TK, I somewhat disagree with you. I am yet to come acroos anyone with the sikills and education who is remained unemployed for a long time.

Was waiting to hear this bit of information.

Good. Now I will advise all to move to Vancouver (those who want to have been in Canada but are considering Australia due to the climate).

GTA was very bad till 2011, when I left the GTA. 2009 was a very horrible period where you give a information to hire a person as a mover for $ 12 an hour for 4 hours and you get 40 messages in your inbox in a couple of hours.

Murali

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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.

Hi ,

I have never visited Vancouver and surely wish to but for the mood dampener I have received from who ever I have talked with ( who had had some kind of connection to Van)

The image I received was that it was more expensive than the GTA with much lesser well paying jobs available so GTA appeared to be better in terms of salaries , job availabilities and real estate prices (read cost of living)

In 2008 I had an offer each from Van and GTA and for the aforementioned reasons , I chose the GTA.

I guess will need more inputs from fellow IT / non IT folks before deciding to move ... because of what is known Van has a sizable Desi community , much better climate and is more scenic and beautiful .............. Why would it not be the no. 1 destination for immigrants / experienced people if not for the job market ?

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Fido.

Fido,
Because the job market is not as vast as GTA. GTA has variety of jobs that Vancouver lacks. IT is booming here, and Finance is not bad. But, that's all about it. Couple of my friends did do better and that are not in IT.

Given a chance, myself included would move happily to GTA, but a good weather here pulls me in. So, not that easy.

FP ,

Thanks for the response ... and the insight .

You have been in Van for a while now ... Why would you want to move to the GTA ? ..If I recall , you came in very close to that in the not so distant past ?

How's the IT contracting market out there in terms of availability and how do the rates compare vs Toronto ...Please advise ....

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Fido.

Why? few things in TO favour:

1. Although, Van IT market is doing good, I think Toronto is still bigger.
2. TO has better affordability in terms of Real Estate options - even farther away from downtown. I can live with Private Auto insurance (higher than Van).
3. Go Train even from the far away suburbs.
4. Very very close family, friends, and cousins (close in the sense that I can drop in their homes anytime of the day. I don't have that social luxury here)
5. More Public colleges and Universities than Vancouver - good for kids.
6. Better job options in terms of Public Services - Ottawa, Ontario.
7. Less Crime

Vancouver:
1. Better climate: don't care much about myself, but since I have my parents and kids - I want them to not confine themselves in for close to 4-5 months. More so for parents. I also hate shoveling snow.
2. What is wind chill?
2. World class recreation.
3. That's all about it.

I was just uttering this to my wife yesterday that if we won't be able to find any decent house within $650k, then get ready to pack the bags to Toronto. I don't want to spend close to 600k for a shitty house that requires maintenance every few months. Couple of months ago, my budget was $580k and now with the artificial housing boom here, I have up'ed my ante. But, it pains me and making me nervous as to what if I lose my job one day? At 40 and after all that struggle, it's not healthy to be nervous all the time. Darn!

IT contracting is the same here in Vancouver as Toronto. I did both so can compare. The rates are almost the same.

If you're in Toronto, stay put unless you have health reasons to move for the better climate and outdoor'ish lifestyle. That's all about it.

Remember, not all good things in life are free - especially in Canada.

Thanks a lot FP for the detailed explanation. Appreciated.

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Fido.

Quote:

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Originally posted by mcg7

Quote:

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Originally posted by febpreet



Remember, not all good things in life are free - especially in Canada.

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wait for TK -he will tell U about few free things for cheapskates.

-Air (oxygen)is free
-free water from public places/rivers
-you can shit free in public washrooms in library / malls
-free internet in library / free wifi at some places
- most Imp - free food from food bank
-free doctor visit
-free consultation with job counsellors
-free news paper /broushures
-etc etc etc

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