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Best quality of life?.........totally depends on what your preferences are.
Certainly your standard of living would be comparable to anywhere else in the country except it would be much higher than BC's. Quebec's wages are not high but taxes are but then conversely the cost of living and housing is very affordable and Quebecers enjoy government benefits that maybe less or none existent in other parts of the country.
I would find the winters brutal as Quebec seems to get the worst of both worlds.........it's cold and yet gets mountains of snow. The summers are like steam baths.
Quebec has a great cultural vitality and it's cities and towns are beautiful but for myself I would still prefer Ontario.
I admit I haven't biked in Montreal and didn't pay much attention to the biking situation, but I'm interested in how Montreal is better for biking, than say Vancouver?
I enjoy biking in Montreal quite a bit, I find it one of the best ways to get around the city. Most large cities have dedicated bike lanes these days, but they seem better planned in Montreal.
This is a good read, I think Montreal deserves the praise it receives in this article:
C'mon Ed- you're being modest.. Plus you don't have to move around that much to make a decent working wage - you do so because you want to excel in your industry from a financial and career progression perspective - you have ambition.. Is that wrong - heck no but a person of your means would be fine in pretty much any major city in Canada or the U.S if the goal were to simply have a decent middle class life (Most people). You simply have more drive than 90 plus percent of the population. Even I would be modest to say that I'm just eeking out an average middle class wage and I'm not even really willing to move but yes - the super wealthy do well irregardless of where that is for sure..
I hear what you are saying man, but at the end of the day location does matter for people that work in certain industries. It is not always about the job you have now, but rather the job you can move yourself into down the road. Or if you lose your job, how likely are you to bounce back with a similar salary without being forced into moving elsewhere.
You know how much I adore Montreal, it is probably the city in Canada I would most likely want to give a try down the road. The economic situation is a legitimate concern though and you cant ignore that fact.
I think my partner and I would be in the same boat - not sure about closing in on top 5 but definately top 10-15 percent so higher than the Median Family Income by quite a bit PLUS we don't have kids which means our disposable income goes up.. Clearly the average family in Canada or the U.S aren't as well off as some of the posters in here. I think we tend to lose sight of that a bit (yourself excluded) so when we are making comparisons we have to include everyone including their mostly average levels of career ambition and not just the C/D quasi-elites
I think you guys may be missing the point or at least have a different perspective - which is fine too. You are correct in that Montreal offers a strong quality of life for the average joe. No arguments there. The truth is, lower salaries balanced with lower incomes can be achieved in many places throughout North America as well. And many people make those choices everyday. For instance, many people leave Manhattan or Hong Kong after a few years because they are tired of the rat race and want to slow it down. In some ways, I made a trade off moving back home to Canada from the US - my decision was not based on money because I am making less now so I understand both sides of the coin.
But the point is meant to cater to the top 10 percent in some ways if you must classify people like this. Some or most people are fine with average but some people want more: more challenges, to work on something cutting edge, to work and learn from the best of the best, to be a part of big issues with global implications, etc.. Some people do have the talent and ambition to do more and want to work with world class institutions. And they invest a lot of personal time and effort in work and education to find opportunities to make a mark in their field. It's a part of who they are and the truth is, this group of people propels change, innovation and raises productivity and ultimately living standards for all - so I would not dismiss this group of people as not being important to the overall picture. The most prestigious collection of world class cities that most admire on these boards are all built by these types.
Quebec definitely has some talented people and institutions, but I don't think anyone would describe it as highly competitive in this regard compared to other places in North America nowadays. This may not mean much to everyone but it does for some when they assess a place as attractive or not to settle to realize their ambitions and interests, not necessarily as a vacation destination mind you. We can brand Quebec as a "live to work" as opposed to "work to live" place which is fine (and in some ways part of its charm and personality) but some (or maybe most) will view it as a positive, some less so if it means limited opportunities. But that is the point, simple as that. There's a little ying and yang at play here that need to be acknowledged. Ignoring the little issue of language of course, which is entirely different and render the option of moving to Quebec almost impossible for most anglos in North America.
In the interest of Quebec, instead of supporting or defending the status quo, I would actually be encouraging change. There is a lot more potential than many realize in Quebec and I think the focus on welfare state-type policies, protectionist government, huge provincial debt loads, weak growth and productivity are holding the province back from being more than it can be. I actually believe there is a lot of potential if the focus was different. I've said before and I'll say it again, I like Quebec a lot and I probably sympathize with their situation more than the average Canadian.
In some ways, I made a trade off moving back home to Canada from the US - my decision was not based on money because I am making less now so I understand both sides of the coin.
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First I have heard that you moved back to Canada from the States. I thought you'd be down there for a while.
I hear what you are saying man, but at the end of the day location does matter for people that work in certain industries. It is not always about the job you have now, but rather the job you can move yourself into down the road. Or if you lose your job, how likely are you to bounce back with a similar salary without being forced into moving elsewhere.
You know how much I adore Montreal, it is probably the city in Canada I would most likely want to give a try down the road. The economic situation is a legitimate concern though and you cant ignore that fact.
In a way, in the business sense (English) Canada is almost less of its own country that Quebec is, given that it is so intertwined on an everyday (every hour?) basis with the U.S.
This is not to say that Quebec is cut off from the rest of the world like North Korea. There are many many everyday interactions between Quebec and scores of places in Canada, the US, Europe and elsewhere in the world.
But from a (North) American perspective (which is, let's face it, where it's happening for most people in this part of the world), an ambitious professional is probably likely to get more career-boosting exposure in BosNYWash, Chicago, etc. working out of Toronto than out of Montreal.
Quebec has the *lowest* standard of living in N. America outside of the maritimes. You don't have to be career oriented to feel these effects. I went from a similar job in Montreal to a similar paying job in Calgary, and where do you think I was better off? Hint -- not Montreal. Not even close.
Its not hard to figure out.
Most people make less less money. But taxes are alot higher. There are alot less jobs. If you compare to the States, then the cost of living in very high. You feel the weight of this, It doesn't matter care how Bohemian you want to be. Is it better to be middle class in Quebec or in Alberta? Alberta, no contest. I've lived in Quebec, Alberta, and Florida, I know what Im talking about.
If you are content to work an unskilled job and smoke pot into your 40's, then the best place in N. America to live is going to be somewhere in the US, not in Canada. Down in Florida I would have been able to afford a bigger house on the same salary. I could have given my kids more opportunities and a more comfortable lifestyle. I would have had more money in my pocket, no strings attached, even with a similar salary. The official statistic is that the average American has around 33% more spending money than a Canadian. Just saying. When it comes to these economic factors, believe me, it makes a difference. Canada is better than the US to be in the top 10-15%. It doesn't matter who you are or how nonchalant you are about money, you will feel the economic difference and the impact on your lifestyle.
Usually people saying it doesn't make a difference have never lived outside of Canada, and not even outside of their province or metro area. Go figure. I know first hand that the States are a better place to be middle class than QC, thanks to lower cost of living, more spending power, more opportunity, more options, more jobs, you name it. Ask yourself why people flock to Alberta and not to QC. If we compare QC to N. America then Quebec's dead end economy is something to take into serious consideration.
You don't have to be a money grubber to want to make ends meet.
Such claims, along with those quality of life rankings, ridiculously pretend two things don't matter at all
1) weather
2) wages and cost of living.
I believe for the vast majority of people, these two are at the top of their priorities, way before things like culture, access to nature or welfare.
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