Abster

Hi,

The ball is well and truly rolling! Handed in my notice on Tuesday, put our house up for rent and have booked a weekend visit to the city we will be calling home from mid November 2011!

Really looking forward to moving to Toronto but a little daunted. My fella has secured a job and I am in the midst of looking for something (whilst trying to finalise our wedding in 6 weeks!)

Any help and advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Abi (& Steve)

arniedog

hi abster , good luck with your move. We are moving to Milton about an hour outside Toronto at beginning of Nov. Dont know what kind of advice youre after really , the only thing i do advise is bring loads of teabags , according to people on b/e you Cant buy a decent teabag in Canada lol . Good luck hope all goes well

Jerseygirl

Hi Abi...welcome to BE.

Congratulations on your forthcoming nuptials. We have quite a lot of members who live in T.O. and the GTA area...they quite often meet up downtown for a night out. You may want to join them once you're settled.

I'll give you a few relevant links to help you find your way around the forums. If you click on this link it will direct you to the index page of the main Canada forum. At the top of the page you will see a list of sub forums...the top one being the Immigration Forum. Any questions relating specifically to the immigration process should be posted there. The main forum is for topics relating to Canada and the Maple Leaf is for general chatter. We have a lively group of posters...so you should get many helpful answers to your questions. Please take a few moments to read any sticky threads or announcements that may be posted at the top of each forum's index page.

The BE Wiki is a great source of information...I recommend you take a read through the Canada section.

If you have any problems finding your way around the many BE forums AmyDavid is the concierge for the Canada forums...she will be act as your BE tour guides to help you find your way around.

For any other questions, problems or concerns please contact a moderator. The mods for the Canada forums are Iaink and Christmasoompa.

I hope you enjoy your weekend break in T.O. Good luck with your plans.

Abster

Thanks arniedog and Jerseygirl

arniedog - Tea is a big part of my life (along with a cheeky glass of wine!) so thanks for the tip. Not had much time to think about the things I don't know (if that makes any sense) but it's good to know there's somewhere to ask the questions when they come up.

Jerseygirl - everyone I speak to seems to know someone in Toronto but it would be good to meet up with some fellow BE members while we're settling in - I'll look out for the posts.

A

Jerseygirl

The people who live in the area have been arranging a meet up for next month.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=730423

I know someone in Toronto...my daughter lives there. We are closing on a property there next week and plan to spend more time in the city. Who knows maybe I'll meet you one day. My hubby is a Liverpool FC supporter and sometimes goes to watch the Saturday games at Scallywags.

Abster

You hubby has good taste in football . I'll make sure to check out Scallywags - although I'm not a native Scouser a bit of Red will certainly help me settle in!

Christian

Abi, let me get this straight: You want to come to Canada? ... On purpose?

Don't mind me, the frost bite has left me jaded! Your first winter will be as brutal as the place is infamous for, but after that you will become accustomed to it.

Toronto being so big —and Canada being Commonwealth— you'll find a good deal of things you can get, as well as things that we have more in common with the Canadians. (Though Canada is still the most American place outside of the USA). Most of the vocabulary, like the accent, is American, however spelling is largely British with the OED twist on -ize over -ise. Twenty years ago we still had our own radio programme in Toronto, Calling All Britons, and at one time even a variety show called The Pig & Whistle, but that's gone about 30 years ago. (Even the Anglican Church was called: The Church of England in Canada).

Marks & Sparks, Boots the Chemist et al. were common here, but sadly have folded their tents in recent years and returned to the UK. Some British brand names can still be had: Tate & Lyle, PG Tips, Robertsons marmalades & jams, Nestlé, TWININGS ... and of course Durex. You'll still find a number of British items on the shelves of every day shops as opposed to high-priced specialty ‘stores’. (Although it's not like it was when emigration from the UK made for the bulk of Canadian immigrants and we formed a sizeable portion of the population at that).

You're already proving popular at B.E. Jerseygirl has never invited me to —pardon my French— « sod toute! »

And I see she has got you well sorted for helpful links and useful information, and so I'll simply wish you well. (And don't hesitate if you find you need anything ... there are many on B.E. living in Canada who are very generous with their experience and knowledge, and would be only too happy to help ... so do ask away as the need arises. There isn't a question you could have that we all of us didn't have at one time too. )

Best,
Christian

P.S. I'm pretty good with mechanics & electrics —if I do say so myself— the both of which have their differences here, and in more than just nomenclature, in case your Steve has similar interests.

Abster

Thanks Christian

I have to admit I'm a fan of winter rather than summer but I think Toronto winters will be a test of that!

I'll save the trickier questions for you...keep you on your toes!

Abi

Jerseygirl

You sound like my daughter. The first winter is the worst...after that you become accustomed to the winter weather. Or so my daughter tells me when she goes out without a hat and scarf.

Rosemary

Hello and a big welcome to BE.

Excellent information can be found in the BE Wiki, not forgetting the Living and Moving Abroad forum that will help you, another set of great help is the permanent threads at the TOP of each forum, they are very pertinent to that particular forum and makes sensible reading.

Moderators deal with any problems that arise such as inappropriate posts, spammers etc, you will find their names at the bottom right hand side of each forum's index in bold font.

Please contact me if I can give you any further help.

Rosemary

Abster

So things have progressed well since my last post. house is now on the letting website and work permits seem to be all sorted.

Forgive me if this is a 'typical newcomer' question but I'm keen to find a thread about neighbourhoods in downtown Toronto so I don't end up asking the same questions as millions of others.

Any pointers would be great thanks.

A

Jerseygirl

Please post all questions about Toronto in the Canada forms...I gave you the links in my post #3. You will get a much better response from people actually living in the area. Thank you.

Abster

Apologies - I'll contact Amy

Jerseygirl

No apology needed. . Is there anything I can help you with?

Good luck.