# 2fm interview - irish left Toronto as too expensive???



## sylvos (Oct 24, 2011)

Hi All,
On Thursday last a lady was on 2fm telling the Irish nation that her and her family had been to toronto for 18 months and returned home because her husband lost his job as a plumber. She said that the recession was now starting in Canada and that the cost of living was even worse than Ireland. 

We are currently in the process of heading to Canada when we have our PR but listening to her has kinda shocked us. My husband is a electrician and Im an accounts manager. We are prepared that might take us a little while to get jobs and have some savings put aside. We really want to make a go of it over there but want some reassurance from other fellow Irish that have made the leap and love it over there!!!

Can someone come back and tell us that there is still work out there and although we will never make a fortune it will be enough to get by each month and put a little bit to our mortgages here at home. We intend on renting our home and we already have a buy to let as well so its important that we keep working no matter we are.

Many thanks


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Where are you planning to live in Canada?


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## sylvos (Oct 24, 2011)

We are planning one of the most expensive locations, Toronto (looking at Mississauga, Oakville & surrounding areas) and are well aware thats its not cheap but neither is Ireland!!!! Any info or fedback would be much appreciated!!I see you got your PR under the skilled Worker Program - what is your own trade if you don't mind me asking?


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Applied for the visa in 2009, when IT was still on The List.

Cost of Living is expensive here, there are much cheaper and also nice places to live in Canada/Ontario. And as long as you are having a decent paying job, it’s ok. But as an immigrant it’s hard (impossible) to get a mortgage without a good credit history/credit score and a ‘secure job’. Renting is expensive at some places (Mississauga has less expensive area’s, Oakville doesn’t really have these). 
So if you don’t have a job yet, is there a specific reason why you want to live there? Otherwise you can consider to look for something in Dundas/Burlington/Grimsby. Although these are not the most ideal places to live if you have a job in (downtown) Toronto, these are less expensive places to live.

I don’t have an idea about your job and the possibility to find a good job offer in within 3-6 months. Maybe other people here have a better idea about that.


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## Lindavid6 (Nov 7, 2010)

What immigrants tend to do is convert everything into their own currency, given the current strength of the Canadian Dollar vs the GBP or the Euro then on paper Canada looks expensive, If you can stop converting then monetary issues become clearer.

We arrived here nearly 3 years ago, are things expensive? Yes if you use today's exchange rate and the devaluation of European currency, however if you step back 5 years things are cheaper, it is all relative. 

Is there a recession going to hit Canada, the world is tightly interlinked these days and economic problems in one place do filter down to others, Canada will not be immune to a downturn although it may not be as bad as in the UK or Europe due to the vast natural resources that are available here. As for construction, which is my profession, I can see things tightening up but in Toronto there are still a large amount of ongoing projects and a lack of skilled workers, and the advent of the Pan Am games will just add to the vacuum.

My wife is from Ireland and would have us moved back there tomorrow, its a purely emotive connection to the place which I don't get as I come from London, at the end of the day Canada is all about opportunity, and as immigrants we have to make the most of it. I feel my kids will have way more opportunities here than they will ever get in Ireland, and at the end of the day if you don't try it you will never know and if you come open minded you maybe presently surprised.


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## sylvos (Oct 24, 2011)

Many thanks Lindavid, thats just what I wanted to hear!!! I think everyone has different opinions and expectations of what they want in life - for us its a quality of life as opposed to making loads of money. My husband wants to work and as things dry up here at home at least in Toronto he will be guaranteed work. We are outdoor people so the cold weather will be tough but we are kinda looking forward to the winter sports and then look forward to the humid hot summers. Open mind - totally - I think if your probably prepared before you go - have our PR, jobs interviews setup and some savings to get by for a couple of months in case anything goes wrong - we will fine!!!
Thanks again for your thoughts


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

At the end, if it doesn't work out, you can always go elswhere: back to the UK, to another place in Ontario, or to another Canadian province, or even to a different country.  But at least, you tried! So go for it!


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