# Peterborough, Ontario



## iceno9 (Jan 29, 2010)

So....i have a potential job opportunity in Peterborough Ontario.

Can anyone tell me whats its like...sure i can read abit on the net, but peoples honest opinions are always better!

Maybe its better to commute to work in Peterborough??? but if so so...where to live?

Any experiences welcome...


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## GWH64 (Nov 22, 2014)

iceno9 said:


> So....i have a potential job opportunity in Peterborough Ontario.
> 
> Can anyone tell me whats its like...sure i can read abit on the net, but peoples honest opinions are always better!
> 
> ...


Peterborough's OK. I don't know where you're living now or what your desired life style might be, but you could do a lot worse in Canada in general and even in Ontario in particular.

HTH a bit.


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## iceno9 (Jan 29, 2010)

Thanks for the feedback....lifestyle wise, I like the outdoors, walking, hiking, archery, mountain biking etc. musician and would like to get in a band over there....I think this might be a problem for Peterborough??
I like to be near to a town to shop when needed, but I also like to be able to sit in a garden where it is quiet so I am not a city dweller. Maybe more of a town dweller.

Of course everyone enjoys the cinema, bowling, skating etc so its always good to have that kind of stuff nearby....especially as I have an 11 year old son who will be with me and the wife.

Will Peterborough fit?


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

Have a look at the City of Peterborough website.

It's close enough to Toronto that you could drive there in an hour or two (depending on traffic - the 401 can get congested at the best of times, even in the middle of the summer)... my auntie and uncle live in Cobourg (directly south of P'borough, on the shore of Lake Ontario), and they used to drive into Toronto to visit my cousins (their sons) and my other auntie and uncle on a regular basis (auntie and uncle are seniors and don't drive much, if at all these days).

You could also take the Go Train... however, this service (and rail service in Canada in general) isn't nearly as good as the rail service here in the UK, as it would take just over 2 hours and a transfer to get from P'borogh to downtown Toronto.

I should think that there's enough for you to do out there... there's a junior hockey team (i.e. something equivalent to Football League 1 or thereabouts, if the NHL is considered to be the Premiere League of hockey in North America) and a major university in the region, so it's not like it's without culture... it's just not going to be as "big city" as Toronto.


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

Peterborough is located in the Kawarthas, a vacation type region of Ontario. It has lots of usable lakes where one can swim, fish and go boating by sail or power. It is great country for the outdoorsy type, like you. It has a good university and a couple of major colleges. It's a small city of 120k approximately, so really a large town. Personally I think it's a great place to live and work and would have done so willingly had my career led me there. It has everything a family would ever need but not the city atmosphere. As someone already pointed out its a 90-120 minute drive to Toronto if you need a quick fix. There are hiking trails around but remember unlike UK you can't go traipsing/tramping through others' fields and properties.
Much Good Luck.


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## GWH64 (Nov 22, 2014)

I agree with Auld Yin. If a job I wanted took me to Peterborough I wouldn't complain.

I'd say you could forget the mountain biking though (that pretty much applies to all of southern Ontario).

I'm sure, with Trent University being there, there must be some kind of music scene.


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## iceno9 (Jan 29, 2010)

Thanks for the feedback guys....really useful.

I assume this isn't French speaking area as its still quite far south for that? I don't speak French.

Is it an area that will have its fair share of immigrants - particularly from the UK? Just thinking it will be easier to integrate if it is such an area, whereas an area that just has 'locals' means they might be less forgiving.

Would you say Peterborough is still a modern type town? From looking at images on the net, it kinda has an old fashioned feel to it. Unless of course they are old pictures!!!

Anyway, lets see how my interview goes...


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

iceno9 said:


> I assume this isn't French speaking area as its still quite far south for that? I don't speak French.



French is spoken in Quebec but is not widely spoken outside of Quebec.


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## GWH64 (Nov 22, 2014)

iceno9 said:


> Thanks for the feedback guys....really useful.
> 
> I assume this isn't French speaking area as its still quite far south for that? I don't speak French.
> 
> ...


PB is predominantly white (~97%) and english speaking (93%). If you play around on google streetview you'll find that like most southern ON "cities" of say 40-80K population, it's a mixture of 19C, mid 20C and more recent housing and architecture (usually hideous).

But the single most important thing is having the job to go to. You can always move elsewhere after you got established.

BTW, the job's not with GE is it? I know a couple of Brits working there...


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## iceno9 (Jan 29, 2010)

Following on from this discussion....i have a second interview soon (Its not GE by the way), salary has already been asked in terms of my expectations and i don't know if i pitched it right or not. I did a google on averages in Ontario and it looks like the median is about 85k (project manager job)....however i am not familiar with the tax system and how that compares to the UK. For example, in the UK you can expect to pay ~30% of your wage in tax and national insurance contributions.

Does Canada have a similar system? i.e. do you have National insurance on top of tax? 
From this website i can see its about 24% tax i can expect to pay..
2014 Personal tax calculator - EY - Canada - EY - Canada

Its easy to get carried away with big numbers like 85k....but in reality thats like £40k and the cost of living is different between countries....i guess what i am trying to say is that £40k int he UK is a good salary in many parts (excluding London) whereas i dont know how far 85k CAD will go?


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