Hiya,

I know there have been a couple of threads about this but I just wanted to check if anyone had any more opinions or more recent info.

I'm going to be buying a house this summer and we've decided on Pickering/Ajax area as the GO service can get us downtown fairly quickly and also we spend a lot of our time out in the Kawartha's so East is better for us. I'm drawing the line at Ajax as there's only so much time I want to spend commuting!

My main question for those of you who live in those areas are likes/dislikes and also is there any particular sections I should avoid? For some reason everytime I say that's where I'm looking people keep telling me about gangs and knife crime. I mean I've been to Pickering it certainly doesn't look like the second coming of Brixton...I'm not sure whether people are being overly cautious or whether it's really an issue. Someone was even talking about home invasions!

Anyhoo any advice, knowledge, comments would be gratefully received

I have never lived in Pickering or Ajax, but have spent time in these areas. I have good friends in Ajax.

I liked Ajax and Enjoyed going to the "Beach" and picking up bargains at the loeal flea market. I did not feel that I was in danger of being stabbed or shot whilst there. Many people also leave there doors unlocked, so I do not think there is much chance of home invasion.

The people were friendly and the local transit was great.

I'll check with my friends who live there and find out if there are places to avoid and post afterwards. (I didn't visit any whilst there).


For me the downside was how close it was to the Pickering Nucleaur Power Station. On reseaching this, there are possible issues around long term health risks associated with the low level radiation.

The plant is also situated on an earthquake fault line. Though this has been inactive for a long time who knows what the future may hold. Of course there is always the danger of a terrorist attack.

My friends are unconcerned about the power station. But I'm a prepare for the worst kind of guy.

In Pickering?

If there is a problem with the Pickering Nuclear plant it only means that Pickering residents will glow a couple of nano-seconds before everyone else in Central Ontario does.
I live in Pickering in a nice location close to the lake. I've thought about moving many times over the years but never found a better location for my needs. I don't know who told you about knife crime and gangs but, while I'm sure it exists, I have seen none of either in 26 years of living here.

Pretty much everyone has mentioned that there's problems with some high schools and gangs and knife crime.

Honestly given where I live now and where I've lived in the past it doesn't look like there's some crazy vigilante warfare going on in Pickering...but maybe my tolerance level is higher than some of the folks over here ;-)

As suggested by others - both towns have glowing reports.

Canada harbours the world's terrorists- they have no reason to attack it.

There is the G8 summit coming up in June. But I don't think this will be enough reason for terrorists to blow up the Power plant in Pickering as Huntsville is not really close enough.

No it's not. It's situated on a glaciation fault. Quite a different thing.

http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/c...n01part1-e.htm

The absence of risk that the plant does a Chernobyl is however insufficient recommendation for Pickering as a place to live.

I moved here a few months ago specifically to work at the Pickering plant, and my family (including two children) join me soon. My advice would be to worry much more about your daily commute to work than the risk from Pickering nuclear plant. I live in Pickering at the moment but will soon be moving a little further east to be midway between the Pickering and Darlington nuclear plants.
Pickering town has a nice feel to it in my view, with good facilities and transport links. Ajax also has good links but maybe less of aa defined town centre - just my humble opinion. Good luck whatever you decide.

Peter T

We live on the west side of Pickering, my lad, age 14, goes to the nearby High School. The school and the people are great. The Pickering and Ajax town centers have nice malls, also the 401 is never far away if you decide to use the car.
Not much crime round here, nothing of what you said in the first post, maybe they was thinking about Ajax in Europe, lots of crime at the Ajax v Dortmund soccer matches, none here in Durham region though.

If you do like soccer, Pickering, Ajax and West Rouge all have youth soccer teams that play in the OYSL, the highest league in Ontario. Matt plays for West Rouge B95.

You will like it im sure.

Well this is a revelation. No wonder your videos of everyday life are nothing like life in Toronto.

WTF

The Toronto game not exactly central TO for you then, maybe i should film all my stuff from the top of the CN Tower then, just to please some KH who doesn't even look at the videos.

Or did you write the above just because you are an idiot, who just needs to get off in life having a dig at every one and anything, anytime you have had a beer and just goto have the last word.

OR

OOOHHH is it a, look at me i said something funny im sooo coool.

Toronto, to me is bounded by the DVP, the 401, the 427 and the lake. There's then a band of indistinguishable suburbs and, at the fringe of those, places like Pickering. If you want to write about life in a distant suburb, then fine and good, my objection is your passing it off as being related to life in Toronto. It isn't.

What, pray tell, is a KH?

...at a guess it's not going to be anything complimentary.