Thanks a bunch I'm really into music and arts but maybe I'll have to make some sacrifices.
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Moving to Canada Advice
- Thread starter KarneeKarnay
- Start date
Switch Back 9
a lot of my threads involve me fucking up somehow. Perhaps I'm a moron?
And I'll bet most of those ski resorts are in the way cooler province to the West. Same with better biking, better landscape, better weather, better people...the list goes on.
I expected lots of hate for Toronto on here (as is the way of things in Canada) but all the love for cities like Ottawa and Calgary is mindblowing to me.
curiouscharles
Member
As a bilingual Islander who lived in Montreal for two years, this is 100% untrue.
Go to Toronto [friendliest city in Canada, also the most multicultural], Montreal is a hate-filled place full of cultures who all hate each-other [the English hate the French, the French hate the English, everyone hates the Jews].
I specifically moved there to work on my French [which is pretty much perfect], and not a single fucking Francophone would do me the honor of ever speaking back to me in French [outside of maybe one or two experiences with contractors who weren't bilingual].
Holy fuck did I hate Montreal...
The worst part was the enclave of Anglophones who were BORN AND FUCKING RAISED in Montreal [read: Westmount], who COULDN'T EVEN SPEAK FRENCH.
Like, even I hate you...
Switch Back 9
a lot of my threads involve me fucking up somehow. Perhaps I'm a moron?
I don't really get this comment. Toronto is the most diverse city on the planet, I don't know how that equates to it being "American". Cities like Calgary and Edmonton are way more "American" than Toronto in terms of culture.
EDIT: I hate the fact that I'm defending Toronto in this thread. My family would be rolling. Normally I'm the one hating on the city.
This is true.
pr0cs
Member
Totally agree, look at this fucking dive, how anyone could live there is beyond me.
Switch Back 9
a lot of my threads involve me fucking up somehow. Perhaps I'm a moron?
Wow the five minutes a year where it isn't brown and gross or snowy and gross. Nice that those mountains are off in the distance, if you're looking AT the city from one particular direction. For those that like it, fair play, but out of all the major cities in Canada to move to or recommend Calgary is near the bottom of that list for me personally.
Same, I thoughts those colours were just a design element.
With all due respect, most people in Calgary are actually white collar workers, not 'rig workers' or ranchers. Is your only experience going during stampede?
Sure on the ski resort front. Fernie is only around 11 hours drive from Van, Kicking Horse 7.5 hours, Revelstoke 6.5 hours.
I think you'd find everyone would love to live in interior BC. Getting a job and affording to live there isn't so easy.
Whistler is full of the biggest douchebags on the planet.
Switch Back 9
a lot of my threads involve me fucking up somehow. Perhaps I'm a moron?
I don't believe that for a second. It's 100% an East Coast/Ontario thing but there's no possible way you lived in Toronto and never saw bagged milk in a grocery store or someone's house/apt.
equippedwithtowel
Member
What fields are you looking into? If you willing to settle for slightly boring Canadian cities, you can do better then London.
PIMPBYBLUD
Member
G'damn LMFAO!
My company acquired a company in Toronto two years ago so I am up there pretty regularly and love it. Keep in mind I stay downtown when I travel but I absolutely love Toronto. Prior to that I lived in Vancouver for about 4 years in the mid 90's and loved it there too.
Switch Back 9
a lot of my threads involve me fucking up somehow. Perhaps I'm a moron?
I'm a bit biased because I do live (in Ontario for the summer but for the most part) in the Interior and yeah, it fucking rocks. I've also lived in Vancouver and Cypress/Grouse/Seymour and Whistler are all within an hour or two, and the latter shits on Fernie from a riding perspective (lived there as well). Sure Whistler is a HUGE resort with tons of people and thus tons of ego and dickery, but for terrain it's easily the best in Canada, for biking, skiing, hiking or whatever.
Calgary is a giant, flat city that is mostly just houses and stores. There's like zero culture or uniqueness to anything there, and no one would be able to recognize that skyline unless you grew up there.
EDIT: In order to avoid totally de-railing this thread I'll stop hating on Calgary. If you live and you love it, power to you. It's just not a place I'd recommend over somewhere like Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, Victoria, etc...
I just realized this is exactly what i do.
And Revelstoke shits on Whistler from a riding perspective, with a much more chill crowd.
I wasn't comparing Fernie to Whistler, Van really only has Whistler. Most other major resorts are actually closer drive to Calgary or Kelowna. Grouse and Cypress are decent local mountains, with massively inconsistent snow.
As I've said I grew up in Sydney, a city with arguably the most recognizable skyline in the world alongside New York, nightlife / restaurants and all that jazz, and I'd gladly take what I have now living in Calgary with the amount of outdoor activities you can do, through all seasons.
It honestly just sounds like you have extremely limited experience there as you're repeating every bullshit stereotype. You don't see cowboys walking down the street and rig pigs are more common in the rural areas or Edmonton (which I've also lived in).
I don't disagree with you that it is a bland looking city, but its backdrop isn't. Toronto feels just like every other big city, it's not unique. It's not a bad city by any stretch, most in Canada are actually pretty good cities.
LookAtMeGo
Member
Ehhhh. I think Kelowna takes that crown. Lived in Kamloops for a while and any time I'd visit there it was all a bunch of tattied up dude bros acting all elitist that they are from Kelowna. They would actually hate you just for being from Kamloops (which I actually loved living there). Just awful. Most beautiful place filled with the biggest sacks of shit Canada has to offer. Not going to deny the women there were damn beautiful though.
Whistler peeps are alright in my book. Out of all the mountain towns, Jasper, Alberta is the best. Best people. But theybare hardcore Oiler fans so it definitely loses points there.
Victoria is the best City in Canada.
Yeah, bagged milk is available everywhere in Quebec too, even the local gas stations. It's impossible to miss if that guy was in Montreal.
Actually I can't disagree with any of that hah. My hatred of Whistler is probably more because it has the worst type of Australian's there. Plus it represents everything I hate in a ski town.
Kelowna is a wicked place with terrible people though. If I want to hit the Okanagan in summer, I usually stay around Vernon.
Victoria is amazing, I'd love to live there when I retire.
(mat)
Member
Alright - fair enough. I definitely lived in Montreal and Toronto as a young kid, so maybe I just didn't pay too much attention. I've been in Edmonton for my entire teen/adult years, and we certainly don't have it here.
BigJonsson
Member
LookAtMeGo
Member
The worst is when you didnt have scissors handy when you put the bag o milk in the jug and you needed to cut the corner but all you have is a serrated steak knife and the corner was all fucked up after and when you poured the milk it was like peeing after a long night of sex and milk would go everywhere.
I guess thats the price you pay for no winters in Canada.
Worst part of Vic is that it rivals Van for how expensivenit is to live here. $1600/month for a 1bdrm in my area. $400,000 for a meh condo. Million dollar houses that would go for like $300,000 in Ontario.
I guess thats the price you pay for no winters in Canada.
Dr.Guru of Peru
played the long game
No, that's just the depth of insanity you have to reach to convince yourself there are "no winters" in Victoria.
Alberta is a piece of shit.
Montreal is awesome but you likely won't go very far there unless you're fluent in French.
Toronto is interesting but isn't as densely packed as New York, Tokyo or any other mega cities.
Other than cost of living, Vancouver is loved by all.
Bring a jacket.
Montreal is awesome but you likely won't go very far there unless you're fluent in French.
Toronto is interesting but isn't as densely packed as New York, Tokyo or any other mega cities.
Other than cost of living, Vancouver is loved by all.
Bring a jacket.
LookAtMeGo
Member
Well in the 10 years Ive been here. Its barely snowed at all. In the last ten years the winters have had snow on the ground for like a few weeks tops in the winter. Even then its not a lot and it is usually gone the next morning. Only last winter was kinda shitty. It just rains a lot. But it barely ever drops below ten degrees celcius. Coming from Cape Breton and growing up in Ontario and spending many years in the Rockies. This is not a "Canadian" winter here by any means.
The amount of car accidents here when it does snow is insane because nobody knows how to drive in snow.
Winter here is no different then the Fall in other places I've lived.
I walk around the lake here in January and February without a jacket on and the grass is green. Pfffft "winter"
IceDoesntHelp
Banned
bahaha, i always so no prob/lem.
Live in NL, its okay. Winter sucks so hard though, can't wait to go back to Ontario next year.
OldmanAndroid
Member
I lived in Kelowna 10 years, can confirm. I was so desperate for friendly people I ended up moving to Halifax just for that reason.
BlueBadger
Banned
Ehh... I dunno, I'd say between Vancouver and Toronto, Vancouver would be slightly more Americanized than Toronto. I find that there are more traditionally Canadian aspects of the cities on the east coast, and more Canadian French speakers etc.
Mind you, I've lived in Vancouver my whole life and have only been to Toronto a few times, so you may disagree with me on this.
To answer your question a bit OP, Canada is an awesome country. I think you'll enjoy it. But should you choose to live in Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal, be prepared for it to be quite expensive! And it gets real cold on the east coast in the winter, and real humid in the summers, so be prepared for that!
I missed this post. As someone who lived in London more than five years my advice is to never fucking visit there yet alone live there. Rednecks, heavy drug users, no real art or music scene to speak of, a piece of shit transportation system (even by Canadian standards) and largely still reeling from factory jobs they lost years ago.
Seems like an odd experience. Wonder what happened cause it's not what we are used to here about the place.
gutter_trash
Banned
sounds like West Island Angryphones who listen to too much CJAD
Crazymoogle
Member
Yeah, I'm speaking as someone from Vancouver who lived in Chicago for years. :lol Vancouver is too laid back, too international. Toronto, structurally and at its core feels more like America. Of course, both feel safer than the US. They are still fundamentally canadian cities. But I do get the feeling all of the business that would have still been in Buffalo is now in Toronto, giving it this semi-american vibe of sorts.
Anyway, yeah compared to Vancouver, winter in TOR/MTL is no joke. Snow is a lock and in MTL expect long stretches of ice and -20 to -30. Buying a good down jacket should be high priority in fall.
BlueBadger
Banned
All valid points, but I was talking more about the presence or absence of Canadian French speakers in the province, which many people associate with an area being "more Canadian" than the other. The reality is, the west coast seldom actually utilizes Canadian French, because there aren't many in our demographic. Maybe it's because I don't actually live there, but every time I've gone to Toronto, I've fully felt like I was in Canada. Vancouver to me is much like Seattle or California in the way people are laid back. But I will agree that Vancouver is much more international than most places in the US.
Tetraeon
Member
Canada is fucking great. End of story. Toronto is quite expensive but it is a fantastic city with no shortage of things to do. The few times I've visited Montreal I really enjoyed the atmosphere. London I can also speak to as primarily a University town but the cost of living in Southwestern Ontario is much lower than any of the aforementioned cities.
It can. But it's not frequent. Montreal typically sees harsher weather than Toronto. Toronto is kind of protected right on top of Lake Ontario, though sometimes it can have the opposite effect but is rare.
Shhhh! Don't scare him off. He seems like a nice fella.
Besides, you don't want to tell him about Toronto's Polar Bear infestation.
LOL the hate for Alberta / Calgary is real.
Calgary is fine. Great? No. Has its issues with sprawl and culture; film fests and theatre seem to struggle a little bit, despite being friendlier and welcoming to the general public, and the Calgary Expo (like comic con) is huge now. It has some REAL culture too, but there's no doubt that the Big Three are better in that regard.
Calgary has the best coffee in the country (Rosso. No comparison. Don't @ me) and some interesting microbreweries.
But yeah... It's not a quote Great unquote city. I mean... it spawned Stephen Harper and a few other truly hateful politicians. There's no recovering from that.
Lots of good road trip options...Being an hour from Canmore and Banff ain't a bad thing for that place though.
I don't live there, but I know it well. You could do worse, even in Alberta.
Winters though. They're something else...
Calgary is fine. Great? No. Has its issues with sprawl and culture; film fests and theatre seem to struggle a little bit, despite being friendlier and welcoming to the general public, and the Calgary Expo (like comic con) is huge now. It has some REAL culture too, but there's no doubt that the Big Three are better in that regard.
Calgary has the best coffee in the country (Rosso. No comparison. Don't @ me) and some interesting microbreweries.
But yeah... It's not a quote Great unquote city. I mean... it spawned Stephen Harper and a few other truly hateful politicians. There's no recovering from that.
Lots of good road trip options...Being an hour from Canmore and Banff ain't a bad thing for that place though.
I don't live there, but I know it well. You could do worse, even in Alberta.
Winters though. They're something else...
BlueBadger
Banned
Lmao
As a brit who's lived in Vancouver for about 2 years now. The most sensible things I can say to you are
Will your salary support you, your wife and a fairly nice lifestyle for a year or two?
Will your company also get a visa that will allow your wife to work if she wishes to?
One of the biggest issues that you will find especially if your wife works in the UK is it's hard to get work out here in more professional positions as companies are wisely loathe to hire non Canadians who don't have permanent residence.
A lot of people I've met with SO's who had well paid jobs in their countries but struggled to find work here. Because of the permanent residence thing. It does take a while.
Truth.
Blue Submarine No. 6
Member
Well, I do remember this time they had this whack job mayor that kind of reminded me of some of the whack-job politicians you get south of the 49th...
London-ON-GAF reporting for duty...
I've lived all over the country, but I've called London home for most of my adult life. It's a pretty nice city overall. The Good Side/Bad Side is more myth than fact.
There actually is a pretty vibrant music/arts scene here, but it often flies under the radar of many Londoners. In the Summer, there is some kind of festival (lots of music) almost every weekend.
I work in the IT field, and it's a growing field here for sure. The presence of Western University and Fanshawe College definitely bolsters the tech sector here.
It's cliched, but London is a great place to raise a family.
If there are specific questions about London, I'm happy to answer them!
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
Baseball? Pfft.
Only false Canadians care about baseball.
What a weird post.
Nice, a cherry-picked, professional skyline picture. That surely means... something? I don't know.
Calling BS here. xD
I wish people would stop repeating this. I've known many people who lived here for years (some, most or all of their lives) without speaking French.
It's not ideal but it's definitely doable.
Fucking lol
"Angryphones", I should steal that
Yes, but it's not that regular. I'd say a typical Montreal winter day hovers between -10C and -15C.
equippedwithtowel
Member
Let me know when the leafs manage to win a playoff series