[andrewf]

Well that happens to be what I wrote in the original post and several times in this thread, so yes. Are you losing short term memory?

I could buy a house in Ontario but it's honestly the worst deal I've ever seen anywhere. You basically have cookie cutter homes of poor quality built in flat fields. In the rest of Canada, US or Europe you can easily get a much more interesting place and/or much better value. With remote work and work from home many Ontarians are starting to move out same as certain US states where people live with horrible traffic mostly for their job.

BC is expensive but it's also insanely beautiful. California is expensive but the climate is amazing. Ontario is just expensive, flat and cold.

I think you're underselling Ontario's natural heritage. Ontario doesn't have charismatic scenery like mountains, but the lakes, Niagara Escarpment, Canadian Shield, etc. are quite beautiful. I mean, if you're going to dismiss Ontario in this regard you must think Sask/MB are hell.

I agree that cost of living is becoming problematic in Ontario but that can be addressed with better policy. However, it is largely a consequence of how desirable a place it is to live.

 

[MyCatMittens]

Ontario is just expensive, flat and cold.

Be honest. I feel like a boomer driving an SUV bought from a dealership with fiat cut you off on the 401

 

[MyCatMittens]

Call them and ask what the buyout is.

Find a plumber and have them install the new one. They'll either pick it up from the supply shop, or you can buy one from Home depot.

This. Life got in the way, so I didn't end up doing this until my "mandated" rental unit was 10-12 years old. I believe I had to either take the unit to their depot or pay ~100$ for them to pick it up. I just went to Home Depot and they installed a new one with minimal impact to me. If the unit is < 10 years old, I'm not sure the penalty would be worth paying, but I think certainly at replacement time (or nearing EOL) it is worth doing.

 

[sags]

Ontario is flat ?

That is news to me who has several times spent 2 full days driving the hills and valleys of Northern Ontario just to get to Manitoba.

The landscape is breathtakingly beautiful along Lake Superior......but hills and valleys, rocks and water, hills and valleys, rocks and water, hills and valleys.

It was a welcome reprieve when I got to the "flat" plains of Saskatchewan. The golden wheat swaying in the breeze is so relaxing I always stop for a bit.

The area around Terrace Bay is gorgeous. Stop in for a day on your way to Ontario !

People should stop complaining and appreciate the remarkable country we call home......from coast to coast to coast.

In 10 more days we celebrate Canada Day.

Terrace Bay Lighthouse | Group of Seven | Moments of Algoma

After taking your photo while sitting on the artist stool at the Moments of Algoma interpretive panel, climb to the top of the lighthouse to view the islands that inspired the painting Slate Islands, Lake Superior, c. 1921 by A.Y Jackson.

momentsofalgoma.ca

 

[m3s]

I think you're underselling Ontario's natural heritage. Ontario doesn't have charismatic scenery like mountains, but the lakes, Niagara Escarpment, Canadian Shield, etc. are quite beautiful. I mean, if you're going to dismiss Ontario in this regard you must think Sask/MB are hell.

I agree that cost of living is becoming problematic in Ontario but that can be addressed with better policy. However, it is largely a consequence of how desirable a place it is to live.

Why would you chose Ontario for its nature over another Canadian province though? Every Canadian province has nice nature except you don't have to sit in traffic to get to it, pay 10x for insurance, or get cut off by all the miserable Torontonians trying to escape for the weekend

Saskatchewan is definitely underrated and I've lived and travelled all over both. Cypress Hills area in southern Saskatchewan in particular but also Prince Albert park. Saskatchewan had by far the best auto insurance/registration system in Canada. They gave the auto insurance profits back to the good drivers at the end of the year.

Southern Ontario is probably better for winter compared to the prairies but not by much. Winter is winter. Dry cold is also better than wet cold. Might as well go to BC of snowbird south. You easily get better value in most other provinces in my experience not even close.

Just read all the articles about Canadians fleeing Ontario to go east and west. If you can sell your house for $$$ with the rented water heater scam, buy a nicer place for half the cost, pay less for everything else, much less traffic and even work remotely eh

 

[Gator13]

Why would you chose Ontario for its nature over another Canadian province though? Every Canadian province has nice nature except you don't have to sit in traffic to get to it, pay 10x for insurance, or get cut off by all the miserable Torontonians trying to escape for the weekend

There is a lot to see if you look beyond the GTA/Golden Horseshoe.

Saskatchewan is definitely underrated and I've lived and travelled all over both. Cypress Hills area in southern Saskatchewan in particular but also Prince Albert park. Saskatchewan had by far the best auto insurance/registration system in Canada. They gave the auto insurance profits back to the good drivers at the end of the year.

True

Southern Ontario is probably better for winter compared to the prairies but not by much. Winter is winter. Dry cold is also better than wet cold. Might as well go to BC of snowbird south. You easily get better value in most other provinces in my experience not even close.

This is nonsense. I spent a lot of years in both and Southern Ontario has far better winters. The only people I ever hear using that damp cold versus dry cold shtick are people from the prairies trying to make their winter sound, well, not as bad. LOL (No block heaters required in Southern Ontario)

You certainly come across as an Ontario hater. How long did you live in Ontario & where? You must have had a real bad experience.

And of course, taxes also vary by province.

2022 Personal tax calculator | EY Canada

Tax Calculators, 2022 Personal Tax Calculator

www.eytaxcalculators.com

 

[m3s]

You certainly come across as an Ontario hater. How long did you live in Ontario & where? You must have had a real bad experience.

And of course, taxes also vary by province.

Spent many years in Kingston which is one of my fav Canadian cities. I've worked and travelled all over Ontario for many years

Of course people who grew and up and make Ontario their identity will get defensive. I'm saying Ontario is the only province where it is common to rent hot water tanks, crazy auto insurance etc Of course the Ontarians tried to justify why they rent hot water tanks but missed the point.

You can google the headlines that people are leaving Ontario to go east and west. I can see why

This is nonsense. I spent a lot of years in both and Southern Ontario has far better winters. The only people I ever hear using that damp cold versus dry cold shtick are people from the prairies trying to make their winter sound, well, not as bad. LOL (No block heaters required in Southern Ontario)

Yes I can see Ontario having milder winters.

I'm in the states and it's FAR warmer than both though as was Europe (no windshield scrapers required in either) So I guess everyone is paying for $$$$ Ontario homes for the milder winter but it's only relative to insanely cold prairie winter. The houses now are like cookie cutter mass produced in farmer fields

If we're talking climate I'd probably go with BC. Or snowbird elsewhere from any province

 

[andrewf]

Why would you chose Ontario for its nature over another Canadian province though? Every Canadian province has nice nature except you don't have to sit in traffic to get to it, pay 10x for insurance, or get cut off by all the miserable Torontonians trying to escape for the weekend

Saskatchewan is definitely underrated and I've lived and travelled all over both. Cypress Hills area in southern Saskatchewan in particular but also Prince Albert park. Saskatchewan had by far the best auto insurance/registration system in Canada. They gave the auto insurance profits back to the good drivers at the end of the year.

Southern Ontario is probably better for winter compared to the prairies but not by much. Winter is winter. Dry cold is also better than wet cold. Might as well go to BC of snowbird south. You easily get better value in most other provinces in my experience not even close.

Just read all the articles about Canadians fleeing Ontario to go east and west. If you can sell your house for $$$ with the rented water heater scam, buy a nicer place for half the cost, pay less for everything else, much less traffic and even work remotely eh

You seem oddly fixated on insurance. I pay ~$100/month. You telling me I can get insurance in Sask for $120/year?

There is more to Ontario than Toronto. Ontario is bigger than Germany.

 

[Gator13]

^ I am from the west so I have a pretty unbiased (and first hand) opinion. A lot of folks from GTA & GVA are cashing in on massive housing windfalls. A great option if your career can accommodate working remotely or you are retiring. Every Province offers a lot so it really comes down to lifestyle choices, family, career opportunities, etc. I believe quite a few on this forum have worked in multiple cities and countries. Many are certainly well travelled.

I think the highest auto insurance award goes to BC, followed by Ontario and then Alberta. I know most vary widely based on where you live in the province. Vancouver & Toronto have some brutal traffic which is a big part of the problem.

Cookie cutter homes are not unique to Toronto or any other Canadian city. A Google search easily proves that point.

😁BTW, I love water tank rentals. I made out really well when Brookfield bought enercare.

 

[m3s]

😁BTW, I love water tank rentals. I made out really well when Brookfield bought enercare.

💩 I was looking for that stock. So that's what happened to it

 

[KaeJS]

@KaeJS was on to something about the cows in Ontario

The moose in Yukon and Newfoundland are much more dignified and intelligent

NY is similar and Americans are leaving NY as well

Yeah, you won't win against the cows in Ontario.

I guess you could say they have Mad Cow Disease...

 

[MrMatt]

There is more to Ontario than Toronto. Ontario is bigger than Germany.

I honestly think it would be good to split off Toronto as it's own province.
It is really different. That's one of the reasons they are run under different laws than other municipalities (ie the City of Toronto Act)

They also think that any concern of the city of Toronto is automatically a Provincial/national concern, because they're so important to the proper functioning of the province/country.

 

[sags]

I have never been to Vancouver, although I have been "out west" numerous times to my wife's family farm in Saskatchewan, and then on to Alberta.

Vancouver looks like an incredibly beautiful place to live, and my wife has family scattered across the west, from Saskatchewan to Vancouver Island.

One of her cousin's owned a beautiful heritage property right on the ocean in West Vancouver, and we had invitations to visit and never did unfortunately.

Another of her cousins carved the totem poles that stand in Stanley Park in Vancouver. He was a famous local artist, who has since passed away.

My wife has been to Peggy's Cove in NS.........a trip I still want to make and then on to PEI and NFLD.

There are so many places in Canada to see that will fill out our travel plans for a long time.

 

[Beaver101]

I have never been to Vancouver, although I have been "out west" numerous times to my wife's family farm in Saskatchewan, and then on to Alberta.

Vancouver looks like an incredibly beautiful place to live, and my wife has family scattered across the west, from Saskatchewan to Vancouver Island.

One of her cousin's owned a beautiful heritage property right on the ocean in West Vancouver, and we had invitations to visit and never did unfortunately.

Another of her cousins carved the totem poles that stand in Stanley Park in Vancouver. He was a famous local artist, who has since passed away.

My wife has been to Peggy's Cove in NS.........a trip I still want to make and then on to PEI and NFLD.

There are so many places in Canada to see that will fill out our travel plans for a long time.

... I can imagine Vancouver is the place to live for its natural beauty and laid-back atmosphere. Got a childhood friend borned in TO, went to Vancouver and never looked back. Asked if she's returning anytime "home". The answer is an astounding NO. Vancouver is "now home".

As for Saskatchewan, it's actually not bad there. A tad plain (no pun intended) though. You could walk the entire downtown of Regina in 15 minutes. And there's only 1 movie theatre in 1 mall there ... LOL ... not much choices.

Would love to visit the entire East coast as got a couple of pen-pals there. Bay of Fundy is a definite visit. Can't miss that. Maybe it's time to call up some ex-colleagues and ask for recommendations and updates since they originated and still have family from there.

 

[moderator2]

Locked the thread and deleted the insults posted by @KaeJS and @Beaver101

Insults and attacks directed at other members are not allowed. If it continues there will be temporary bans.