Toronto - Good place to emigrate?

[Guinness Boy]

I hope so, I'm moving there myself in September

Some people will do anything to escape an office filled with DOGS.

 

[Badger]

Some people will do anything to escape an office filled with DOGS.

They've driven me out of the country.

 

[middletoenail]

Are you still with Amex? I know someone who recently relocated Brighton to Toronto, can PM you their details if you want.

I am indeed, is the person in question PL? I know him

 

[surrey jim]

I am indeed, is the person in question PL? I know him

Yep that's the chap!

 

[middletoenail]

Very good of you to move to Hong Kong for her. If your current employers allow you to move again, I say go for it, it will be fun. But if not, you run the risk of moving to a foreign country and not having a job, and I don't think that's a good idea. If you can't get a job there, u could well be unhappy and it could ruin your relationship.

How long can they wait before they need an answer from your girlfriend? I know places would normally want a quick decision, but they must accept it's a big upheaval, and should give her a fair bit of time. Use that time to ask your employer, and see if there's anything else there.

To he honest, now I've had a bit of time to think about it, it comes with a simple caveat. That I can move with my current employers (who I've been with for nearly 15 years) but I'm willing to move roles if need be.

I really, really like it in Asia, but I'm torn with the opportunity for the missus.

Thanks for your input mate.

 

[middletoenail]

Yep that's the chap!

I'll ask him, thanks [emoji106]

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Not lived there but have visited. I really liked it and I imagine it's a great city to live in.

 

[Triggaaar]

To he honest, now I've had a bit of time to think about it, it comes with a simple caveat. That I can move with my current employers (who I've been with for nearly 15 years) but I'm willing to move roles if need be.

Sounds like a plan.

I really, really like it in Asia, but I'm torn with the opportunity for the missus.

Easy. If she's important to you AND it's a big opportunity for her AND you can stay with your employer (in a roll that's ok for you), then you go. So what if Asia's nice, try Canada for a few years. Hopefully you'll both do well and if in the future you want to settle somewhere, you can both decide which country is best.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

To he honest, now I've had a bit of time to think about it, it comes with a simple caveat. That I can move with my current employers (who I've been with for nearly 15 years) but I'm willing to move roles if need be.

I really, really like it in Asia, but I'm torn with the opportunity for the missus.

Thanks for your input mate.

Maybe step back and let the wife take centre-stage? I've done something similar and it works brilliantly for us.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Sounds like a plan.

Easy. If she's important to you AND it's a big opportunity for her AND you can stay with your employer (in a roll that's ok for you), then you go. So what if Asia's nice, try Canada for a few years. Hopefully you'll both do well and if in the future you want to settle somewhere, you can both decide which country is best.

Have to agree with this. Everything I've read seems to point to an opportunity that will be missed/regretted if you don't take this offer. Go for it.

 

[Triggaaar]

Maybe step back and let the wife take centre-stage?

I don't think she's his wife, and he already has let her take centre stage, it was because of her that they went to Hong Kong.

 

[AlbionPics&SouthCoastTwit]

It's always strange to me when an American assumes a certain actor is American and it turns out they're from Canada.

Jim Carrey, Ryan Reynolds, Seth Rogan, Nathan Fillion, Ryan Gosling, Dan Aykroyd, Mike Myers, Rachel McAdams, William Shatner, Will Arnett, Ellen Page, Joshua Jackson, Keanu Reeves, Leslie Nielsen, Sandra Oh, Kristin Kruek, Howie Mandel, Rick Moranis, Michael Ironside, Patrick J. Adams, Michael J. Fox, etc.

Of course many have become Americans or have dual citizenship.

 

[fataddick]

Demographics suggest it must be a good place to emigrate to as it's regarded at the most multicultural city on Earth. Roughly half the city's population were born outside of Canada. Over 200 languages spoken and pretty much every country on the planet represented. I have only spent eight hours there, but can tell you that there were little carts selling veggie hot dogs on most street corners (yay!) but the majority of the tables in the central bars were pre-reserved for people in suits (boo!).

 

[Vankleek Hill Seagull]

Hi all,

My girlfriend has been offered a promotion in Toronto and I'd like to know what it's like. If you have been there I would appreciate your opinion, especially if you have lived/live there.

For a bit of background, I currently live in Hong Kong and I'm very happy here, but this is a great opportunity for the other half.

Cheers!

Paging [MENTION=97]Toronto Seagull[/MENTION]

Afternoon all. Where shall I start?

Fataddick is correct. Toronto is extremely multi-cultural and coming from HK means you'll have no problem here. There are various ethnic areas around the city to suit everyone, e.g. Roncesvalles (Polish), Little Italy, Little Portugal, Chinatown, Danforth (Greektown), Little India, North York (Koreatown), etc. Funnily enough there isn't any specific area for Brits althought there are British style pubs all over the city and GTA.

With this in mind, there is an amazing and diverse selection of places to eat ranging from bog standard pub grub and American / Canadian style diners right through to things like Ethiopian cuisine (which is actually pretty good). Should you be a dab hand in the kitchen, supermarkets stock most stuff but there are loads of speciality shops to get anything you want, even British shops stocking those hard to get UK treats that you crave.

There is the usual touristy type stuff to do in Toronto. Distillery District, Toronto Island, The Beaches, AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario), ROM (Royal Ontario Museum), CN Tower, etc, but once you've been here a while, you'll find other leeser known areas to explore. Should you want to go further afield, Niagara Falls is the obvious choice but try the Niagara region if you're into wine as there are a lot of wineries in the area well worth visiting. Muskoka region is great for hiking and cottaging (Canadian version which actually does involve staying in a cottage.!!!). Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City are must visit places, Montreal for the cuisine and Quebec City for the history. You can make short hops to New York, Boston and Chicago from the downtown Billy Bishop airport).

For entertainment there is the annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and load of venues for concerts with most major bands coming through Toronto as part of North American tours. Should you prefer more intimate and smaller venues, you'll be well catered for.

As for seasons, there are four (Winter, Winter, Winter and road repair season) Seriously, winter gets bloody cold however it's not like the UK. Most days the skies are clear and blue with the sun shining (unless it's snowing) but if you wrap up warm and wear the correct footwear, you'll be fine. Summers tend to be hot & humid but are great for patios. Spring and autumn tend to be short as the transition from winter to summer is quite quick. One week you still have snow on the ground and a couple of weeks later, it's shorts time.

There are plenty of activities you can persue in Toronto. Cycling, Sailing, Canoeing, Skating, Skiing / Snowboarding (Blue Mountain / Mont Tremblant, Vermont), Hiking (everywhere). I tend to go cycling on trails outside of the city on weekends.

There is a British Expat meetup group should you feel the need to not lose the accent which meets up a few times a year including quiz nights which are good fun). There are plenty of pubs that show footie fixtures. My fave is the Queen & Beaver which does show Brighton games when they're on.

And talking of sports, Toronto has some major sports teams if you're into that sort of thing, however you should understand that they all suck. It's the Toronto way. Whether it's the Maple Leafs (Hockey), Blue Jays (Baseball), Argos (CFL), Toronto Rock (Lacrosse) or my favourite sucky team, Toronto FC (Major League Soccer), they all suck although you have to go to at least one game of each for the experience.

E.g. Leafs fans cling onto their 1967 Stanley Cup win and every year reset their expectations to high only to have them dashed by the complete ineptitude of the team. Happens every year. Toronto FC used to have Columbus Crew as their rivals due to being the nearest MLS team (7-8 hour drive), but since the Montreal Impact joined MLS, this is the new Toronto FC rivalry, but don't expect anything "pwoppa nawty" like Brighton / Palace. And the standard of football on display would be like watching Whitehawk vs. Lewes. Complete turd.

Canadians themselves are friendly and welcoming, however with the impact of cultural diversity some of that is starting to get lost, but that's what happens with long term immigration. Again as you'll be coming from HK, it shouldn't be an issue. Federal, Ontario and GTA politics is fascinating if you're into that sort of thing.

The local transit system (TTC) can be a nightmare as it's close to bursting point with the number of commuters it has to transport daily. Unfortunately Toronto doesn't seem to have learn't from other cities that do it well, e.g. Tokyo, HK, etc.

That's off the top of my head. If you want to know anything else, send me a PM.

 

[goldstone]

I lived there for seven years in the 70s and have been back a number of times since.

Winters are bloody cold. City is nice, but the majority of the suburbs are extremely boring. Problem is there's nothing to do anywhere near Toronto. Once you know the city and have been to Niagara Falls a dozen times you've pretty much run out of places to visit.

There are many worse places, but not exactly a standout choice.

 

[goldstone]

Anything that gets you out of this country I would grab with BOTH hands.

And what the hell's so bad about this country? Sounds like the country would be far better off without you.

 

[Hampster Gull]

Yes, for sure

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I only visited Toronto for a week, so my opinion won't count for much. But I was blown away by it, beautiful place, loads going on, great bars, clubs, restaurants, architecture, culture, beaches (!)

I wish I could spend a lot more time there.

 

[portlock seagull]

We thought it stood out as a quite boring city. But then I dislike Hong Kong so we obviously like different things!

 

[Gregory2Smith1]

prefer Montreal,spent some time in Hamilton back in the early 90's,smaller city less expensive,but lots going on,espcially on the music front