter and we love the outdoor lifestyle, but we also enjoy having facilities near to us in order to enjoy a healthy social life. Another consideration is the job market - my husband is a personal trainer and I would like to study to become a nurse in the Mental Health area when living over there. However, my background was as an IT analyst. Finally, we would like our daughter to enjoy a good education.

Can anyone help please!
Deb

Re: Toronto or Calgary?
 

You really need to go visit and see which places you like best. Everyone has their own preferance and it's really impossible to say one place is "better" than another or you are guaranteed to find work in one place over another. Sure Toronto has the biggest job market but then you could move to Toronto and not find a job or move to Calgary and find one right away. Or vice versa. Usually people decide where to live one of two ways. They either find a really good job they want and then live in the best place they can find that allows them to work there, or they find a place they really want to live and try to find a job that allows them to live there.

Re: Toronto or Calgary?
 

Thanks Wizzard - you're absolutely right. Ideally we would love to travel across Canada, but as this is likely to cost a bit of cash, we're holding out for as long as possible to see if we're accepted first. Obviously, if we're rejected we won't be selling our house yet so we won't be releasing any equity. If accepted we will probably sell up and then, when our cards come through, go to Canada and travel around before settling somewhere.

Re: Toronto or Calgary?
 

We can give you a good reason to settle for Ontario, but we might be accused of being biased.......LOL Calgary is a lovely place, but Ontario has so much going for it, especially Toronto, and the surroundings you mentioned.

We have a daughter too, an 8yr old, and you can see how happy we are, in the pics in the link below, and wild mooses would struggle to drag us away from all these, back to the UK ......LOL. At the end of the day though, it all comes down to your decision, and where you think you can get a job, and be happy in.


http://photobucket.com/albums/v171/leoville/

NOTE: Type in christmas as the password to see the pics

Good luck !

Re: Toronto or Calgary?
 

I think your photobucket account is set to private not public.

Re: Toronto or Calgary?
 

You are right, but I did give the password, which is "christmas", without the quotes

Re: Toronto or Calgary?
 

Doh! I will have to learn to read.

Re: Toronto or Calgary?
 

LOL......It's easy to miss that line really, I should have put it before the link.

Re: Toronto or Calgary?
 

Thank you for your reply - you all look really happy. When did you emigrate and what happened on the job front? Our daughter is 3 years old at the moment, so it would be great if we could settle before she starts school so that she doesn't know any different.

It's interesting to hear the success stories, so we look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks again!

Re: Toronto or Calgary?
 

We emigrated in June 2003, and job was hard to get at first, but when it came, it was well worth it. I work as a systems/network/security analyst for one of the big financial companies in Canada, and as you can see in those pics, that is me at work, at my desk, with colleagues during our halloween party this year 2004, we had a pirate of the carribean theme.

My wife works for one of the insurance companies. Believe it or not, I landed that job through monster.ca. I posted my resume there, got a call, attended interviews, and there I was.

Re: Toronto or Calgary?
 

Wonderful pictures! :)

Image 64 and 65, on page 2 - where is that? It looks familiar to me but I can't remember where it is!

Re: Toronto or Calgary?
 

Those pictures are fantastic. The look of sheer hapiness on your daughters face in the picture by the lake says it all. If we can capture a similar photo of our 4 year old boy when we arrive then its a safe bet that we'll feel the same about Canada as your family. Here's hoping!
Btw, what part of GTA have you settled in? It seems as though that area has made you a very contented family indeed!

Re: Toronto or Calgary?
 

Thank you very much for that, our daughter loves it here, and apart from the "are we there yet"? on trips, she is a little bubbly girl.....LOL We haven't exactly settled finally, in terms of buying a house, but we have narrowed the areas down to 2.

Am a bungalow kind of guy, and my wife likes the upper level houses, but she is now coming round to my way of thinking. I told her that if we decide to sell and move on, a bungalow will appeal to older folks and younger folks, but having a upper level home, means you attracting a certain demographic ( young people ).

Once again.....Thanks !

Re: Toronto or Calgary?
 

Hi Smith Family! Thank you again for your message - we are expecting the work thing to be difficult but the challenge is what makes life interesting I suppose! Strangely enough, I was a systems analyst for 5 years with Compass Group, but gave up when our little bundle of joy came along!

Also, thankyou for the nursing reply - I posted that aswell. Hopefully, if we are accepted, Canada will be a fresh start for all of us - my husband and I would both like to change our career paths eventually. Hubby would like to join the police force over there one day.

Wishing your family all the best in the world - it's great to hear positive feedback.
Deb

Re: Toronto or Calgary?
 

Thanks for the kind words, hope everything works out for your family also, and you are able to join the rest of us here pretty soon ! The police thing is a good idea, they have some nice benefits packages, which includes ongoing education ( they will pay 50% of your fees ), but there are exams and requirements you need before you can get in, police college along is $5,000, which they deduct from your paycheck once you are at the college, as a cadet ( you get paid around 32k ), whilst you are doing this.

http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/careers/career.php


Good luck !