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I have a few job offers in the GTA and I'm strongly considering a move there. I have a few hang-ups that I can't seem to straighten out so hopefully someone on the forum can help. I know these questions have probably been asked repeatedly on this forum, but I wanted to get an updated account from the forum participants.
1. I live in the Wilmington, Delaware area of the U.S. where education (primary/elementary and secondary) is sort of hit and miss - depending on your neighborhood you could get a great school or not. I've seen the EQAO rankings of schools and the PISA international rankings and I get the impression that my elementary-age child would receive an overall better education in Canada than in the U.S.. However, I saw an article (maybe on this forum and others) from a family who lived in Michigan and moved to Oakville, and they determined that the school system there was about 1 to 1.5 years behind what they had in Michigan. I am very confused on how to compare the systems in a U.S. state such as Delaware versus the Region of Peel or the TDSB systems. I would greatly appreciate any help on this!
2. Is there any benefit of living in Mississauga versus, say, Etobicoke? I know they are right next to each other, but are taxes and services different? My job would be in downtown Toronto and my wife's position might be in Mississauga so I'm looking for an area to settle down in that would allow us both to have no more than 30 mins (+/-) commuting time. I would definitely take GO Transit if I lived in Mississauga and the TTC subway if I ended up in Etobicoke. But I'd like to hear a more involved comparison of these two areas from folks that might know more.
3. What are the "Best Start" and "Early Youth Centres" in Ontario all about? We would possibly need some day care for our youngest. Are these alternatives to private day care establishments? What is the overall picture regarding daycare and pre-kindergarten kids in the GTA/Ontario?
4. On the MLS.ca website they mention ownership types such as freehold and leasehold. I could guess to what these mean but could someone translate them into Americanese?
5. Are there decent Caribbean/West Indian populations in Mississauga and Etobicoke? Any particular neighborhoods they might be concentrated in?
6. Any areas to possibly avoid moving to in Mississauga and Etobicoke?
As an ex-Mississauga resident, here's my (un)qualified response;
1. Elementary level education: Peel Region & Toronto District School Board are virtually the same. They are probably comparable to most suburban or middle/higher income US communities. Don’t worry about it. Google Fraser Institute for school ranking in Ontario if you’re really into comparisons.
2. Benefits of living in Mississauga over Toronto (Etobicoke is part of Toronto) are lower taxes, and lower house prices. Both Etobicoke and Mississauga are primarily low-rise suburban sprawl, so there are no real “cultural” differences. Both are easy commutes to Toronto. GO is more expensive but runs direct to Downtown, TTC is good, but if you plan is to go downtown, from certain part of Etobicoke you are looking at multiple bus transfers to subway. 45-60+ minute commute is more realistic.
3. Ontario Early Year Centre are not daycares AFAIK. They are government run centre that have education type programs for young children and well as support programs for parents. Somebody might be able to better clarify, but I think the programs are designed for both parent & child.. Not just child drop-offs.
4. Leasehold vs. Freehold used in reference to condos and townhouses? Freehold means you own a townhome and you as the owner are responsible for all maintenance etc (same as a house). Leasehold means you own a townhome, but there is a condo board/management that is responsible for most maintenance issues and you pay a small monthly fee for this.
5. Caribbean/West Indian populations: The edge goes to Etobicoke. Both are multi-cultural cities however. The area with the largest concentration would have to be Rexdale in Etobicoke, and possibly Malton in Mississauga. FYI: Rexdale is not the greatest area in Toronto, and there are lots of public housing project there. It is still a decent area, but by Canadian/Toronto standards it is the ‘hood. I’d have to say there more Indo-Caribbean’s in Mississauga. Overall, West Indians are very spread out in the GTA and you will find them everywhere.
6. Avoid moving anywhere? Me personally. No. You’ll hear hype about certain areas, but it’s mainly just hype. Mind yourself; watch your kids and everthings ok!
Last edited by west_end_don; 03-02-2009 at 10:11 AM..
Reason: editing
I agree with west end don except for #5, there are more west indians people in peel region but they are scattered absolutely everywhere. Etobicoke they are more segregated. Malton is more indian than west indian and rexdale is a mix.
on a side note, get me a job! I just lost mine a couple weeks ago, how can you come to my city during struggling times and take a job! not nice :P
Last edited by frostyb007; 03-04-2009 at 10:39 PM..
Reason: change
Etobicoke is more segregated I guess. The southern part of Etobicoke is more "white" Canadian, while the northern half is more cook-up.
Frosty, you are right, probably the biggest group in Malton are the Sikhs, although there are still lots of West Indians (amongst others)... If you include all of Peel Region (Mississauga & Brampton), then Peel Region is definitely bigger & more diverse.
Sorry to hear about your job.. Definitely tough time out there.
Sorry about the job Frosty, I might not be able to take this offer anyway. I have no idea how much it really costs to live up there. Looks like combined we might be able to pull in say 95-100k CDN but we're a family of three. How's the living up there in Mississauga for that much? Could we afford anything halfway decent?
It depends where you move to in Mississauga. The northern part of the city can take well over an hour to get to Toronto. But the southern part usually takes 20 minutes. If end up moving to Mississauga I suggest your local high school isn't T. L Kennedy or Gordon Graydon (TLK is worse though....lots of crime)
In Mississauga, avoid moving too close to Toronto's International Airport(Which is in Mississauga). The sound of large planes taking off and landing all day is enough to drive me crazy.
Mississauga has a good mix of older and newer neighbourhoods. I live close to the Erin Mills Town Centre mall and I just love it here. Quiet area, but with all the conveniences. It takes me less than an hour to get to downtown Toronto by taking advantage of the Go Transit service. Other places I'd avoid moving to are the South Common Mall area and Meadowvale even though these places are still very livable, they just give me the creeps at night. I witnessed a stabbing once at South Common Mall, and someone tried to rob me when I was a teen in Meadowvale, but I was so drunk and full of cheer, I ended up making friends with him that night. lol
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thanks west_end_don
