I am I said

My British experience equivalent of you being perplexed by cottages/nearby caravans is the sea side. I was amazed to see families blue with the cold huddled behind a windbreak [even in August] next to the sea.
In case it is not obvious, I am a Canadian living in the UK. I mostly lurk on this forum and have done so for years, regularly musing over going 'home'. But, then I think of the price of wine and cheese, the thick people, the dreadful weather and the mosquitos....

Shard

There's a certain stoicism in it.

Shard

This is a cogent analysis (and a very good thread, by the way). Many expats in Canada often overlook the benefits of living next to the USA (professional and travel) and other positive aspects of North American culture.

dbd33

Assuming urban parks and bar patios aren't "outdoorsy" enough ...

• This is achieveable in Ontario, sometimes, but it's not like living in a MEC or LL Bean catalogue. Location is important and that means not Toronto. I lived in the Beach area of Toronto for many years and, for several of those years, went to Schomberg for the weekend mornings. It routinely took three hours to drive back (which would have been much worse in the cottage traffic). Four hours in the car for four hours in the country isn't much of a deal. It's equally hard to get out of, or in to, the city going east or west.

• We now live in a reasonably rural location (it's 90 minutes to the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, note that the market opens at 5am on Saturday, it's not 90 minutes at 6 on a weekday) and have several hundred acres of conservation land across the road. We walk the dogs on that land when:
• there isn't too much snow
• it's not hunting season
• it's not too buggy

That is, the countryside is available but there are a number of reasons why it's not as accessible as, say, the South Downs or Dartmoor even if you don't consider the lack of rights of way in Ontario (most land and nearly all coast is privately owned). If you could find work in, say, K-W, then you'd have a lot of outdoor opportunities though no mountains and no ocean. I'd say it's no good for children, they should be in a proper city, but that's another matter.

dbd33

I do not. Wine and building supplies are fetched from Buffalo and, whilst there, we exploit the many cultural facilities. Oh, and 75% of our income comes from America, that's not something to forget.

Shard

What are the good older child rearing areas in Toronto/GTA or is it much of a muchness ? I find countryside good fun for younger children, but see a point where culture and stimulation will trump mud and water.

dbd33

Anywhere on the subway or streetcar network; the usual suspects are Leaside, the Beach, High Park, Riverdale, Leslieville. Cabbagetown would be good too. If you're ok with something more suburban then up the Yonge line into Lastman Land. Once you're past the end of the TTC then you're into the whole giving them each a car to drive home from drink/drug binges thing; I didn't want to fund any of that.

Pizzawheel

Competitive cottaging. Nowhere else in the world do you get this much free humour from the indigenes.

A friend of mine got a trailer and hasn't looked back. There's a partying camaraderie like your local pub there, it reminds me a bit of childhood holidays to a holiday camp in blighty. You just let the kids run free and alls good.

I'm not likely to ever get a trailer, mind.

Partially discharged

Friends of ours here in Ottawa who are originally from Scotland head to a trailer at a campground from May until October. They love the camaraderie there. When the wife in the couple had a 50th birthday party here in Ottawa more than 1/2 of the 60 or 70 at the party were from the trailer park. The combination of cinquante en fut and people dancing to wedding type music at a legion was a sight to behold.

Partially discharged

My B-I-L and S-I-L subscribe to that idea. They live in a small town technically part of Hamilton that has no public transit. The people in the community are fine with it as I get the sense that they equate pubic transit with the lesser classes. Their son is 15 and in their mind when he is 16 he can drive and they will buy him a car. Not sure if they've considered the costs in all of that.

BristolUK

I must try to remember that the next time I need to give examples of how it's not just Brits that concern themselves with class type distinctions.


Brings to mind Thatcher's comment "any man who finds himself on a bus at the age of 26 can account himself a failure."

Partially discharged

I get the sense that people in the community equate public transit with housing density and that is to be avoided. The people in this community didn't move to new subdivisions formerly on farm fields to have other people move there and demand buses.

Last weekend, we went to visit these members of my wife's family. My S-I-L asked me to drive her daughter to a dance class. I didn't know where it was so asked for directions. It turns out it was on the ground floor of a 3 storey building with ground floor retail and 2 floors of apartments. She described it as being on the ground floor of the huge new apartment building. I gave her a hard time about describing it as a 'huge' apartment building. Different expectations I guess.

dbd33

My issue with it is not only the financial implications (I'm unusual in that adding a 17 year old to my car insurance would probably make the average premium per driver lower) but that it doesn't provide the child with the same level of independence as giving him or her a bus stop.

Gozit

For me to go on my parents cars as a secondary driver, it was "only" $700/year. If they were to buy me one (which they won't be) it would have been $500 a month. This is in small-town Ontario. YMMV.

Paul_Shepherd

After reading your post, I hear you on these silly complaints people seem to have about Canada so thought id add my view on them....

As a Brit who has lived in Canada for over 6 years, i must have turned Canadian, i loved the cottage retreat by the lake, its my idea of paradise, however i opted for the boat as i couldnt afford a cottage or the time to maintain it, the boat also allows me to explore the miles and miles of rivers and lakes in Ontario....which are truly beautiful.

I love cheese, its one of my favourite foods, id almost go as far as to say i am obsessed with it! lol but i dont consider the price of it something to be bothered with, its just puzzling as to why, i can buy Canadian cheaper in the UK than I can here, but really, who the hell cares!

My Canadian friends must be a alternative breed as none of them are thick or struggle with the British sense of humour, or for that matter are shallow and just "surface friendly" i have made some real meaningful friendships, and ive found some of these people have done as much or even more for me than family ever would. Nothing is ever too much trouble, they are always there for me.

Finally the weather....ive never understood the issue. Unlike the UK Canada gets defined seasons (except for spring which is usually ommited) its cold in winter (anyone who considers moving here should know that, i knew that when i was 7 years old ) and summer is hot, which it should be so you can do summer things! Ok its humid, but if your house, work and car are AC controlled and your sat next to some water (for a cooling dip) during you relaxing time outdoors its fine!

In Southern Ontario we have exactly equal portions of weather, on average we have 4 months of summer weather, 4 months of winter weather and 4 months of inbetween weather. Winter may seem longer but its not, the only thing that bothers me about winter is the windchill. It feels like ive had my face ripped off! but again i think this is something i can deal with.

Yes there little things that are annoying about Ontario, (like the stupid archaic liquer laws) but as a whole suits me fine!

Needless to say there have been zero musings from me about going "home" Ontario and Canada is my home now.