# Moving to Mississauga



## Angela26 (Jan 27, 2012)

Hello everyone,

We are moving from Cheshire, UK to Mississauga, Canada in a few months. This is due to my husband's work. We have 2 kids who will be 4 and 6 by then. Can anyone please recommend a good neighbourhood in or around this area? Our main priorities are proximity to a good elementary school and low crime. Also, would like to live somewhere that has a bit of a town centre, rather than a new housing estate where you have to drive everywhere. My ideal is that I can still walk to school with kids. Any suggestions gratefully received.

Thanks.


----------



## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

Before making any recommendations could you provide some indication of your housing budget?


----------



## Angela26 (Jan 27, 2012)

*Budget*

Hi, We would be prepared to pay the going rate for a decent home in a safe neighbourhood, 3 bedroom min house. I guess a rent of about 2000 to 3000 Canadian dollars per month, or more if need be, would be realistic. Many thanks, Angela


----------



## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

And where will your husband be working, because it's a commute from one side (to Brampton) to the other side (like Oakville)... Is he going by car, or public transportation?


----------



## Angela26 (Jan 27, 2012)

*Cancross*

Hi EVHB,

Thanks for your reply. My husband's office will be Cancross, Mississauga. He is intending to drive to work. Regards, Angela


----------



## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

If finding a good elementary school is important, than the website of the Fraser institute is your start. They publish the report cards for the public and catholic schools. Mississauga has excellent schools (Kenollie public school: 9.4/10) or not so great schools (Lyndwood public school: 5.1/10). More info with the schools report cards:
http://www.fraserinstitute.org/uplo...-news/research/publications/70ONEEL11COMP.pdf

Don't know if you already know, but each school has a catchment area (school boundary), so your kids need to attend the school designated to where you live.
You can find the school boundaries through the different school boards. For Mississauga, that the 
Dufferin-Peel Catholic School Board: Dufferin-Peel CDSB - Home
or the Peel District School Board for the public schools: Peel District School Board
You can also choose to send your kids to a Christian School, but that's private education. And there are other private schools too. As for quality: no need to pay the monney as there are very good schools that are for free. 

As far as I know, there's no big difference between catholic schools (they wear a uniform) and the public schools. Both have good schools, both have bad schools. Our son attended a Jesuit School in Belgium, but here we prefered the public school as it was much better than the catholic one. 

So maybe you can first look for schools with good evaluations, and than take a look where exactly they are located.
Does the company assigns you a real estate agent, or do you have to contact one yourself? If you have to contact one yourself, I can always refer you to our realtor (first we rented a house, and we worked with him again when we were buying a house). He realy did a good job and he's working in the Mississauga/Oakville area.

And don't forget to use Google Streetview! It's an excellent way to give you an impression of the neigborhood!


----------



## Angela26 (Jan 27, 2012)

Hi EVHB,

Thanks for your message, very informative. I will be careful to research catchment areas and schools before committing to an area. Maybe when I've found a suburb that fits the bill, if you don't mind, I will send you a message to see what you think. I don't think it is possible for me to visit Canada again before actually moving. I have visited once for 3 nights (2 wks ago) and that was Markham, which is not really near Mississauga. At the time, we thought the job would be in Markham. Once again, thanks for your help. Angela


----------



## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

Personally I think Mississauga to be a soulless place. I doubt your requirements can be met there satisfactorily. If I had your wants and needs I'd be looking at south Etobicoke to the east where your husband can easily access the highway to his northern Mississauga workplace or alternatively to south Oakville to the west. Both might provide you with the walkability to stores/schools/parks.


----------



## Angela26 (Jan 27, 2012)

Hi Auld Yin,

With thanks for your message. I will have a look at the 2 areas you mention. I guess the drive from these 2 areas is about 30 mins or so from Cancross. Does this sound about right? I have heard Oakville is nice so will look forward to doing a bit of research. Best regards, Angela


----------



## joi2009 (Sep 7, 2009)

You may want to look at Milton - safe, not as expensive, good schools with good housing
Cheers


----------



## Angela26 (Jan 27, 2012)

Thanks, Jo. I will check Milton out, too.

Best regards, Angela


----------



## joi2009 (Sep 7, 2009)

It is a lovely small town with a downtown area and quite a few Brits there. We are originally Scottish. Also Guelph is a possibility (I grew up there, lots of Brits too) but depends on how far into Miss. your husband's work is located therefore commuting time issues. It has a vibrant downtown area, University, good schools, extremely safe, a river and lots to do for a family. I know it is so difficult not knowing the 'lay of the land' and having to make decisions from far away. We recently moved from Florida to France and it took us 7 months to find the right house to purchase. It can be daunting moving to a new country. Miss is HUGE (lived there in the late 70's) and 'soulless' as the other person said. Contact me if you require any more info on the area and bon chance with your move.


----------



## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

Auld Yin said:


> Personally I think Mississauga to be a soulless place. I doubt your requirements can be met there satisfactorily. If I had your wants and needs I'd be looking at south Etobicoke to the east where your husband can easily access the highway to his northern Mississauga workplace or alternatively to south Oakville to the west. Both might provide you with the walkability to stores/schools/parks.


I couldn't agree more with Auld Yin's above comments.


----------



## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Oakville is great. 
Milton is very new. Used to be much more expensive than Oakville, but prices seems to be going up. (and with your budget, you probably would find something nice in Oakville too, and than you are close to the lake!)


----------



## aufait888 (Apr 25, 2011)

hi angela26!
just wanted to leave u with my ha'penny's worth! im a mississauga native and lived there a few years ago.
i cant really fault the place, but i would agree to an extent that it is somewhat soul-less, tho not completely so...i mean, its just like any suburb in a modern area really....just for arguments sake, i think ealing in west london, uk is really a great place to live but many people say its crap, boring, soul-less etc...so its 6 of one and half a dozen of the other sort of thing!
as for amenities like shopping, schools transport etc., you cant fault mississauga...i used to live off britannia rd W, near the Credit River and worked in oakville, but the drive to work was reasonably pleasant.
as someone here has already said, mississauga has everything...parks, schools, the river, shopping..what more can one want really?
school-wise, my kids went to hazel mcallion and streetsville schools, both very good schools.
shopping wise, there are loads of places nearby, some within walking distances, depending on where you live of course...places like loblaws/no frills/safeway supermarkets etc etc.
doctors and hospital nearby too.
one thing i would say, is try and avoid living near the big Braeben golf course at britannia/terry fox junctions...apparently it used to be a rubbish dump before it was covered over with soil and made into a golf course....nothing wrong with that, but allegedly, its the base for absolute millions of mice, which raid nearby homes and gardens every summer....i know...we found hundreds of them in the house we used to rent...killed as many as we could using traps etc, but found they were coming in thru the garage door (there was a tiny gap at the bottom where it met the ground...)!
aside of that, if you want to look at oakville...again, a very nice, but in places rather posh and expensive place.
brampton/milton would be a no-no for me as theyre overpriced and over-rated areas.
hope that helps you...if you need any more ideas or info, feel free to send me a PM.


----------



## Accidental (Nov 25, 2011)

Hi Angela:
I have lived in Mississauga pretty much my entire life. In my opinion it is a great place to raise kids. I live in Sawmill Valley area and the schools here are great. I have 3 grown daughters that loved growing up here. I live south of Burnhamthorpe which is expensive but it is in your price range just north of Burnhamthorpe. There is great access to highways and Credit Valley Hospital is 5 minutes away. Milton is cheaper but the area is not developed with trees etc. This area has beautiful forests, parks etc. Micheal Angelo's is the best place for groceries in the neighbourhood. Check out this area. I think your family might like it. Let me know if you want more contacts to help you.


----------



## Angela26 (Jan 27, 2012)

A big thank you to EVHB, aufait888 and Accidental for your comments. I will check out the areas you mention and try and avoid the mouse-ridden bits! I may yet be messaging back when I have found somewhere, if you don't mind, to see what you think. All the best, Angela


----------



## MLH (Jan 22, 2012)

Angela26 said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> We are moving from Cheshire, UK to Mississauga, Canada in a few months. This is due to my husband's work. We have 2 kids who will be 4 and 6 by then. Can anyone please recommend a good neighbourhood in or around this area? Our main priorities are proximity to a good elementary school and low crime. Also, would like to live somewhere that has a bit of a town centre, rather than a new housing estate where you have to drive everywhere. My ideal is that I can still walk to school with kids. Any suggestions gratefully received.
> 
> Thanks.


I vote South Etobicoke. I may be biased, but have lived in various places throughout the Greater Toronto area all of my life, and quite like the area that I have settled in...I live, work and play here...

Affordable housing (in your budget), far enough away from the heart of the city Toronto) to feel surburban safety, could potentially be along the streetcar line that takes about an hr into the downtown core or a bus ride to the underground (subway) and the GO train station, a stones throw to Lake Ontario, many parks/walking paths/cycling trails, bordering on mississauga which also has a very nice area (port credit) for a night out/access to lake/great shops/outdoor summer activities/family friendly events/fests, close to all major hwy's, 20 minute run to the airport, close to several shopping malls, grocery stores, several hospitals/clinics, close to libraries/pools/recreation centres/skating rinks/ baseball diamonds/ hockey arena/theates/child care/childrens programs etc. 

There are several great schools in the area. It would depend on whether you planned to put the children in Catholic or Public school-but I am happy to offer a fair assessment of the area/schools. There is also a french immersion school within minutes of me.

As with most areas of the city, you would want to be conscious of some of the more "shady" areas...

South of Lakeshore Blvd. West there are quite a few buildings/triplex apts scattered amongst a combination of old cottage style homes (many, many moons ago the area was used as a holiday area, but people eventually moved out this way and built it up quite alot over the years) and you will even find several multi-million dollar homes along the lake. This doesn't mean all areas are equal and safe.

I live north of Lakeshore Blvd W. In a quiet residential area, but still have everything I need within reach...

I can walk to the grocery store/train/streetcar/bus/mall/hospital/Walk-in Dr/cafe/ shops/schools/bank/ pharmacy/library/ice rink/pool/playground/parks (and more) in approx. 10 minutes (or less) from where we live...

I can walk to the lake in approx 20 minutes. Work in 45 minutes.

If you are looking at rental properties on this site-you would be looking at E2

View it Rental Site

I live at Browns line/Horner Avenue currently (planning to move to the uk shortly)-just to give you an idea of the area I live in and can speak to. 

Let me know if you have any questions. Been here a long time. I have been working in Community Health in this area for 13 years, so I have quite a different perspective than alot of others.


----------



## Angela26 (Jan 27, 2012)

Hi MLH,

Thanks very much for your reply. I will certainly check out the areas you mention. I think it will be about 6 months til we actually move but that will go fast enough. Just another small question, do you know if children start school when they are actually 6 or the academic year in which they turn 6 (ie when they are still 5)?

With thanks, Angela


----------



## MLH (Jan 22, 2012)

Angela26 said:


> Hi MLH,
> 
> Thanks very much for your reply. I will certainly check out the areas you mention. I think it will be about 6 months til we actually move but that will go fast enough. Just another small question, do you know if children start school when they are actually 6 or the academic year in which they turn 6 (ie when they are still 5)?
> 
> With thanks, Angela


In Ontario, a child aged 5 (turning 6 in the academic year) would be expected to be starting grade one.

Over here a child may have been in school (half days) for up to 2 years by then-known as Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten.

Our daughter started JK at 3 years old (birthday is November).

Let me know if I can help in any other way.


----------



## Belgiumbat (Jan 22, 2011)

@ Angela,

Am also making the move from Dubai to Mississauga in the next couple of month's, I am actually flying out there in the next couple of day's to get first impressions. Hope all is well with your move, and let us know how you get on 


@ EVHB
Great to know there are some Belgians in that area  How long have you been living there? 

All the best
Dani


----------



## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Belgiumbat said:


> @ EVHB
> Great to know there are some Belgians in that area  How long have you been living there?


Since august 2010.
In Oakville, there are other Belgians, there are even lots and lots of people from the Netherlands  .
And a couple of weeks ago I met a group of young ladies, who came from Dubai! Some of them are originally from Pakistan (I think), and now they live here. Architects, construction workers,...

What brings you here?


----------



## Belgiumbat (Jan 22, 2011)

Great to know there are more of us (echte Belgen) there 

I am moving there through an internal transfer with work, face to face meeting next week to see if I like it ( no doubt I will ) and to get the process started. Can't wait for the move !

Just a quick question, I have my 3 bedroom house furniture stored in Ireland, and a 1 bedroom set here in Dubai but hesitating to get that shipped over there, as most of my appliances ( fridge/tv/etc ) wont work there right due to difference in voltage? If buying furniture there is it reasonable? any online shop you can recommend so I can check out some prices in the area? 

Thanks
Dani


----------



## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Belgiumbat said:


> any online shop you can recommend so I can check out some prices in the area?


 We shipped a 20 ft container, but without electrical appliances (except the computer).
Where would you buy your furniture in Belgium, so that I can get an idea about what you like/what your budget is, and better direct you to the local possibilities.
Do you come alone, or with a partner/family?


----------



## Belgiumbat (Jan 22, 2011)

Yes I tought I would need to sell the appliances before coming out 
I would go to Morres in Belgium. Company will look after the shipping of my furniture. 
I will go over first & partner and children will follow once I got a house sorted.


----------



## Angela26 (Jan 27, 2012)

Belgiumbat said:


> @ Angela,
> 
> Am also making the move from Dubai to Mississauga in the next couple of month's, I am actually flying out there in the next couple of day's to get first impressions. Hope all is well with your move, and let us know how you get on
> 
> ...


Hi Dani,

Thanks for your message. Good luck with your short break in Mississauga and with your big move. Will you be working in Mississauga?

All the best, Angela


----------



## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Belgiumbat said:


> I would go to Morres in Belgium. Company will look after the shipping of my furniture.


Ship your furniture.


----------



## Belgiumbat (Jan 22, 2011)

@Angela, yes hope to move there  by the summer

Yes I am going to ship my furniture, it was all brand new so will loose to much if I'm selling.

Keep you guys posted , should be flying out 28th for 5 day's


----------



## nelzarka (Apr 25, 2012)

We are also moving to Mississauga by August but I am really troubled to which school they will go to .. My kids go to British school here in Kuwait grade 4 and grade 7 but I heard they will drop a year in Canada. My husband will stay in Kuwait till we find a job. We are Egyptians , we got to know that we need to equalize our certificates , we are both physicians. Can anyone help us how to start?


----------



## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

nelzarka said:


> We are also moving to Mississauga by August but I am really troubled to which school they will go to .. My kids go to British school here in Kuwait grade 4 and grade 7 but I heard they will drop a year in Canada. My husband will stay in Kuwait till we find a job. We are Egyptians , we got to know that we need to equalize our certificates , we are both physicians. Can anyone help us how to start?


You should contact the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) for your qualifications equalizations.
Canadian education is regarded as being of very high quality in world rankings. Look at the following for reports on Ontario schools.
Ontario school rankings by the Fraser Institute


----------



## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

A lot of Egyptians live in Mississauga, in the neighbourhood of the Coptic Church. Maybe you can get in touch with them and find out about their experience with the schools?


----------



## Angela26 (Jan 27, 2012)

Our move has completely fallen through. Oh dear. Despite having a positive LMO and having resigned from job in UK, the company phoned 2 days ago to withdraw the job offer due to cutbacks! Job offer made and accepted Feb. We were waiting for LMO, which arrived 2 wks ago, and resigned from current job. Got to try to get old job in K back now.


----------



## Angela26 (Jan 27, 2012)

Just wondered if we may have any rights as per my last post? The Canadian co has withdrawn the offer at the last moment, even though they had successfully applied for LMO. We have spent ages researching schools, neighbourhoods, taxes and have resigned from current job in UK. Got headhunted as they were desperate for staff earlier in the yr! Now they say there is not as much work as they thought, talk about messing with people's lives! where does the law stand?


----------



## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

Angela26 said:


> Just wondered if we may have any rights as per my last post? The Canadian co has withdrawn the offer at the last moment, even though they had successfully applied for LMO. We have spent ages researching schools, neighbourhoods, taxes and have resigned from current job in UK. Got headhunted as they were desperate for staff earlier in the yr! Now they say there is not as much work as they thought, talk about messing with people's lives! where does the law stand?


There's nothing you can do, unfortunately. Your status was tied to a job that doesnt exist anymore. At least they let you know before you arrived here.


----------



## Angela26 (Jan 27, 2012)

Yes, it would have been terrible to relocate the family and then get made redundant a few wks down the line, after having rented out our home in the UK and moved the kids' schools and both quit jobs. Certainly puts u off trying something new, though always a risk in trying for a new job wherever it is in the world.


----------



## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

Angela26 said:


> Yes, it would have been terrible to relocate the family and then get made redundant a few wks down the line, after having rented out our home in the UK and moved the kids' schools and both quit jobs. Certainly puts u off trying something new, though always a risk in trying for a new job wherever it is in the world.


Worse, you only have 90 days from termination of your sponsored employment to find another job and get a successful LMO or have to leave the country (yet still be bound by a likely 1 year lease in a country you have no legal status in!).


----------



## Angela26 (Jan 27, 2012)

Sounds like it is for the best that this happened now rather than when in Canada. Just hope my husband can successfully retract his resignation! thanks, Ang


----------



## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

Angela26 said:


> Sounds like it is for the best that this happened now rather than when in Canada. Just hope my husband can successfully retract his resignation! thanks, Ang


That's a tough one. From an employers perspective, do you take back somebody who you know is looking for greener pastures and continue to invest in an employee who could leave anytime... Best approach, IMHO, would be to enforce it was a one off thing, you're not looking into moving overseas anymore, etc... Good luck to him!


----------



## ibkiss (Feb 1, 2012)

Just wanted to know where in Mississauga ,do the most amount of Muslims and folks of Sub-Continent Asian countries live in ? 

Thanks & Regards .


----------



## Angela26 (Jan 27, 2012)

Thanks for your good wishes.


----------

