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My husband just found out he is going to be working in Toronto starting around June 1 until at least Jan. 2012. We have zero knowledge of the area. He needs to put together a package proposal to his employer for expenses. How much is rent for a 1 bedroom in the area? We are also considering moving our whole family up there for the year but don't know where to begin to evaluate costs (or if it's even feasible). I'm a stay-at-home mom (former teacher) and we have 2 girls, ages 3 and 5. Our five year old would be in kindergarten next year. I don't know if she would be allowed to enter school up there but if not, I would homeschool. How much is rent on a 3 bedroom home? What are the safe areas for a family with our dynamics? Also, my 5 year old has type 1 diabetes so we would need an endocrinologist? I'm not sure if our US Healthcare would allow us to use a dr. in Canada? Anyone know the answer to that? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Sorry I don't have more specific questions for the forum right now. Thanks for guiding us in the right direction!
Toronto is a huge place and you will most likely want to live near your husband's job. Where will he be working? 'The Beach' (many call it 'The Beaches' but officially it's 'The Beach' ) is a nice family oriented area not too far from downtown, it's on the east side. Many rentals are on kijiji.ca, there is the Beach Metro newspaper to check too.
You would have to check with your US healthcare but my guess would be that they wouldn't cover doctors in Canada.
If it's in Markham I wouldn't advise living downtown as the commute would be horrendous getting to work during rush hour (chances are you'll be using the Don Valley Parkway which is essentially a standstill parking lot for a majority of the day). East end wouldn't be a bad idea, as adventuregurl said.
Safety in Toronto shouldn't be an issue; you'll obviously want to avoid any social housing areas but other than that it's generally safe. Pitch a few neighbourhoods to me and I'll give my opinion on it.
My recommendation is to either come up for a visit to get to know the areas or when you first come up get an extended stay hotel so you can get to know the places you are considering.
Found out the location of the job site: Barrie, Ontario. Not exactly a suburb of Toronto. How does this come into play when searching for a place to live? Thanks!
If you work in Barrie then live in Barrie. It's a decent sized & nice/pretty town with a Walmart, Sears, Costco, Pier 1, Starbucks, and Chapters (Canadian version of Barnes & Noble). Housing is cheaper than Toronto - no need to pay more to live in Toronto then pay for an expensive & long commute.
The closest border crossing is Niagara. There are 3 crossings there. Queenston, Lewiston. Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls, Ft. Erie, Buffalo. It's about an hour from Barrie to Toronto and another hour and a quarter to the Queenston Lewiston bridge.
If you are moving to Barrie there is some really beautiful country around there. Lake Simcoe has always been a big attraction but I have never liked it too much. It's only a half hour from Georgian Bay and Georgian bay really rocks. Collingwood is a fantastic little town and if you like winter sports it's the best in eastern Canada. Barrie is also close to the "Near North" and the recreation possibilities there are endless. Barrie is close enough to Toronto it's no big deal to run into the city for a evening out or a show ,concert etc.
I think there are many people in Barrie who would *dream* of having a job in the city in which they live and not have to drive to and from Toronto on the 400 every day.
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) is a nice family oriented area not too far from downtown, it's on the east side. Many rentals are on kijiji.ca, there is the Beach Metro newspaper to check too.
