# Countdown to Ontario



## RadioChuck (Dec 16, 2012)

Hello all...

Just wanted to post to say hi and introduce myself.

I live in northeast Indiana now, but was born and raised in Philadelphia and lived in Southern California for fifteen years. My wife and I intend to move to Canada in about five years, when our kids are all out of school.

We have a few online friends who have told us about how much they enjoy it there and that the quality of life is better than the U.S.

We're thinking an area like Mississauga would fit our lifestyle. Something that's suburban, but close to everything a major city has to offer. We definitely want to stay to the east, since my family is from the east coast of the U.S.

I should also mention that I've worked in radio for the past 17 years, so I'd probably look for work in that field as we plan our move.

Anyway... I just wanted to reach out and see if anyone had anything to share.

Hope to talk to some if you soon and learn more.

Chuck


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## structured01 (Jul 26, 2012)

Hi Chuck,

I am a Canadian citizen with an American citizen girlfriend from... Indiana. She's from South East Indiana, across the river from Louisville, but we have traveled all over, and I am assuming you're from the Fort Wayne area or thereabouts. I just wanted to add that there are many other beautiful parts of Ontario besides just the immediate Toronto (Mississauga) area. I live near Ottawa, Ontario and my girlfriend finds this area very beautiful, scenic and attractive that is close to major cities (Ottawa itself and Montreal). If you are looking for something similiar to North East Indiana, I would recommend Kitchener-Waterloo. About an hour and a half to Toronto, but surrounded by scenic farmland and a large amish/mennonite community to boot. London, Brantford, St. Catherines and Kingston are smaller cities (all less than 300,000 people where it is cheaper to buy property) close to the U.S. border but job prospects are more limited. I highly recommend a trip all over Ontario to find what parts you like best. In terms of radio/media jobs, I am no expert, so I can't help you there. Good luck with the future move!


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## RadioChuck (Dec 16, 2012)

Thanks so much for the reply. I love the idea of moving to a place with the rural feel of Indiana, but frankly, I don't want to be too far from the city. I am a techy guy and have to be somewhere that offers good mobile coverage and the conveniences that a more metropolitan setting has to offer.

I love Ottawa! Well, I've never been there, but we watched the Remembrance Day commemoration when we still got CBC and I loved what I saw. I think the best thing is for us to just spend a week and familiarize ourselves with what the province has to offer. 

I really appreciate the information and can't wait to take a road trip and explore.

Thanks!

Chuck

P.S. Sorry it took so long for me to reply. The holidays have been crazy for us here.


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## Liam(at)Large (Sep 2, 2012)

RadioChuck said:


> Thanks so much for the reply. I love the idea of moving to a place with the rural feel of Indiana, but frankly, I don't want to be too far from the city. I am a techy guy and have to be somewhere that offers good mobile coverage and the conveniences that a more metropolitan setting has to offer.


There's nothing techy you can get in TO/Mississauga that you can't get in K/W; likewise the mobile coverage is the same (or better? K/W IS the home of RIM, makers of Blackberry). I'm not sure what other conveniences you need that you think won't be available outside the immediate GTA.

FWIW, 'Sauga is one of the ugliest suburban areas in Canada I have ever been to.


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## RadioChuck (Dec 16, 2012)

Well, for instance... I live in Angola, Indiana and we have very poor data coverage on our Verizon Wireless phones. It's hit and miss sometimes and not that bad other times. WHere I work in Fort Wayne, it's more consistent and usually pretty reliable. The same goes for our over-the-air TV and radio reception. Some days it's pretty decent and other days it's awful. That's the downside to living 40 miles from the nearest "big city."

WIth that said, a lot of shopping must be done in Fort Wayne as well. We have Walmart here and a Meijer and a Menard's, but that's about it for big box stores. There's no Home Depot, no Lowe's, no Best Buy... not even a Starbucks. That might seem overrated to some, but I spent the first 40 years of my life with those things no more than 5-10 minutes away, so it's been an adjustment. I don't necessarily need to live in a place with a strip mall on every corner (as was the case when I lived in Southern California), but I don't want to drive an hour either.

I guess I want to have my cake and eat it too. I want to experience a better quality of life, but I also don't want to move way out in the country. THat would be true f I were moving to Canada, or somewhere else here in the states.

One other thing, if I didn't already mention it. I'm super bummed that CBC has scrambled their satellite feeds. I was soooo hooked on the taste of Canada that I used to get through the shows on CBC. Guess I'll have to wait until we move to enjoy that again. That's too bad.


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## Liam(at)Large (Sep 2, 2012)

You are looking at moving in 5 years?, that's good, you've got a lot of research to do! K/W, for example, has all that you mention, and more, all within city limits, as do many smaller Ontario cities, and they are way nicer places to live than Mississauga. You should do a road trip and check things out...


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## RadioChuck (Dec 16, 2012)

I definitely will. THere will probably be several road trips and lots of research between now and then. I'd also like to get pretty proficient on the metric system between now and then. Thanks for all of the insights.


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## structured01 (Jul 26, 2012)

Chuck, I wouldn't worry too much about the metric system. Canadians only really use it for two things: weather and distance. Everything else (like baking, weight, height etc.) should be familiar. For temperature, memorize a few benchmarks (32 F is 0 C, 50 F is 10 C, 72 F is 21 C) and just guesstimate inbetweens. For distance same thing (100 km is 60 mi for instance). 90% of the stores here will be familiar, but IMO the biggest lifestyle difference between Canada and America right now is housing prices. You're paying double for the similiar housing in urban areas. I'd rent first then try to find bargains in closeby rural or semi-rural areas. Have a happy new year!


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## RadioChuck (Dec 16, 2012)

That's great info. I didn't realize there was still so much English measure in Canada. I think renting before buying is our best bet. I'd rather not buy right away, unless I feel really secure in whatever job I might find and find an area we really love. I've had a lot of good advice to that end, though. 

One thing I really wish is that our move wasn't so far off. Five years seems so far away, but I know it will fly by. And it's just as well, I suppose. I'm one of those people who likes to immerse myself in the culture before I make a move like that. Up until now, it's been the culture in one part of of the U.S. or another. This will be a much larger undertaking, so I suppose the extra time sis a good thing.


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## RadioChuck (Dec 16, 2012)

I must say, I'm a bit discouraged as I ponder this move. It seems like an extremely expensive proposition, when I take into account the fact that my wife and I and a kid or two make this move. I also don't know if my career in radio news qualifies me as skilled labor or not. Then there's the matter of selling a house here and buying one there. I'm just not sure if I can pull this off or not. I guess I need to continue on with my research and take my time in deciding. 

Thanks for all the help.


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## headzred (Mar 20, 2012)

Chuck, I know what you mean about the CBC. I don't remember the name of the show, but while visiting my husband and his family, I got hooked on this show about 2 guys who would pick up things left on the curb, renovate them (usually into something totally different), and then covertly return them to the original family.


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## Liam(at)Large (Sep 2, 2012)

headzred said:


> Chuck, I know what you mean about the CBC. I don't remember the name of the show, but while visiting my husband and his family, I got hooked on this show about 2 guys who would pick up things left on the curb, renovate them (usually into something totally different), and then covertly return them to the original family.


Junk Brothers was on HGTV Canada (and also aired on HGTV America) in 2006/7.


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## Camerish (May 24, 2012)

London is another Ontario town with around 500k people, though I do not know much about it.

Ottawa if very nice and has over 1m people. Lots of parks, cultural spots, and Quebec is right next door!

Mississauga is mostly suburban sprawl covering the west side of Toronto. I live directly north of it in Brampton. If you want to be able to commute within the GTA (greater toronto area) there is a long list of places to choose from, depending on your preference. In general, west of Toronto (Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington) are much more expensive than the east side (Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa). Then there are the Northern suburbs (Brampton, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham) and several smaller communities just outside or between these. Every city in the GTA has nice spots, depending on where you want to be and how much you want to spend. Unlike many American cities, the bad parts of town are in small pockets and tend not to consume large areas. Also, crime is much lower here in general, so unless you are in a bad pocket, there is not much to worry about.

I have only been here about 5 years but grew up in Michigan and visited Toronto my entire life, as my father is from here. Let me know if you have any specific questions about areas of Toronto and I can try to help.


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