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It is a great program here in B.C. I can't find how long it's been around, but I've claimed it since 1996. Like all good things I wonder how long it will last, since government keep advertising how much they do for us, while taking things away.
It's also a provincial program, not municipal and applies to all of B.C. If you live in a " northern region " or " rural area "of the province you get even a bigger grant.
In this category, would you not agree that access to real estate is a great advantage of Montreal that exceeds Toronto?
Absolutely I would agree - if you want to buy a traditional house Montreal would be better for a small family.. There is a trade off though - incomes are higher in Toronto and it is a 'better' city if you are career oriented.. There's just a whole lot more going on in that regard. My point is that Toronto is no longer a city that caters just to families and for those families who do want to set up shop than they are going to have to accept that living in a traditional form of housing is going to be difficult for them.. There are a number of reasons for this but it is what it is. The GTA is growing by 100K per year - the notion that the majority of families are going to be able to live in traditional living space is dying - the Places to Grow act put the nail on that coffin 10 years ago.. If they want an affordable house than move to Barrie and commute. Honestly, I don't think that we can look back anymore - if you wanna live in the big city either rent or buy a small condo - Toronto isn't the first and won't be the last city to be like this. 20 years from now I think you'll see that most people will live in highrises.. Toronto already is a highrise city and that is probably going to continue.
Anyway - I do agree that for most families cities like Toronto and Montreal are both great options and you'd find the Q.O.L largely the same... Look at the magic salary for happiness for most people so for most people Montreal is an amazing place to live - prolly beats living in Houston or Pheonix minus crappy weather for 4 mths of the year... This is why I don't get how people can say Montreal is a great place to visit but not to live - i'd say its a great place to live exactly for the same reasons its a great place to visit lol unless you belong to the minority of individuals where career progression is very important and of course those who want to live in a more anglo-centric city in Canamerica... Speaking of becoming more competitive - For the majority in Montreal that is probably not high on their agenda - perhaps they feel they are competitive enough and it is others who should be following their lead when it comes to approach to life....
I don't know how this became a Toronto vs Montreal thread, but I will say in general Montreal may be better for families (daycare, affordable housing, etc) and Toronto may be better for singles (condo single life, career oriented, etc.) That's not always the case though.
I don't know how this became a Toronto vs Montreal thread, but I will say in general Montreal may be better for families (daycare, affordable housing, etc) and Toronto may be better for singles (condo single life, career oriented, etc.) That's not always the case though.
Yeah i'll shut up about Toronto - hey I didn't bring it up first so don't blame me... Its the other guy who just moved back to T.O lol - I've been one of the biggest advocates for Montreal being one of the best places to live in N.A in this thread btw
Otherwise I agree with your points re Montreal - I think it would be a great place to live for the vast majority of individuals and you're right - no city is going to be perfect for everyone but if I were Francophone or coming to Canamerica from a Francophonie country I think Montreal would absolutely be the best option hands down.
Toronto is at about 0.72%. However, I notice the assessed value is considerably lower than market value. For my condo, it is lower by more than 30%.
I don't think property tax rate itself is that important, because the government collects taxes in one way or another. And places where housing price is low tend to have high rate.
Some comparable US states:
Texas: 1.84%
California: 0.74%
NY: 1.23%
PA: 1.35%
Illinois: 1.73%
The US average is about 1% as well.
Does that include school taxes? Every municipality and school district is different but in many places, school taxes are much higher than property taxes (obviously, income taxes are also lower). In Quebec, school taxes are usually 0.20%-0.30% of assessed value and in my experience that is significantly lower than in the US.
I don't know how this became a Toronto vs Montreal thread, but I will say in general Montreal may be better for families (daycare, affordable housing, etc) and Toronto may be better for singles (condo single life, career oriented, etc.) That's not always the case though.
There are a lot of factors going into that. Toronto doesn't have a language police patrolling the streets. That affects quality of life, at least for me. If you like being poor Quebec is a good option, if you like having money head for Alberta.
Well there is a language police, not sure how anyone can deny this. I thought language police was only a smug term but Quebec actually calls it that in the French language charter.
There are a lot of factors going into that. Toronto doesn't have a language police patrolling the streets. That affects quality of life, at least for me. If you like being poor Quebec is a good option, if you like having money head for Alberta.
Well if the price of oil remains such what it is that might not be the only/best option.. Ontario followed by B.C are now forecasted to have the highest economic growth in Canada in 2015.. Alberta trails behind those two...
Regardless being "poor" in any province is largely a matter of choice imo..
Last edited by fusion2; 01-25-2015 at 12:06 PM..
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