Move to Toronto?

[milkabum]

Toronto has a variety of expenses for homes. There are some average homes on one part of the city, others apartments, large victiorian mansion style homes, etc. But living just outside of Toronto in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is probably a lower cost. I live in Mississauga and we are not only in any debt (not sure if I phrased it right, I meant we have no debt) in this city for reasons such as potholes and other various neighbourhood problems, but the neighbourhoods are wonderful. We are about 45 minutes away from Toronto, and if you were to live here there are many ways of transportation from the GO Bus, the TTC, and more. If you want more on that just message me anytime.

It all depends where you'd like to live. First, are you going to be living in Toronto or in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area)? Well anyways if Toronto I'll tell you a couple cool things. Well first off we have Lake Ontario and the CN tower. Wonderful parks, clean city, and many great events to take part in. Toronto is also the most ethnically diverse city in the world as stated by the United Nations. I think the people here are very friendly. Toronto is home to some of the best schools in the province too. The winters are pretty nice, occasionally it is very cold but it brings a nice feeling when you come inside and drink hot chocolate in front of the fire. The springs are pretty good, not too hot or too cold. Summers are amazing though- warm but not too humid, perfect oppurtunity for a swim at a local pool or a walk in the park. In autumn it is wonderful as well. The colourful leaves and cool temperatures make it so.

Most of the products you have in Texas are here as well, if you have any questions on whether or not your favourite foods are in local grocery stores you can ask me as well, it may not be important but it's good to know in advance.

 

[milkabum]

I just edited my first paragraph to make sure nobody misunderstood me, sorry!

 

[vhoffman]

I just edited my first paragraph to make sure nobody misunderstood me, sorry!

Thanks!

((((((((((((((

 

[Northstar]

Well, you know you've already got friends in Canada if you end up coming! Hope the interview turns out well.

 

[vhoffman]

Well, you know you've already got friends in Canada if you end up coming! Hope the interview turns out well.

Thanks!

 

[dsneygirl]

Geez, I can barely pack all this stuff, let alone itemize it! Do you really have to list each indivudual item, you can't just say "box of dishes"? I can see my list 2 corningware dishes, 4 garage sale soup bowls, 12 clear glasses, 200 knifes, forks, spoons, .............

Now do I need to list my cats as well? At least in the US pets are considered property. Don't tell my cats, they think they're human (or perhaps a species above human!)

Most people I dealt with went by box. Say you had 47 boxes. 10-dishes, 3-books, 3- DVDs, music etc. Then you would have large items seperate. Like computer, TV, dining room table, 4 chairs, bed frame, Queen mattress. I'm sure the major moving companies would have templates and examples when the time comes.

 

[DutchsMommy]

OK, so you haven't told us where he is interviewing! Inquiring minds want to know. OK, nosy minds LOL Do you have any idea whether the office would be downtown or in the burbs? The commute can make a huge difference. There are a TON of people who, forthe very reasons mentioned re: house prices in the city, take the Go Train into the city. There are a number of lines going out into the surrounding towns/cities and the train comes into a main transit hub called 'Union Station'. For some it is a walk to work from there, for others a subway trip. All in all, you generally will get more bang for your buck outside of the city (at least in terms of square feet and a backyard) than you would in the city. Having said that, we live and work in the city, DS goes to school in the city and we would not want it any other way. Yes, we are in hock, but hey who cares. My mortgage has life insurance! Actually, real estate is a great investment in the city. We bought our first place for $164K and sold for $274K 7 years later. That allowed us to purchase where we are now with a sizable downpayment. You can't really get much for under $300K in what I would consider a 'nice' neighbourhood, and closer to $500K is more the norm. Of course, there are places for less, but you are generally giving up either space or more likely location. Anyway, best of luck whatever you decide!

 

[Stittsville]

and I would dispute the language difference - Canadian English is very different from American English, in grammar, spelling and pronounciation. Yes, there is an understanding of each other, but language is not the same, just as Bavarian German is not the same as German.

In practice, this is a trivial matter.

English pronunciation already varies within the USA. Consider the Deep South vs. New England vs. the West Coast. Americans moving to Toronto would have no more difficulty than if they moved to Ohio or Michigan, where the accent is pretty much the same. Commonly used expressions will vary, just as the do between regions of the USA.

 

[bavaria]

It is certainly not trivial when I am working with clients in Alabama and they cannot understand my accent, nor can I understand theirs.

Or when my American colleagues could not understand the Cape Breton accent.

 

[Stittsville]

I'm not sure how this pertains to the original poster. She is not a German national, nor is she moving to Cape Breton (where they have an accent particular to their tiny percentage of the population). If she moves to Toronto, she will understand the locals as easily as she understands those from the midwest, or even Hollywood for that matter.

 

[vhoffman]

++++++++++++++

 

[ferris198]

Dear OP
I have read all of the posts and finally decided to add my two cents.
First off, your dh won't suffer from the cultural difference, either will you or your children.
There really are no differences to speak of.
There is no differerence in the way we pronounce our words, just a spellling difference.
As for taxes if your husband is being paid in Canadian Dollars he would only pay taxes here.
If you move here as a family there is no need for you to file a return in the US.
Bavaria has responded alot on this issue, but to be honest, I would take his info with a grain of salt.
If you decide you want to discuss this further you can feel free to pm me.

 

[Northstar]

Dear OP

As for taxes if your husband is being paid in Canadian Dollars he would only pay taxes here.
If you move here as a family there is no need for you to file a return in the US.

I sure hope you are neither an American citizen living abroad nor a tax advisor! American citizens have to file federal tax returns every year no matter where they live. Here's the IRS link:
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/article/0,,id=96796,00.html

 

[c&m]

Like your DH, I work in high tech. Your DH probably won't be culturally stunned. If anything, he'll probably be amazed how minimal his transition would be work-wise. (As for moving a family to another country, that's another thing altogether!)

In the high tech industry here, a lot of our customers are American. Did you know a lot of big American companies farm out their software development to Canadian companies or to their Canadian location? Often times than not, we use American English and spelling in our tech specs and documentation as that is our audience.

We Canadians are a very multicultural, internationally diverse people, and Canada has world-class cities on both coasts. You may be surprised by how many American transplants or people with American ancestry live in Canada (my DH's grandparents are from Minot, North Dakota). I don't think you or your DH will feel out of place at all.

 

[jersey shark]

My 2c on the topic....I am a NJ business guy who travels all over North America frequently and I would say that Canada and the US are mostly similar ...my perspective is from "what makes my life easier/more difficult in Canada than in the US"....and the following are the usual irritations along with the things I love

a) any border-related delay (many times I have missed flights, been massively inconvenienced etc...)
b) Canadian restaurants, in general, are a notch below US standards (I know I'll get into trouble on this one)...but that's my opinion - its particularly noteworthy with beef quality (steakhouses)...and there's a recurring theme of "blandness" in the taste of the food. I truly miss good southwestern Tex-mex and southern-themed places - I don't think they exist
c) some Canadian cities lack a freeway system - Americans like to zip around on freeways - Vancouver, beautiful city that it is, is really difficult and frustratring to get around in....Edmonton and Calgary need "ring roads"
d) I really miss Dunkin Donuts coffee in Canada - sorry, don't get the Tim Horton's thing - and those lousy lids!
e) the nicest thing about Canada - the weather! (I love cool air!)
f) also very nice are the people - they are generally very friendly and I find them to be fascinated with the US in a good way ...I'm very popular with my Cdn business colleagues - they love hearing about my escapades in Manhattan!
g) also a plus about Canada - NAMAO Bars!! (sp) ....nuthin' like em in the USA!

 

[Debbie]

g) also a plus about Canada - NAMAO Bars!! (sp) ....nuthin' like em in the USA!

Nanaimo....named for the city in British Columbia Mmmmmm good.

 

[vhoffman]

I truly appreciate everyone's replies. They all give food for thought, and every comment has been quite helpful.

******************8

 

[ferris198]

Geez, I should let my sister-in-law know.
f you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien living or traveling outside the United States, you generally are required to file income tax returns, estate tax returns, and gift tax returns and pay estimated tax in the same way as those residing in the United States. Your income, filing status, and age generally determine whether you must file a return. Generally, you must file a return if your gross income from worldwide sources is at least the amount shown for your filing status in the Filing Requirements table in Chapter 1 of Publication 54, Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad.

 

[vhoffman]

Geez, I should let my sister-in-law know.
f you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien living or traveling outside the United States, you generally are required to file income tax returns, estate tax returns, and gift tax returns and pay estimated tax in the same way as those residing in the United States. Your income, filing status, and age generally determine whether you must file a return. Generally, you must file a return if your gross income from worldwide sources is at least the amount shown for your filing status in the Filing Requirements table in Chapter 1 of Publication 54, Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad.

Northstar gave a detailed explanation of how it works--there's an exclusion of a certain amount from US income taxes, look for his post.

 

[ducklite]

I'm not sure how this pertains to the original poster. She is not a German national, nor is she moving to Cape Breton (where they have an accent particular to their tiny percentage of the population). If she moves to Toronto, she will understand the locals as easily as she understands those from the midwest, or even Hollywood for that matter.

I have a lot of friends who are Canadian, particularly a bunch from the TO/Don Mills/Barrie/New Market areas. I would say there have been three times ever when one of us has used a word that the other had no idea what they were talking about--and it was almost always slang. Yes, we have different words for some things, but in the context of a sentence it's not rocket science to figure the meaning out. If a store clerk says "I can take your purcahse at that till over there, and we validate parkade tickets if you have one" I know what she's saying.

The hardest things for me when I'm in Canada are the metric conversions and remembering the "correct" pronounciation of the last letter of the alphabet.

Anne