Where in the world do you live...?

[Johnboy]

Interested to hear Scotty's comments on living in Toronto on another thread.

It would be good to hear from others who have moved on to pastures new.... Did they make a wise move..?  Any regrets..?

Did you move to a country where hard work and perhaps demonstrating initiative is well rewarded?

What about living standards?

How would you rate the country or place you now live from the point of view of raising a family..?

[Alistair]

Moved to Victoria BC Canada January 1991. We came here for 2 years just to see what it was like. we made the move mainly for the kids although they think we were daft. We left inverness with 6 suitcases and travelled to Victoria. Not knowing anybody, no jobs and nowhere to live. We stayed in a hotel suite for 3 weeks. I work as a senior financial planner for a large credit union. My wife owns a hair and esthetics salon.The standard of living is very good. Property values have skyrocketed in the last few years. We were lucky to purchase a couple of rental properties before the boom. Life is good.

I play soccer every week with a great group of guys. There is an over 40 and over 50 division we have about 22 teams. In January we went to an O 50 tournament in Hawaii and are going back next year. Both my kids are at university, both doing business. Older son is also doing sports management, younger son is into marketing. There are many things we miss being over here. All our family is in Scotland. So this time of year is difficult. We usually come over every 2 years unless there are family visiting. My mam comes over here quite often. when she is here she comes for a few months at a time.The weather is usually good. Last year we had 2 days of snow. On the west coast we do not get very much snow mainly rain. We have thought about retiring to scotland but only for 4 months at a time.

[Scarlet Pimple]

JB

There was a recent thread about this with contributors from Canada  such as Scotty, Canada Bob,  Scarlet Himself and others. This thread contained a mine of information about more or less precisely what you were asking .

The thread was started by Clacher Holiday so if you can't find it try sending Clacher an email , failing which I am sure one of the admins  can & will assist you.

Scandalously Private.

[Johnboy]

I wasn't just thinking about Canada, Scarlet P....  Look at the title of the topic... :014:

[canuck]

Emigrated to Canada in 1977 at the age of 31 years (and single) the most difficult choice  I had to make in my life as I was very ''set in my ways.'' Left a good social life (often too good) the best friends and family in the world. It was ''touch and go'' whether I was going to board that plane at Prestwick Airport,  plus the fact that I was nursing one **** of a hang-over did'nt help!

I still miss friends and family, the social life, the football (almost said soccer) but all  things being equal I believe I made the right choice to come over here.I keep in touch with all that's going on back ''home,'' friends and family come over for visits and I try to get back every few years,in fact I am booked to fly back next April when I hope to meet some of the users of this site and some old acquaintances, and of course take in a game or two.

I live in a city called Burlington, Ontario population 165,000, just over half an hour's drive to Toronto and the same distance the other direction to Niagara Falls and the big U.S.A.

I have travelled a lot within this huge Country and am familiar with Victoria (home of Alistair) Vancouver (Scarlet Pimpernel) Ottawa (Glebeict) and Nova Scotia (Canada Bob) I hope to contact Scotty next year and raise a glass or three prior to a game in Toronto after all I believe he and I were near neighbours when he lived in Hawthorne Drive, just around the corner from me when I stayed in lilac Grove.

It is difficult to compare living here opposed to back ''home'' as everything is different, both have good and bad points, personally I have no regrets and although I prefer living here I'm sure it would'nt suit everybody.

It is a wonderful Country to visit for a holiday(almost said vacation) people from the U.K. would find the prices of most items much cheaper than home. If any of our ''users'' ever plan a visit and would like to know more about what to do or where to go I would be happy to help, just send me a message.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Lend me your ears JB.

[Johnboy]

What a ghastly thought....  :crazy07:

No wonder they won't let you out of moderation....  :017:

[KingBeastie]

No wonder they won't let you out of moderation.

IHE's new motto is 'everything in moderation'  :016:

[RiG]

I now live in Aberdeen. It's dead exciting. Lovely grey buildings everywhere you look until you head to the West side of the city where it actually becomes not too bad. Going out along Deeside way is nice too.

Inverness is nicer but there is more to do in Aberdeen.

[SMEE]

Inverness is nicer but there is more to do in Aberdeen.

Out of intrest.....what more is there to do In Aberdeen?

[Scotty]

Other than Inverness, I have lived in three other places for extended periods of time

Aberdeen (uni) - I enjoyed my time in Aberdeen - for the most part - but probably only scratched the surface as I was a poor student stuck in an oil boom city in the middle of the eighties !

The good points of Aberdeen were the fact that it was bigger than Inverness and things actually happened there. Bands came to play there, you could go watch top level football, and the social scene was jumping..... perhaps Inverness is catching up as some of those now apply to the Sneck too. I guess it is a question of perspective. Aberdeen also had its bad points ... The architecture of the City (centre) makes everything seem so depressive and grey, even on a rare sunny day, the people (at that time) didnt seem that friendly, and the social scene while vibrant was a little expensive for student tastes as they were quite understandably more concerned with freeing the oilmen from as much of the contents of their wallets as possible, and totally unconcerned about skint students, hence my dalliance with bars like the East Neuk, Machar Bar, Bobbin Mill, and of course the Dungeon Bar at the union.

London - I spent a year in London at the age of 21  - call it a gap year if you will - and it was weird. I worked in a bar in a sort of no mans land between the City and the West End (Holborn). Holborn was neither one thing or the other .. not the city, nor the west end, but elements of both. We did get a lot of famous legal brains coming into our bar as it was near Grays Inn and we also used to get the TV weathermen coming in as the Meteorological offices were nearby. Michael Fish and Ian McCaskill were regular customers although from memory, only one of the two was what you might call a heavy drinker.

Bar work at that time was a pain in the *** because split shifts were the norm rather than the exception. Bars were open from 11am-3pm and then again from 5:30pm-11pm so you basically worked both shifts to live a meagre existence. At weekends I would go exploring like a tourist, or toddle along to Highbury to watch Arsenal but after work most days I would go back to my bedsit (I had 6 different addresses in 12 months) in such wonderful neghbourhoods as Brixton or Hackney. I also lived in Earls Court, Wimbledon, Herne Hill, and for a short time ... in Penge.

Londoners can be incredibly friendly or they can be incredibly indifferent to your very existence ... The ones who came into the bar were great, as were other friends I made but when on the tube or wandering around, you sometimes wondered whether they would walk over you if you collapsed. I never felt safe in London ... ever.

Toronto - Those who know me, know I had visited relatives here literally dozens of times before meeting Christe and eventually moving over here. I love it in Toronto. Its a big city, yet feels safe. It has great summers, and horrible winters. Its only an hour by plane from New York so most bands, shows, and other things come here en route to/from NY. The people - for the most part - are the opposite of what I described for London. You will often see Canadians offering help to bewildered tourists without prompting or just being "nice" which is a kind of Canadian trait. And of course, you have things like Toronto FC that has injected some enthusiasm into football supporters. Overall, the quality of life is pretty good.

One thing myself and Christe try to do as often as possible is to go and have "alternative" foods. they reckon there are more than 160 different ethnicities/nationalities in Toronto and virtually all of them have little enclaves where you can go and sample both the culture and the food. Many of them (especially Italians and Greeks) also have festivals where the streets are closed down for two or three days for big parties. That part - the multiculturalism - is brilliant.

Dont get me wrong though ... Toronto is not perfect !!

There are parts of Toronto I wont venture into. there have been about 90 murders this year and a large percentage of these have been gang related shootings that happened in a small number of neighbourhoods. I feel safe in my own neighbourhood, and walking around downtown, but the city, like any other, definitely has its problems of poverty, crime, and homelessness.

Public transport in the downtown is pretty good but traffic around the rest of the city is a nightmare. It takes me 40 minutes to travel the 40 miles to work each morning on the highway. However, at the end of the day it takes 90-120 minutes to do the same journey in reverse (on average). The 401 highway over the top of Toronto is supposedly the busiest stretch of Highway in North America (I can believe this).

House prices are ridiculous - a 3 bed semi in the outskirts of the city costs nearly $400,000 and if you want a small flat in the downtown it might cost anything from $200,000 to over $8 MILLION. Ok the 8 million one is a penthouse in one of the new condo blocks owned by Trump or one of the other moguls, but there are many multi million condos in downtown Toronto that are basically just small flats. Because of this cost, urban sprawl is a reality as people have to go further and further out to find affordable homes.

Taxes are also too high. The way government works over here we have Municipal Taxes (city), Provincial Taxes (province) and federal taxes (Canada) and all in all, that amounts to a lot higher amount than UK. The city is broke and raising taxes, but the province and federal government both have surplusses. However, none of the three branches seem to work together so the taxpayer keeps paying more !

Overall, for me, the benefits of "TO" (pronounced Tee-Ohh) far outweigh the downsides and I enjoy it. If there was some form of teleportation that could get me to ICT games and visit family, friends, and the Innes on a more regular basis, it would be perfect.

[Glebeict]

  Nice descrption of Toranta there ,but forgot the greatest downfall of the city!

    The Toranta Maple Laughs . Inside Canada Joke for you Scots.

[Scotty]

Nice descrption of Toranta there ,but forgot the greatest downfall of the city! The Toranta Maple Laughs . Inside Canada Joke for you Scots.

true. Was thinking of producing a few (thousand) T-Shirts with the logo/slogan "Toronto Maple Leafs ..... There's always next year !!!". I figure you could sell these for the next 25 years without changing the wording  :015: :015: :015:

Unless the Argos or Raptors do anything this season or next, I have a feeling that TFC may be the next Toronto sports team to actually win something as the Leafs, Marlies, and Jays are not going to do it anytime soon.

[Glebeict]

  As I am a Red Wings Fan all I can say is long may it continue.

[SMEE]

I didnt realise Canada had such a gun/murder problem. I thought Canada as hole was a pretty safe place to be. You just obliterated my my beliefs there scotty :019:

[RiG]

Out of intrest.....what more is there to do In Aberdeen?

Pretty much everything. Scotty actually touches on one or two of the main ones in his short novel - better social/music scene being one along with more shops (from a guys point of view anyway as a lot of females say Inverness is better for shopping than Aberdeen).

[forresdame]

Out of intrest.....what more is there to do In Aberdeen?

More junkies to mug us, more clubs to get beaten up at and a wider range of beggars trying to hit us with the guilt trip  :tic01:  :017:

[chris123]

Have stayed in Aberdeen all my life.

My old man stays in France though, and constantly raves about it

[Scotty]

I didnt realise Canada had such a gun/murder problem. I thought Canada as hole was a pretty safe place to be. You just obliterated my my beliefs there scotty :019:

Canada doesnt. In fact, generally speaking, Toronto doesnt either. However, in a city of nearly 3 million (and in any other big city close to the US border and easy access to firearms), its perhaps inevitable that parts of Toronto do.

If you were to take out all the gang related stuff, which accounts for most of it, and is generally focused on "gang member V gang member" (with the odd unfortunate "innocent" victim caught in the crossfire) then I would say that Toronto has a crime rate that would be viewed as quite low for a major metroploitan area. As I said above, I have not really felt unsafe in Toronto in my own neighbourhood(s) or downtown at any time ... I have actually felt more nervous in bars, or taxi queues in Inverness when you can see or sense something is just about to happen

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

  THE CANADIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM

BARBER:

I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay.

I sleep all night and I work all day.

 

MOUNTIES:

He's a lumberjack, and he's okay.

He sleeps all night and he works all day.

BARBER:

I cut down trees. I eat my lunch.

I go to the lavatory.

On Wednesdays I go shoppin'

And have buttered scones for tea.

MOUNTIES:

He cuts down trees. He eats his lunch.

He goes to the lavatory.

On Wednesdays he goes shoppin'

And has buttered scones for tea.

He's a lumberjack, and he's okay.

He sleeps all night and he works all day.

 

BARBER:

I cut down trees. I skip and jump.

I like to press wild flowers.

I put on women's clothing

And hang around in bars.

MOUNTIES:

He cuts down trees. He skips and jumps.

He likes to press wild flowers.

He puts on women's clothing

And hangs around in bars?!

He's a lumberjack, and he's okay.

He sleeps all night and he works all day.

BARBER:

I cut down trees. I wear high heels,

Suspendies, and a bra.

I wish I'd been a girlie,

Just like my dear Papa.

MOUNTIES:

He cuts down trees. He wears high heels,

Suspendies, and a bra?!

[talking]

What's this? Wants to be a girlie?! Oh, My!

And I thought you were so rugged! Poofter!

[singing]

He's a lumberjack, and he's okay.

He sleeps all night and he works all day.

He's a lumberjack, and he's okaaaaay.

He sleeps all night and he works all day.

[canuck]

Scotty, never felt unsafe in Toronto, for anybody planning a visit don't be concerned about crime figures, for a large City it ia probably safer than most.

As you mentioned Highway #401 which connects Montreal to Windsor through Toronto is reputedly the World's busiest, I had to drive it for 27 years, this is the one thing that I certainly do not miss since retirement, in retrospect, I don't know how I managed it!

It is a beautiful city and the skyline at night is breathtaking. The theatre district, the shows, entertainment,places of interest and dining is excellent.

For non residents The Air Canada Centre is the home of the famous Toronto Maple Leafs ice hockey team (not Maple laughs) who, in the not too distant future are going to win the coveted Stanley Cup, slightly overdue since they hav'nt won it since 1967!

Many people move out to the suburbs where house prices and property taxes are much lower, for example , Burlington, where I stay has a population of 165,000 with very little industry, most people commute into the big Cities of Toronto, Mississauga and Hamilton.

What area do you live in Scotty? thats a helluva distance to travel to and from work every day.

I would like to meet you sometime next year, maybe have a couple of pints, once we get over the Winter,

meantime as far as the Leafs are concerned -- keep believing.

[Scotty]

What area do you live in Scotty? thats a helluva distance to travel to and from work every day.

See link for my drive ...... its great in the mornings as I am going in the opposite direction to most of the traffic but a nightmare in the evenings !!! [CLICK]

I would like to meet you sometime next year, maybe have a couple of pints, once we get over the Winter, meantime as far as the Leafs are concerned -- keep believing.

Maybe a TFC game next season? ... you might also meet Luvgravy who is usually in attendance in a kilt and ICT top !!! But not the leafs, thats for sure as a) normal people cant afford tickets and b) they are dire, and I havent got into hockey yet  :015:

[caley100]

Probably get a double moderated for that one Johndo....

[CaleyD]

"The ICT Mounties" supporters club seems to have been on a recruitment drive

[RedCard]

I now reside in chilly Warsaw, Poland.

Although i'm freezing my nadgers off it's a great city and very westernised now.  The downside about living outside Scotland is missing the footie every Saturday with your mates....we have Legia and Polonia Warsaw here but they are terrible, it's like watching a 2nd div match in Scotland i.e County  :015: