What do you dislike about living in Ontario?
#61
Re: What do you dislike about living in Ontario?
Cradles go to the 'cottage' 'up north' 'myrtle', Florida, all inclusive bubble vacations in Cuba or the Dominican Republic. Those with less $ often go camping or find a friend or relative with a cottage. Using up the meager vacation rations does not seem to be a big priority for many old stock Canadians.
#63
Re: What do you dislike about living in Ontario?
There are a number who try and be weekend farmers in Prince Edward County or between Orangeville and Collingwood.
#64
limey party pooper
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 9,982
Re: What do you dislike about living in Ontario?
Cradles go to the 'cottage' 'up north' 'myrtle', Florida, all inclusive bubble vacations in Cuba or the Dominican Republic. Those with less $ often go camping or find a friend or relative with a cottage. Using up the meager vacation rations does not seem to be a big priority for many old stock Canadians.
#65
Re: What do you dislike about living in Ontario?
The trailer park in Victoria Park in Cobourg seems to be like that. Nice overall setting but they are packed in like sardines and most don't travel more than an hour to get there.
#67
limey party pooper
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 9,982
Re: What do you dislike about living in Ontario?
The farmers I know don't seem to do any actual farming, you know ploughing and suchlike. They do some planning, some accounts, and then head off to their day jobs while employing others to do the hands on stuff. Have you considered staff? Or is that where Novo is now, living in your chicken shed and broadcasting seed?
#68
Re: What do you dislike about living in Ontario?
I wouldn't call the whole owning a cottage thing a holiday let alone adding in livestock and land. The prospect of maintaing two houses is bad enough to me. Maybe the trailer trash have the right idea.
The farmers I know don't seem to do any actual farming, you know ploughing and suchlike. They do some planning, some accounts, and then head off to their day jobs while employing others to do the hands on stuff. Have you considered staff? Or is that where Novo is now, living in your chicken shed and broadcasting seed?
The farmers I know don't seem to do any actual farming, you know ploughing and suchlike. They do some planning, some accounts, and then head off to their day jobs while employing others to do the hands on stuff. Have you considered staff? Or is that where Novo is now, living in your chicken shed and broadcasting seed?
(wot about them Blue Jays?)
#69
Re: What do you dislike about living in Ontario?
That's not what I see around here. Farmers with a few hundred acres and perhaps 100 cows do almost everything themselves and have day jobs; service manager at TSC, roads supervisor for the county, lecturer at Guelph, car assembler at Honda. If the nature of the farm is too hands on for the person with the farm skills to have another job, a boarding barn for example, then the other partner typically has a job and works on the farm. A real farm though isn't a discretionary purchase like a cottage, with very few exceptions, you're born to the farm or you're not.
#70
limey party pooper
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 9,982
Re: What do you dislike about living in Ontario?
Dem Blue Jays? They have nice bums those baseball guys.
That's not what I see around here. Farmers with a few hundred acres and perhaps 100 cows do almost everything themselves and have day jobs; service manager at TSC, roads supervisor for the county, lecturer at Guelph, car assembler at Honda. If the nature of the farm is too hands on for the person with the farm skills to have another job, a boarding barn for example, then the other partner typically has a job and works on the farm. A real farm though isn't a discretionary purchase like a cottage, with very few exceptions, you're born to the farm or you're not.
#71
Re: What do you dislike about living in Ontario?
I do but they might fall off their tractory things and need their bits pictured.
#73
Re: What do you dislike about living in Ontario?
Since you have started many threads with lots of posts & questions on life & things in Canada
What are the top 5 things you dislike about life in Sydney NSW, Australia, that makes you want to leave it to move to another country?
Exclude the adventure or giving the kids a better view of the world, or trying to find a place that you think may be better than OZ, NZ, UK?
Exclude the comparison of building structures or any comparison to Canada, OZ, NZ or the UK
And why do you think Canada would give you what you want in life?
.
What are the top 5 things you dislike about life in Sydney NSW, Australia, that makes you want to leave it to move to another country?
Exclude the adventure or giving the kids a better view of the world, or trying to find a place that you think may be better than OZ, NZ, UK?
Exclude the comparison of building structures or any comparison to Canada, OZ, NZ or the UK
And why do you think Canada would give you what you want in life?
.
But here goes. My top 5 things in no particular order that I dislike about Sydney/NSW:
1. It's too hot. Temperatures into the high 30's are OK, even with the high humidity we can deal with it. Weeks of 40+ weather is just too damn hot. When it was 45 degrees last summer it was like stepping out into a hot oven outside and I don't like worrying about the 'extreme' bushfire risk. The fires have started already this spring and the weather is still only in the 30's.
Two members of my family suffer considerably in the heat, and positively thrive in cold weather. I believe we'd be able to adapt better to very cold weather than very hot.
2. Sydney is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Toronto is expensive but just doesn't compare to how expensive it is in Sydney. Housing here, especially for a larger than average family, is astronomically expensive. We don't want to buy into this market long term and live a life funded on debt. The cost of living is also very high and yes, property taxes are very high here too. We want to live somewhere that will allow us and our children to build ourselves some long term security, rather than spend the next 20 odd years being crippled by a mortgage taking up 50% of our income, thereby limiting our ability to afford other enjoyable activities.
3. Limited access to the natural environment. We thrive on a reasonably outdoorsy, but not hardcore extreme sports, lifestyle. Sydney as a city is a really quite beautiful, as are the Blue Mountains and the coastline. But we can't get out and enjoy the outdoors in a relaxing manner anywhere much as we'd like. Partly because it's too hot for half the year and the UV levels are so very high - annoying I have a weird allergic reaction to sunlight (apparently common in people from Scandinavian countries) which is much worse here. But also because you have to be on your guard (especially with children) all of the time for venomous spiders, snakes, sharks, jellyfish, stone fish, bull ants etc etc. Even spending time in your garden or on kids play equipment in parks means you have to watch out for funnel web spiders and redbacks. We do the best we can. My kids are in Scouts so we do get out with leaders who are highly trained in bushcraft. Canada seems to offer different opportunities to get out and about, which may be more suited to our lifestyle so that is a big draw for us.
4. Isolation! Being down here on the lower Pacific Rim in Sydney is quite distancing from much the world. Cities are very insular here and it takes too long to get to many other places. I know Canada can be parochial too, but it's worse here in terms of job/career for my husband, whose job as a consultant requires travelling around for work. Being on the North American continent would provide many more opportunites for work, conferences etc, which he currently misses out on, without us having to actually live in the US.
Also I dislike being quite so far away from ageing relatives and not being able to see them for years at a time. It would almost be quicker to fly to Europe from Toronto that it would be flying across Australia to Perth. It would be nice to be able to visit friends and family in the UK without having to spend 2 plane rides and 30+ hours in the air and waiting around at airports in order to do so.
5. Bureaucracy here is annoying. Australia has a this international image of a carefree lifestyle of barbies on the beach, wandering around in flip-flops and shorts. This was true 30 years ago, but now there is so much red tape and so many rules than peoples lives are effectively micro-managed and it's almost suffocating. NSW is worse than other states though. It's not the 'cotton wool' culture that exists in the UK which I am talking about. It's a different sort of annoying, and I'm having a hard time trying to put it into words. But I'll give you a couple of example. I have bright kids. Imagine my shock at being told I need 'approval' from the NSW Board of Studies to teach one of my kids some high school maths/algebra because it's not on the specfied curriculum for the child's particular year level, even though said child is several years ahead in maths and is excelling at it. Or the fact that it's actually illegal to keep my dinky child in a booster seat in a vehicle because they happen to be over the age 7 age limit, even though they are still way too small to use an adult seatbelt safely and there are no 'Australian approved' child restraints for kids of their age.
I'm sure Ontario has just as many annoyances though - just different ones.
#74
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2011
Location: Orton, Ontario
Posts: 2,032
Re: What do you dislike about living in Ontario?
I don't know whether or not Canada would give us more of what we want in life. I'm still trying to figure out whether it's worth getting a work transfer there and giving it a shot.
But here goes. My top 5 things in no particular order that I dislike about Sydney/NSW:
1. It's too hot. Temperatures into the high 30's are OK, even with the high humidity we can deal with it. Weeks of 40+ weather is just too damn hot. When it was 45 degrees last summer it was like stepping out into a hot oven outside and I don't like worrying about the 'extreme' bushfire risk. The fires have started already this spring and the weather is still only in the 30's.
Two members of my family suffer considerably in the heat, and positively thrive in cold weather. I believe we'd be able to adapt better to very cold weather than very hot.
Our worst case for heat (30-35 ) seems to be your best case. As far as the cold goes, wrap up well and it's totally bearable. It's driving in snow that stresses me but apart from that I don't have an issue with winter or summer. Sounds like you won't either.
2. Sydney is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Toronto is expensive but just doesn't compare to how expensive it is in Sydney. Housing here, especially for a larger than average family, is astronomically expensive. We don't want to buy into this market long term and live a life funded on debt. The cost of living is also very high and yes, property taxes are very high here too. We want to live somewhere that will allow us and our children to build ourselves some long term security, rather than spend the next 20 odd years being crippled by a mortgage taking up 50% of our income, thereby limiting our ability to afford other enjoyable activities.
make sure you are comparing apples with apples. Areas of Ontario are very affordable but Toronto itself can be very pricey. I have no idea about Sydney so, assuming it is more expensive, or if you don't need to live right in Toronto then that's another plus in favour of Ontario.
3. Limited access to the natural environment. We thrive on a reasonably outdoorsy, but not hardcore extreme sports, lifestyle. Sydney as a city is a really quite beautiful, as are the Blue Mountains and the coastline. But we can't get out and enjoy the outdoors in a relaxing manner anywhere much as we'd like. Partly because it's too hot for half the year and the UV levels are so very high - annoying I have a weird allergic reaction to sunlight (apparently common in people from Scandinavian countries) which is much worse here. But also because you have to be on your guard (especially with children) all of the time for venomous spiders, snakes, sharks, jellyfish, stone fish, bull ants etc etc. Even spending time in your garden or on kids play equipment in parks means you have to watch out for funnel web spiders and redbacks. We do the best we can. My kids are in Scouts so we do get out with leaders who are highly trained in bushcraft. Canada seems to offer different opportunities to get out and about, which may be more suited to our lifestyle so that is a big draw for us.
Puts the odd mosquito into perspective
4. Isolation! Being down here on the lower Pacific Rim in Sydney is quite distancing from much the world. Cities are very insular here and it takes too long to get to many other places. I know Canada can be parochial too, but it's worse here in terms of job/career for my husband, whose job as a consultant requires travelling around for work. Being on the North American continent would provide many more opportunites for work, conferences etc, which he currently misses out on, without us having to actually live in the US.
Also I dislike being quite so far away from ageing relatives and not being able to see them for years at a time. It would almost be quicker to fly to Europe from Toronto that it would be flying across Australia to Perth. It would be nice to be able to visit friends and family in the UK without having to spend 2 plane rides and 30+ hours in the air and waiting around at airports in order to do so.
we live about 30 mins from Toronto airport, my parents are less than that from Manchester. Even allowing for wait time at the airport, I can be with them in approx 10 hours door to door.
5. Bureaucracy here is annoying. Australia has a this international image of a carefree lifestyle of barbies on the beach, wandering around in flip-flops and shorts. This was true 30 years ago, but now there is so much red tape and so many rules than peoples lives are effectively micro-managed and it's almost suffocating. NSW is worse than other states though. It's not the 'cotton wool' culture that exists in the UK which I am talking about. It's a different sort of annoying, and I'm having a hard time trying to put it into words. But I'll give you a couple of example. I have bright kids. Imagine my shock at being told I need 'approval' from the NSW Board of Studies to teach one of my kids some high school maths/algebra because it's not on the specfied curriculum for the child's particular year level, even though said child is several years ahead in maths and is excelling at it. Or the fact that it's actually illegal to keep my dinky child in a booster seat in a vehicle because they happen to be over the age 7 age limit, even though they are still way too small to use an adult seatbelt safely and there are no 'Australian approved' child restraints for kids of their age.
I'm sure Ontario has just as many annoyances though - just different ones.
I have nothing to add to this, except to say that your last sentence is likely very true
But here goes. My top 5 things in no particular order that I dislike about Sydney/NSW:
1. It's too hot. Temperatures into the high 30's are OK, even with the high humidity we can deal with it. Weeks of 40+ weather is just too damn hot. When it was 45 degrees last summer it was like stepping out into a hot oven outside and I don't like worrying about the 'extreme' bushfire risk. The fires have started already this spring and the weather is still only in the 30's.
Two members of my family suffer considerably in the heat, and positively thrive in cold weather. I believe we'd be able to adapt better to very cold weather than very hot.
Our worst case for heat (30-35 ) seems to be your best case. As far as the cold goes, wrap up well and it's totally bearable. It's driving in snow that stresses me but apart from that I don't have an issue with winter or summer. Sounds like you won't either.
2. Sydney is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Toronto is expensive but just doesn't compare to how expensive it is in Sydney. Housing here, especially for a larger than average family, is astronomically expensive. We don't want to buy into this market long term and live a life funded on debt. The cost of living is also very high and yes, property taxes are very high here too. We want to live somewhere that will allow us and our children to build ourselves some long term security, rather than spend the next 20 odd years being crippled by a mortgage taking up 50% of our income, thereby limiting our ability to afford other enjoyable activities.
make sure you are comparing apples with apples. Areas of Ontario are very affordable but Toronto itself can be very pricey. I have no idea about Sydney so, assuming it is more expensive, or if you don't need to live right in Toronto then that's another plus in favour of Ontario.
3. Limited access to the natural environment. We thrive on a reasonably outdoorsy, but not hardcore extreme sports, lifestyle. Sydney as a city is a really quite beautiful, as are the Blue Mountains and the coastline. But we can't get out and enjoy the outdoors in a relaxing manner anywhere much as we'd like. Partly because it's too hot for half the year and the UV levels are so very high - annoying I have a weird allergic reaction to sunlight (apparently common in people from Scandinavian countries) which is much worse here. But also because you have to be on your guard (especially with children) all of the time for venomous spiders, snakes, sharks, jellyfish, stone fish, bull ants etc etc. Even spending time in your garden or on kids play equipment in parks means you have to watch out for funnel web spiders and redbacks. We do the best we can. My kids are in Scouts so we do get out with leaders who are highly trained in bushcraft. Canada seems to offer different opportunities to get out and about, which may be more suited to our lifestyle so that is a big draw for us.
Puts the odd mosquito into perspective
4. Isolation! Being down here on the lower Pacific Rim in Sydney is quite distancing from much the world. Cities are very insular here and it takes too long to get to many other places. I know Canada can be parochial too, but it's worse here in terms of job/career for my husband, whose job as a consultant requires travelling around for work. Being on the North American continent would provide many more opportunites for work, conferences etc, which he currently misses out on, without us having to actually live in the US.
Also I dislike being quite so far away from ageing relatives and not being able to see them for years at a time. It would almost be quicker to fly to Europe from Toronto that it would be flying across Australia to Perth. It would be nice to be able to visit friends and family in the UK without having to spend 2 plane rides and 30+ hours in the air and waiting around at airports in order to do so.
we live about 30 mins from Toronto airport, my parents are less than that from Manchester. Even allowing for wait time at the airport, I can be with them in approx 10 hours door to door.
5. Bureaucracy here is annoying. Australia has a this international image of a carefree lifestyle of barbies on the beach, wandering around in flip-flops and shorts. This was true 30 years ago, but now there is so much red tape and so many rules than peoples lives are effectively micro-managed and it's almost suffocating. NSW is worse than other states though. It's not the 'cotton wool' culture that exists in the UK which I am talking about. It's a different sort of annoying, and I'm having a hard time trying to put it into words. But I'll give you a couple of example. I have bright kids. Imagine my shock at being told I need 'approval' from the NSW Board of Studies to teach one of my kids some high school maths/algebra because it's not on the specfied curriculum for the child's particular year level, even though said child is several years ahead in maths and is excelling at it. Or the fact that it's actually illegal to keep my dinky child in a booster seat in a vehicle because they happen to be over the age 7 age limit, even though they are still way too small to use an adult seatbelt safely and there are no 'Australian approved' child restraints for kids of their age.
I'm sure Ontario has just as many annoyances though - just different ones.
I have nothing to add to this, except to say that your last sentence is likely very true
#75
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
Re: What do you dislike about living in Ontario?
Maybe folks in BC have a cottage, but haven't heard anyone here ever mention going to the cottage, but camping is popular but most use tents...
I wonder if BC has a cottage culture like Ontario and people just don't talk about it..